Princess Catherine and her ten-year-old daughter, Princess Charlotte, performed a piano duet of Erland Cooper's piece "Holm Sound" for the "Together at Christmas" carol concert broadcast on ITV1. Cooper, who composed the music, described their performance as "lovely" and noted the "incredible bond" between mother and daughter. The Princess of Wales personally requested that Cooper accompany them at Windsor Castle for the recording.
Cooper explained that he was inspired to write "Holm Sound" in 2020 during the pandemic, drawing inspiration from the natural environment of the Orkney Islands. He initially composed the piece with his own mother, also named Charlotte, in mind, and it became a celebration of motherhood and the importance of family. The Princess of Wales, who has played the piano since childhood and shares Cooper's love for nature, had previously written to him expressing her admiration for his work. She revealed that she had enjoyed teaching Princess Charlotte his compositions at home, which had fostered a special connection between them. This shared passion for music that celebrates the natural world led to the mother-daughter performance being included in the Christmas concert, which honored community heroes.
Cooper found the request to have the Princesses perform his piece to be a "wonderful bit of serendipity" and expressed his gratitude for witnessing their performance. He also shared anecdotes about his unique artistic process, including burying and later recovering a musical master tape in Orkney, which eventually became a number one classical album. He emphasized the profound connection he feels to the natural world and how he finds it inspiring that the Princess of Wales has also found solace and comfort in nature.