New brass band piece inspired by Booker-winning novel to get Scottish premiere in Glasgow

A new concert piece for brass band, inspired by a Booker Prize-winning novel, is set to have its Scottish premiere this month in Glasgow. The 15-minute work, titled 'Orbital for Brass Band', was composed by Richard Blackford.

It's based on Samantha Harvey’s 2024 Booker Prize-winning novel, 'Orbital'. The book follows six astronauts on the International Space Station as they orbit Earth, exploring themes like the existence of God, the meaning of life, and climate change.

The Cooperation Band will premiere the piece at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS) on November 27. You can also catch open rehearsals for music students and the public.

The commission was the idea of Martyn Brabbins, a world-renowned conductor and visiting professor at RCS. He wanted to commission new brass band pieces from composers who hadn't worked with brass bands before. Brabbins will conduct the premiere.

Brabbins highlighted the rich brass band culture in the UK. He said: "Hundreds of bands meet and rehearse, perform, compete, and generate energy and enthusiasm by their music making."

He added: "Recently, I have become re-attached to the banding world and have encouraged the brilliant musicians who lead some of the top bands in the country to come together to commission new pieces to be written for brass band. Together we alighted on Richard Blackford - an incredibly versatile and experienced composer who had never written for brass band - but when I approached him I sensed a real enthusiasm to explore this unique musical world.”

Blackford, who had previously worked with Brabbins on a Scottish National Orchestra commission, had just finished reading 'Orbital' when he was invited to participate. He structured the piece into four movements: Sudden Daylight, The Earth is Like Heaven, Weightlessness, and Re-entry, all inspired by the astronauts' perspectives.

Blackford explained his creative process: “I was told that brass bands respond very positively to narratives, to a piece that has got some kind of a storyline. I had just finished reading Orbital and I thought this would evoke some wonderful textures of the six astronauts circling the Earth - the different moods, the danger, the beauty, the perspective of humanity and the globe and I just kept that thought at the front of my mind as I started sketching the piece.”

Katrina Marzella-Wheeler, musical director of the Cooperation Band, expressed excitement for the premiere. She said: “We're really pleased that the Cooperation Band has been given the Scottish premiere in a few weeks' time. What makes it even more special is the fact that we are going to be working with Martyn Brabbins, who's one of the most prolific conductors in Europe at the moment.”

She also noted the initiative's goal: “It's about opening up doors to people, giving free access to music making in our rehearsals and presenting the concert in a way that unravels contemporary classical music for for members of the public.”

Beyond the live performance, 'Orbital' has been recorded for BBC Radio 3 and is available to listen to via BBC Sounds.