Nigel Clarke has been celebrating winning a prestigious 2013 British Composer Award at the high profile presentation ceremony evening in London this week.

Honours

His thrilling cornet concerto, ‘Mysteries of the Horizon’ took the honours in the Wind Band & Brass Band category, where it was initially nominated alongside ‘Diversions After Benjamin Britten: Four Centenary Tributes for Brass Band’ written by Simon Dobson, Paul McGhee, Lucy Pankhurst and Gavin Higgins, and ‘Symphony in Two Movements’ by Edward Gregson.

The concerto commission was written for Belgian cornet star Harmen Vanhoorne and was given its recording premiere on his solo CD ‘Fortune’s Fool’, before also being featured on Brass Band Buizingen’s critically acclaimed recording of Nigel’s music, entitled, ‘When Worlds Collide’.

Premieres

It was given its UK concert premiere at the 2013 RNCM Festival of Brass, where the composer was in attendance to hear Harmen deliver a scintillating rendition accompanied by Tredegar Town Band conducted by Ian Porthouse.

Surrealist

The four movement work explores the composer’s personal interpretation of the surrealist hinterland of the paintings of enigmatic Belgian artist Rene Magritte.

Whilst the title comes from his famous image of three seemingly identical men in bowler hats looking far into the distance, the individual elements are more opaque: ‘The Menaced Assassin’ — a musically distracted killer; ‘The Flavour of Tears’ — a bird morphing into a leaf; ‘The Dominion of Light’ — 27 paintings of the same house and ‘The Discovery of Fire’ – a tuba set ablaze.

Thanks

Speaking exclusively to 4BR Nigel reserved special thanks to the musicians who performed the work.

"I was more than thrilled to be no nominated for a BASCA Award but I never expected to actually win in this category.

I must thank the amazing Harmen Vanhoorne who commissioned the concerto, conductor Luc Vertommen and Brass Band Buizingen who first recorded it so brilliantly.

Special thanks also go to Tredegar Town Band and conductor Ian Porthouse who delivered a stunning British premiere with Harmen at the RNCM Festival of Brass in Manchester in January."

Galaxy of talent

The awards evening so a celebration of galaxy of British compositional talent, with other major awards won by the likes of Sir Harrison Birtwistle, James Macmillan, Joseph Phibbs, George Benjamin, Matthew Martin and Toshio Hosokawa.

I was more than thrilled to be no nominated for a BASCA Award but I never expected to actually win in this categoryNigel Clarke

Hear for yourself:

When Worlds Collide:
http://www.4barsrest.com/reviews/cds/cd537.asp#.UqBoWsSPF8E

Fortune’s Fool:
http://www.4barsrest.com/reviews/cds/cd532.asp#.UqBkdcSPF8E