Sir Arnold Trevor Bax (Nov. 8, 1883 - October 3, 1953) was an English author, poet, and composer. Born in a suburb of London to a wealthy family, his parents encouraged him to study music. As he had a private income,  he followed his own whims when it came to composition. He attended the Hampstead Conservatoire, and the Royal Academy of Music. While at the academy, he became an admirer of the music of Richard Wagner, Richard Strauss, and Claude Debussy (the latter two were frowned upon by the faculty). Bax became highly interested in Ireland and Celtic culture, and lived in Dublin for a time, and grew an interest in Nordic culture as well. Later on Bax would travel to Russia, and some of his works were influenced by his travels there.

November Woods is a tone poem, written in 1917. Though the title leads you to think it's about nature, it's more about a tumultuous time in Bax's life; his marriage was disintegrating, and he was having an affair with the pianist Harriet Cohen. Bax himself said that the the work "may be taken as an impression of the dank and stormy music of nature in the late autumn, but the whole piece and its origins are connected with certain rather troublous experiences I was going through myself at the time....".

The works starts out  with a harp glissandi, and chromatic strings and winds, giving the impression of a strong wind. The main theme is three notes, descending and chromatic that are all throughout the tumultuous first portion of the work. It's then followed by a much more peaceful theme played by the english horn, bassoon, and violas. The work comes back around the opening key of G minor, and eventually fades away. The work certainly echoes what a stormy evening can be like, and also, a tumultuous period of a man's life.

Here are some recordings of this wonderful piece for you to enjoy!

Ulster Orchestra
London Philharmonic Orchestra