Scottish Open test - and when the river told....now available
The silvery Tay provides Dobson with Scottish Open inspiration
RELEASE OF SCOTTISH OPEN TEST PIECE - now available from Just Music
purchase short score www.justmusicik.com
Composer Simon Dobson's new test piece for the Scottish Open Brass Band Championships takes its inspiration directly from the fine city in which the event will be held and the great river that runs through it. The event itself and the new work are part of the Perth 800 celebrations celebrating the 800th anniversary of the granting of the Royal Burgh Charter to the city by King William the Lion of Scotland in 1210.
The work's title, '...and when the river told...', derives from Simon's favourite book, Siddartha, by the great German writer Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962). In it the main character searches for enlightenment through meditating by a river. Last month Simon travelled from his Plymouth home to seek inspiration at first hand from historic Perth: 'It was very worthwhile for me to see and feel the city at first hand. I looked around the museum, sat by the Tay and walked round much of the city, as well as spending some time in the wonderful Perth Concert Hall to check out the acoustic.'
Having studied the brief for Perth 800 from 'a million angles', Simon has selected three episodes from the annals of Perth's history. The city lies at the heart of Scotland close to the boundary between Lowland and Highland and at a major crossing point of the Tay, which discharges more fresh water than any other river in Britain, equal, we are told, to the Thames and the Severn combined. The first episode of '...and when the river told....' takes us back to the great flood of 1209/10, and the period when the charter was granted. The second section is inspired by the Battle of North Inch, also known as the Battle of the Clans, of 1396. This was a staged battle, on what is now North Inch Park, in which 30 men were selected to represent the rival clans in front of spectators that included Robert III and his court. The final section follows the evolution of Perth's industrial heritage from whisky, glass and dying to the digital age.
Each movement of the piece will begin and end with what Simon is calling 'the River Theme'. The piece will flow in one continuous movement lasting about 13 minutes: 'My piece is going to be written from the point of view of the River Tay which acts as a narrator, the idea being that although much has changed in the city, the river has always been there and has seen everything!'
'...and when the river told...' was commissioned by the Scottish Brass Band Association and will be played by all bands competing in the Scottish Open Championship, Saturday 20 November in Perth Concert Hall, when the composer will be one of the panel of adjudicators, which also includes Hannes Buchegger and Howard Snell.
The work will be published by Faber Music Ltd and will be available for purchase from September.
www.sbba.org.uk
www.fabermusic.com
