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Neville John - Welsh Musician

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    • Tragic Overture, Aberfan
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Tragic Overture, Aberfan

The overture is scored for a large orchestra including 4 horns, tuba and harp. It was written in 1969 and first performed in Merthyr Tydfil in 1970.

After a dramatic introduction, we hear an 8-bar melody which is then taken up by the strings and trumpet and which is intended to convey pathos . The semitone clash of a drooping figure in cellos against stagnant double basses is the composer’s method to depict a landslide. A percussion cadenza towards the end marks the end of the landslide and the end of the semitone clash. A recapitulation of the dramatic opening and 8-bar melody is followed by a coda based on previous material.

Performances

Merthyr Tydfil1970
Abergavenny1970
Treorchy2003
Swansea Brangwyn Hall2012
Aberystwyth Arts2014
Swansea Bay TV2016

Recording By Swansea Community Orchestra, 2012

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