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Concorde tribute premiere

Surrey Brass is to premiere “Concorde” – a new piece of music commissioned to commemorate the world-famous aeroplane and its connections with local people and industry - at the opening concert of the “Get Out And About In Elmbridge” Festival on Friday 4^th May 2007 at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey. The piece is set to provide a fitting tribute as Brooklands has been home to Concorde G-BBDG since its retirement in 2003 - and is also where the aeroplane was originally designed.

Concept

The idea for the piece belongs to Surrey Brass founder John Goodwin, who wrote the following words describing the Concorde experience on a piece of paper some time before it was retired:

·        “Hangar at 3am”- Black night outside, but inside lights blaze as Concorde sleeps. A small army of engineers go about their tasks quietly and efficiently, making preparations for the flight ahead.

·        “Departure Lounge” – A buzz of anticipation. Many languages are heard. Urgency and excitement increases but serenity is maintained.

·        “Afterburner” – Concorde takes off and switches on the afterburner with a roar. Passengers feel a kick in the back, and the aircraft speeds up and climb steeply and quickly disappears out of sight. Peace returns.

·        “Mach 2” – Following a monstrous sonic boom, Concorde accelerates to Mach 2. Screaming through the air at high altitude, inside, all is calm and genteel.

·        “Droop Snoop”- A jazzy, sophisticated, cosmopolitan feel, showing Concorde from a different angle.

·        “Arrival” – A distant rumble. Concorde is spotted in the skies over the destination. People stop to turn and stare at the beautiful sight coming ever closer. Triumphantly, the ambassador of the sky lands at its destination. 

John said: “I have lived under the Concorde flight path for many years. Like many other people, every time I was prevented from holding a conversation it was a great excuse to pause and look skywards and admire one of the most beautiful aircraft ever to grace the skies. And as a professional engineer, I also had an appreciation of the considerable effort and achievement of local people involved in the creation of this engineering masterpiece.

“One day, before the aircraft was retired from service, I had the idea of creating a piece of music to reflect aspects of Concorde. I hastily scribbled down some words to describe what I had in mind and then forgot about them. Now several years later, I’m delighted that my ensemble, Surrey Brass, has been given the opportunity to realise this idea.

“With the help of sponsors RC Sherriff Trust I do hope this music becomes a worthy cultural addition to the Concorde exhibit in Elmbridge. It’s often said that ‘Music is the soundtrack of our lives’ and maybe this will become a new soundtrack for Concorde!”