Nigel’s Outrageous Fortune (Symphony for Trombone Soloist, Actor and Orchestra) will receive its orchestral premiere in the summer of 2025 in Santa Fe Argentina. Brett Baker who the symphony was written for will give the premiere in this new version with the Orquesta Sinfónica de Santa Fe under the baton of Silvio Viegas as part of the Trombonaza Festival. Nigel plans to attend this performance.

Silvio Viegas

Nigel has designed Outrageous Fortune as a melancholic drama, bleak and sardonic in style. It follows programmatically the story of the Shakespearean tragedy Hamlet. The score is prefaced with the Bard’s despairing words: “Thus bad begins, and worse remains behind”.

Orquesta Sinfónica de Santa Fe

Hamlet is a tale of conspiracy, betrayal, suicide, revenge and murder, and also a ghost story. Both the trombone soloist and the actor take on the role of Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark. Outrageous Fortune reflects the protagonist’s despair, his self-doubt and self-loathing and his advance towards mental breakdown. Hamlet’s character is full of bitterness, but alongside this he shows profound wisdom beyond his years. Clarke has set to music two of Hamlet’s soliloquies:


“O that this too too sullied flesh would melt”  and  “To be, or not to be, – that is the question”

Outrageous Fortune  in its original wind orchestra version was written and dedicated to Brett Baker, Reed Thomas (Conductor) and the Middle Tennessee Wind State University Wind Orchestra. There are two recordings of Nigel’s original version of Outrageous Fortune with Brett Baker as soloist. The first can be found on Toccata Next [TOCN0003]

The second recording Outrageous Fortune with Brett Baker as soloist is available on Polyphonic [QPRM 164D]

 

The above recordings are available on CD and can be downloaded from both
iTunes and Amazon Music as well as  streamed on Spotify, Apple Music, ArkivMusic, Youtube Music, Deeper, Tidal and qobuz. [See: The Wind Orchestra Music of Nigel Clarke – Volume 2]

Outrageous Fortune
(Full Score Page 1)