Scarlet and Gold

This work was commissioned to open the Scarlet and Gold Concert in 2015. The concert is given annually in London by the musicians of the Household Division (Guards) of the Army, renowned for the splendour of their uniforms. The piece is intentionally energetic, vivacious and brilliant in style, seeking to capture the sparkle of gold in the uniforms with a few strong and majestic seams of scarlet underpinning the texture. There are no specific military connotations in the music and the piece is a dynamic concert opener for any programme. In the original performance a fanfare team was added for dramatic effect but the piece is fully performable without fanfare trumpets.