Simon Dobson's 2011 work, 'A Symphony of Colours' will be used as the Elite Division set-work at the 2024 Norwegian National Championships.

The event takes place at Bergen's Grieg Hall Friday 9th and Saturday 10th February with bands performing in six sections of competition.

Synesthesia

The continuous three movement work is in reference to the rare condition of Synesthesia (literally meaning 'crossed' or 'together senses'), in which people can see colours or smell scent in response to hearing music.

One of the most famous people who had this condition was the French composer Olivier Messiaen, to whom this piece is a homage and which sees the composer reference his great organ work 'L'ascention'- in particular the fanfare-like third movement in his opening movement, 'Joy'.

The second movement is a journey through Dobson's own perception of synesthesia. 'Chroma' flows through individually subtitled movements charting various sounds and moods he associates with different keys and colours through Messiaen infused harmonies, dream-like states and twisted jazz.

Messiaen

A 'white noise' choral leads into the third, percussion lead movement, 'Endless time', which is a reflection upon perhaps Messiaen's most famous work 'Quatre pour la fin du temps' (Quartet for the end of time).

In it, Dobson also shows distorted glimpses of Messiaen's 'Turangalila Symphony', before it ends with an organ-like finale.