It has been announced that the world premiere of Edward Gregson's major work, 'The World Rejoicing' (Variations on a Lutheran Chorale) will now take place at the 2021 British Open Championships after agreement was reached on a revised schedule of performance between the five countries that commissioned it.

With the cancellation of the 2020 British Open and National Championships in the Netherlands, Belgium and Switzerland, the work was scheduled to be first performed at the 2021 Norwegian National Championships in Bergen in February.

Agreed delay

However, after further discussion it has been agreed to delay the world premiere until September 2021 when it will be heard at the British Open — a year after it was initially intended, followed by the four National events in Europe.

Speaking about the decision Edward Gregson commented: "Obviously, like everyone else in the musical world, I am very disappointed and frustrated by the havoc that the pandemic has caused to music-making everywhere, and for the financial hardship and social disruption it has caused to so many people.

For the brass band community, it has meant the postponement and cancellation of so many events, with the result that bands' commitment to rehearsing and performing has had to be put on hold."

I only hope that the title of the work will now be a prophetic phrase for all our lives returning to some kind of normalityEdward Gregson

Schedule

He added: "In the case of 'The World Rejoicing', the fact that all of the five European countries which commissioned the work have agreed to postpone the project for a year means that we can still keep to the original scheduled premieres.

I only hope that the title of the work will now be a prophetic phrase for all our lives returning to some kind of normality.

4BR has been informed that any bands who has pre-ordered and paid for the performing material will be fully reimbursed if they so wish from the publisher. If not, the material will be sent at the appropriate time in 2021.