Work by a young Cumbrian composer will feature in the next concert by the City of Carlisle Orchestra.
Anna Morley, currently a student at Trinity School, has orchestrated a piece she originally wrote for piano, and the orchestra will perform it for the first time on November 29.
Meilleur des Mondes was written by Anna while she was reading Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, which inspired the title.
She said: “I composed this piece a few summers ago at the piano, where I first discovered the melody that would come to define it.
“The theme stayed with me, and I would regularly sing it at home. I later decided to expand the work for orchestra, as I had long wanted to write for one and felt that this material lent itself naturally to a larger, more colourful sound.
“The principal theme, first introduced by the solo flute, weaves through the piece in various forms – fragmented and developed, transformed into a graceful triple-time section, or proclaimed triumphantly by the full orchestra – all before returning to the flute in a gentle reprise that gradually fades into silence.
“I felt that the melody conveyed a slight sense of hope like the idea of a ‘brave new world.’”
Anna will also join the orchestra on saxophone for Gershwin’s An American in Paris/
And solo saxophonist Aidan Fowler will perform the Concerto for Alto Saxophone and Orchestra by Ronald Binge.
In three movements, it shows off the power and lyricism of the modern saxophone and how well it fits within an orchestral setting.
Aidan, of Glasgow has been studying classical saxophone and clarinet at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland since 2022 and has performed with many symphony orchestras, including that of Scottish Opera.
Conducted by Chloe Lu Ye from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, the concert takes place at St John’s Church on London Road, Carlisle.
The programme opens with Festive Overture (Shostakovich) and also includes the London Suite by Eric Coates, as well as Meilleur des Mondes, Saxophone Concerto and An American in Paris.
The concert starts at 7.30pm.
Tickets are £10 in advance from orchestra members or the Tourist Information Centre in the Old Town Hall, Carlisle, or £12 at the door. Under-18s are free.
