Hewitt Jones, Thomas: The Age of Optimism. Rental
Duration: 7 minutes 30 seconds
2 Flutes (2. doubling picc), 2 Oboes (2. doubling cor anglais), 2 Clarinets in Bb, 2 Bassoons, 4 Horns (4th horn optional), 2 Trumpets in Bb, 3 Trombones (3rd optional), Tuba, Timpani, Percussion (2 players), Harp and Strings
When I was commissioned to write The Age Optimism for the Alleyns Symphony Orchestra the brief was to have something incredibly upbeat, joyful and exciting for the orchestra to launch a concert to celebrate a new & hopeful era as we all adapt to live alongside COVID.
The result is, I hope, an exciting and arresting concert opener which I hope will in due course find its way into the orchestral repertoire. Motivic development is heard throughout the piece as fragments of the work’s central theme are thrown back and forth across the orchestra accompanied by a backdrop of constantly-evolving orchestral textures. A sense of onward movement builds towards a vibrant climax where the melody is heard in full, and an exultation of unabashed joy is unleashed as the piece reaches its optimistic conclusion. THJ
Full score and instrumental material