Yuri Gagarin

Yuri Gagarin

Cambridge Symphonic Winds conducted by Richard Hull will be performing Nigel’s symphonic wind orchestra epic`Gagarin’ on 7 November 2009 at 7.30pm in St Giles Church, Cambridge. Nigel will be at the concert to introduce his piece. This will be the second work that they have performed of Nigel’s with `Samurai’ being the first.

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Nigel Writes

In `Gagarin’ I have tried to capture the spirit of the times. ‘Road to the Stars’ concentrates on the excitement of those involved, the strength of Gagarin’s character and the launch itself. ‘Orbit’ looks at the exhilaration that Gagarin might have experienced and the impression that seeing Earth from space would have had on him.

‘Homecoming’ is a celebration in the form of a Russian folk dance. At various moments in the work I use fragments of the Soviet national anthem `Sing to the Motherland, home of the free’ (now revised and adopted as the Russian national anthem).

Cambridge Symphonic Winds

Cambridge Symphonic Winds