The seeds of my 12 Nocturnes for solo piano began in 2019 when I met the Scottish poet David Cameron in person for the first time. I had set some of his beautiful, innately musical poems as songs, but when we met, we began to discuss the relationship between music and the spoken word. We decided to try collaborating on a series of pieces in which I would compose piano accompaniments to his recited poetry. Cameron selected several of his poems — which he described as dark — and the completed collaboration was then titled In a Darker Vein.

At some point during the work on the latter set of pieces, I suddenly had the notion that the piano parts I was writing to accompany Cameron’s words could easily evolve into separate pieces for piano solo by replacing the spoken word component with additional music. Given that I was working with poetry that was decidedly dark, I had the idea to make some of them into Nocturnes — music for a dark time. As I continued to write nocturnes this way, I began to show my scores to Christina Petrowska Quilico, who immediately responded to them with surprising enthusiasm. I found poetry from other authors also fit the theme and mood of the pieces. Petrowska Quilico herself, who has written poetry throughout her career, responded by creating nocturnal poems that fit the project perfectly. And I also chose poems by two friends, the late Seán Haldane and Bruce Whiteman.

— David Jaeger

These are the twelve pieces and their descriptions:
In Memory Of (Poetry by David Cameron) dwells on the memory of those dear to us that we have lost.
A Blessing (Poetry by David Cameron) addresses our connection with the spiritual world.
Tumult (Poetry by Bruce Whiteman) contrasts the noise made by crows with human expressions of love and endearment.
The Murmur (Poetry by Seán Haldane) is an expression of a cry from the deepest places in the heart.
The Holes of Night (Poetry by Christina Petrowska Quilico) describes the unique qualities of the night and how they affect our psyche.
Forget the Day (Poetry by Christina Petrowska Quilico) focuses on the allure of the realm of the night.
The Red Deer (Poetry by David Cameron) describes an epiphany provoked by an encounter in nature.
The House and You (Poetry by David Cameron) offers redemption from the dark, only to be broken by a deception.
Lament for the People of Ukraine is a response to the invasion of Ukraine, based on a melody composed much earlier, inspired by words of Bruce Whiteman.
Games of the Night Wind (Poetry by Christina Petrowska Quilico) depicts the wild, uncontrollable atmosphere of the nocturnal realm.
The Alarm Bell (Poetry by David Cameron) describes a febrile encounter with the shadow-self.
Conjure You (Poetry by David Cameron) is an evocation of the artist’s Muse.