Music: The Battle of Athens

The Battle of Athens was composed for Cory Band to perform as part of the band’s winning 2016 Brass in Concert programme entitled The Remarkable Life of Roald Dahl. This portion of the renowned author’s colourful life depicts his time as a World War Two fighter pilot.

The piece takes the form of a virtuosic concert scherzo, building from a menacing opening to burst into life with a stirring theme. Philip Harper skilfully develops this theme, capturing a huge variety of colour in the unyielding pace of the writing.

While considerable technical demands are placed upon every member of the band, when the writing is this exhilarating, higher level bands will find the piece a mouth-watering challenge, thrilling audiences in the process.

THOMAS DUNNE