A light scherzo, poking gentle fun at the sky-watchers of the mid-twentieth century who saw aliens behind every cloud. The dramatic, dissonant passage near the end conjures up images of an extra-terrestrial encounter, yet the whimsical closing bars suggest there is no cause for alarm. Nimbus and Lyrita have published a series of shorter orchestra works by Augusta Read Thomas, Richard Blackford and George Lloyd. These Short Pieces for Orchestra (SPO) will be sold with a three-year, unlimited performance licence offering much better value for money than typical hire arrangements. Some pieces have been extracted from larger symphonic works and each is published with a descriptive name to support thematic programming and engage with the new “streaming” audiences. This series supports the desire to perform, programme and introduce audiences to new repertoire for less initial cost, and allows multiple performances for no additional cost. Each kit will contain a full conductors score and one “master part” per instrument along with a licence for the ensemble to reproduce and perform as often as they like for the next three years. Between three and fifteen minutes SPO are perfect for opening your concert or inserting just before the interval to create a talking point.
