Music for me is like painting pictures with sounds. The solitude of the rainforest - the majesty and strength of the ocean - the celebration of nature itself. With these recordings, I’d like to share my connection with nature - a connection I believe we all have at many different levels, with all things living.

When I spend time alone by the sea, there is a definite feeling of coming home - of returning from some forgotten journey and getting back in touch.

Mariner, the ancient sea-farer is a story of that journey. A voyage into life, through lands both remembered and new - and then returning home. I hope you find, with any of your selections in my growing collection, a more enjoyable and inspiring means of relaxing.

Tony O’Connor - 1990

Being by the sea, for me, holds a very special magic. To sleep on the beach and take a walk at sunrise - or even better to swim in the ocean - never fails to re-energise and lift my spirits. The salty air, the gentle crashing of waves, the hypnotic rhythm of the sea - all carry a certain healing for me.

There is a rhythm in nature, a careful celabratory balance of sound, colour and timbre. What a joy it is to compose music that sings of this. And you know, humans have always used music in some sense. In mediation and prayer - as a communial joining - a war cry before battle - to celebrate, mourn and to be playful. Music is a universal language.

Instrumental music even more so, I think. There are no language barriers when the music has no lyric. And as an artist creating instrumental work, I am free to embed my melodies and soundscapes with emotion without being limited by words. I hope that my persnal thoughts and feelings are shared throughout the music yet I also hope that the listener finds their own inner images and feelings - that the music leads the listener through a doorway. The adventure is then spawned by your own thoughts, emotions and memories.

That is why I do what I do. It is an attempt to produce music and sounds that have a positive effect. I believe music is supposed to make you feel good!

I sincerely hope that, when you listen to Mariner, you are presented with a natural means of creating peace of mind. I selected instruments which are proven to be the most effective and sensual. I have written melodies that I hope assist in opening your own inner doorways.

• Tony O’Connor