Composer Simon Dobson is enjoying one of the most musically fulfilling periods of his professional life at present with his compositions performed at number of high profile events and in different genres across the UK and Europe.

Norway and Holland

He has just returned from Norway where he worked in collaboration with Allan Withington and the Stavanger Band on their SIDDIS Entertainment winning programme ‘Sainteté: Difficile mais pas impossible’ (Sainthood: Difficult but not impossible), about the life of Jean d’Arc.

At the same time, his major test piece, ‘The Journey of the Lone Wolf’ about the composer Bela Bartok was receiving critical acclaim in the Elite Division of the Dutch National Championship.

Major part

“Brass bands have always been a major part of my life,” he told 4BR. “So to be involved with such an inventive project with Allan and Stavanger was a great thrill.

All that and at the same time I was deeply honoured to have my Bartok work used at the Dutch National Championships.”

Film and rock boost

The boost to his European profile came as his British musical stock was rising even further with his British Film Institute National Archive collaboration for his score to the 1927 silent film, ‘The Battles of Coronel and Falkland Islands’, which was performed at the prestigious BFI London Film Festival.

To top things off though, his ‘crowd funded’ CD ‘Euneirophrenia’ has just been released to critical acclaim, whilst he also provided the string accompaniment to the rock group Anti Matador’s ‘We are the Ocean’ release which has been shortlisted as one of the ‘Hottest Records of the Year’ on Radio 1.

Wonderfully hectic

“It’s been wonderfully hectic, completely exhausting but musically rewarding,” he confessed.

“The CD project has been a real ambition of mine and could only have come about with the amazing help of so many wonderful friends and musicians, whilst the film score was one of the most amazingly complex things I have ever done.

All that and I get to work with one of the hottest rock groups around and be heard on Radio 1 in an interview with Fern Cotton on the ‘Live Lounge’ talking about working with them."

All that and I get to work with one of the hottest rock groups around and be heard on Radio 1 in an interview with Fern Cotton on the ‘Live Lounge’Composer, Simon Dobson

More projects

Simon will now savour a short break at home before he starts work on more high profile projects.

“I’ve got a Euphonium Concerto on the go at the moment and have to re-orchestrate the silent score so that it can be performed by a massed band of 190 Royal Marine Musicians for the Mountbatten Festival.

I’ve also been booked to go on a major tour to Asia with the group ‘Lazy Habits’, so I have to get my lip in shape for that too!”

More brass

So any return to the major brass band compositional medium any time soon?

“I hope so,” he says rather mischievously. “I’m certainly not finished there for certain.”