Scramble Nigel Hess

Peacekeepers Stuart Stirling
i. Epic Encounters
ii. In Memoriam
iii. Global Co-operation

Bluebird John Harle

Uxbridge Variations Christopher Gunning

The Sword and The Crown Edward Gregson

Ad Astra Joseph Horovitz

To The Few Laurie Johnson
i. Scramble
ii. Jukebox
iii. Flypast

Featuring The Central Band of the Royal Air Force; Royal Air Force Fanfare Trumpets; Royal Air Force Squadronaires and the Royal Air Force Ad Astra singers.

Supported by:
The London Philharmonia Chorus; London Philharmonic Choir; Royal Choral Society and Windsor & Eton Choral Society.
Voice-over (Sword & Crown) by Simon Williams
Soloist John Harle
Conductor Wing Commander Stuart Stirling PhD RAF

Wing Commander Stuart Stirling PhD RAF
Principal Director of Music of the Royal Air Force and principal conductor of the Central Band of The RAF.

Over the years Wing Commander Stirling has been directly involved in commissioning new music especially written for the Royal Air Force Music Services. This CD provides a comprehensive collection of these new compositions, all of which have been written with the intention of enhancing both the Royal Air Force’s unique contribution to the world of music and also the professionalism of its musicians.

John Harle

John Harle's name is synonymous with innovative musical ideas and projects across many genres. He is known equally for his work as pioneer saxophonist in the concert hall and for his bold compositions vividly intermingling the materials of jazz, rock, classical music, electronics and opera. With his father involved with RAF Surveillance and his mother singing in Tony Hancock’s ‘RAF Theatre Pageant Unit’ during the war years, he feels a particular affinity to the Royal Air Force and lives just a few miles from Hawkinge Airfield, Kent, one of the RAF’s front-line bases during the Battle of Britain.

Simon Williams

With actor Hugh Williams as a father, poet Hugo Williams as a brother and two siblings also in the acting profession it would be fair to say that the theatre runs rich in the Williams’ blood. Best known for playing James Bellamy in the period drama Upstairs, Downstairs, Simon frequently plays upper-class roles and his appearances in TV dramas, sitcoms and live drama are too numerable to list. He has also written two novels, Talking Oscars and Kill the Lights, has written several plays and has extended his theatre activity into directing. His connection with Royal Air Force Music Services began in 2006 when he compered its annual concert tour. On this CD he delivers an evocative voice-over based on excerpts from William Shakespeare’s Henry V.

Porgramme Notes

Scramble - Nigel Hess

Commissioned by The Royal Air Force Music Services in 1994 the work is inspired by images of the RAF’s airfields during the Battle of Britain, immortalised in films such as ‘Reach for the Skies’. Highly descriptive, the opening depicts the lull before the storm. Suddenly the sirens sound, there is a shout of ‘scramble’ and a rush to the waiting planes. In no time at all the squadron is heading for a skirmish. For those who return it will only be a short time before, yet again, they hear the familiar shout of ‘scramble’!

Peace Keepers - Stuart Stirling

This suite was written to reflect the nature of the work undertaken by the Royal Air Force in its capacity as a major peacekeeper within the world forum. ‘Epic Encounters’, portrays the sound of aircraft as they fly through the air. ‘In Memoriam’, is the introspective aftermath caused by the action of others. ‘Global Co-operation’, is the heroic conclusion which represents the optimistic belief that all nations can live together in harmony.

Bluebird - John Harle

Commissioned by Royal Air Force Music Services in 2007. John Harle lives a few miles from Hawkinge Airfield – one of the front-line airfields used during the Battle of Britain and later to be the main location used in the 1969 film “The Battle of Britain”. This short concerto for alto saxophone and wind orchestra is dedicated to those British and Allied Pilots who flew during the conflict. The title is inspired by Kent and Burton’s popular war time song “(There’ll be Blue Birds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover”.

Uxbridge Variations - Christopher Gunning

Commissioned in 2007 ‘Uxbridge Variations’ reflects the varied history of RAF Uxbridge - its original ownership with the Duke of Schomberg, its use as a convalescent home; its use as the Royal Corps of Armament and Gunnery School; its establishment as the RAF Central Depot; its critical position as HQ 11 Group Fighter Command during WWII to its current role as an administrative support Unit.

The Sword and the Crown - Edward Gregson

Commissioned by the Royal Air Force Music Services in 1991 this suite is based on the composer’s work, commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company, for the Plantagenet Trilogy. The music reflects the ethos of the dramas, which depict the most turbulent period in the history of the British monarchy when the ‘Crown’ really did only survive through the ‘Sword’. Simon Williams skilfully interweaves extracts from Shakespeare into the texture of the music.

Ad Astra - Joseph Horovitz

Commissioned by the Royal Air Force Music Services in 1990 to mark the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Britain. It is based upon two alternating musical ideas - a hymn like, pastoral theme and an angular “metallic” motif. The themes create images of that period, of school holidays on the Kent coast in the summer prior to the commencement of the war, followed by the London Blitz; the sounds of the peaceful countryside spoiled by the wailing of sirens and the drone of engines. The final movement of the work depicts a lone pilot tapping out his message, heard only by the stars.

To The Few - Laurie Johnson

Laurie Johnson, Composer Emeritus to the Royal Air Force, composed this Suite for the 50th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain. Written in three movements, ‘Scramble’, depicts the excitement and danger from the scramble, through the dog fight, to the safe return home. ‘Juke Box’, by contrast, depicts the aircrews off duty relaxing to the jukebox, the Big Bands and concerts. ‘Fly Past’ is a tribute to ‘the Few’, and the historic fact that their defeat of the Luftwaffe secured Britain’s freedom. The Suite is dedicated to Squadron Leader Wladek Gnys, the RAF pilot who shot down the first German plane in World War II