Description

WINNER OF BASCA S 2012 BRITISH COMPOSER AWARD FOR WIND OR BRASS BAND.

A Symphony of Colours was commissioned by the Fairey Band with assistance from the John Golland Trust. The first performance was given on 2 May 2011during the European Brass Band Championships, Montreux, Switzerland by The Fairey Band,conducted by Russell Gray. The same band gave the UK première on 29 January,2012 at the Royal Northern College of Music Festival of Brass,Manchester.

The title of this substantial work relates to the rare condition of Synesthesia, where sufferers see colours or smell scent in response to hearing music. One of the most famous musicians who hadthiscondition was Olivier Messiaen, to whom this dramatic piece is a homage. Dobson s music incorporates sideways glances towards Messiaen s great organ work L Ascension.

The Symphony s four movements, which mergeseamlessly into a single span, are Joy, Chroma (which is a journey through Dobson s own perception of Synesthesia), Endless Time (where tuned percussion features alongside extended solos for the euphonium) and the final, climacticAscent.

Dobson s A Symphony of Colours, which was conceived as a virtuoso work for elite brass bands.