A WALK BY THE WELLAND (score)

A Walk by the Welland was commissioned by Stamford Chamber Orchestra to celebrate the orchestra’s 40th anniversary. It was first performed in Stamford Arts Centre Ballroom in July 2023, conducted by Mark Austin. Jeremy Pike founded the SCO in 1983 and was their musical director until he moved to Manchester in 1989.

The piece is a nostalgic look back at times spent in the Stamford area walking along different parts of the Welland Valley. Though not strictly programmatic, walking is clearly represented by the crotchet movement heard in the opening. This is created by two overlapping lines, an idea that pervades much of the piece. The music portrays the emotions stirred by seeing grand vistas open up along the river, including Burghley House, the imposing eighty arch Harringworth Viaduct and the medieval presence of Stamford itself, all of which give us an insight into past times. The elegiac mood is dispelled by the melodic middle section which depicts some lighter moments along the walk, before quicker rhythms and repeated brass chords allude to the threat of stormy weather. After a return of the opening material the calmness at the close could perhaps represent the river finally flowing out into the sea, taking with it all the images of the walk.

It is suitable for performance by amateur or professional chamber orchestras.

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