`Breaking the Century’ in Scotland
Glasgow Wind Band under the baton of Kevin Price are to perform Nigel’s dance overture `Breaking the Century’ at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama on 5th March and then on the 3rd April in the National Concert Band Festival.
About `Breaking the Century’
`Breaking the Century’ is ten years old this year. One Hundred is a number that has had special importance to man throughout history. 2000 years ago the Romans called their foot soldiers `Centurions’; the 100th part of an American dollar is called a `cent’; Athletes and swimmers race over a 100 meters or multiples of a hundred; with luck and skill you can score a `century’ in cricket; In the animal kingdom a `Centipede’ is an insect that is reputed to have a hundred legs. We all aspire to become a `centenarian’ and live to a healthy one hundred years of age.
I wrote Breaking the Century as a Brass Band commission to celebrate Oxted Bands centenary and have used this piece as the starting point to develop the work further for Concert Band.
Breaking the Century can be broadly described as a Dance Overture. It is written as a moto perpetuo (perpetually in motion), with its momentum and energy maintained throughout by its fast Allegro tempo.