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A Party with Auntie
for Symphony Orchestra A Party with Auntie is an upbeat and jazzy piece, written to celebrate the centenary of the BBC. The joyous mood is established by an exuberant and rhythmic main theme, which recurs throughout the piece. There follows numerous quotes of well-known BBC television and radio theme tunes, taking them on a lively whistle-stop tour. Many of the themes are from long-running shows, across the genres of comedy, news, sport and drama. These tunes are mixed up, combined and transformed in unexpected ways... |
The piece was originally composed for the Last Night of the Proms 2022, a concert which was cancelled owing to the death of Queen Elizabeth II. It was premiered on 21st October 2022 at the Barbican Hall, London, by the BBC Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Dalia Stasevska
Instrumentation: piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, bass clarinet, 2 bassoons, contrabassoon, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, harp, drum kit, percussion, strings.
Duration: 5'30 mins
Watch a performance here:
Instrumentation: piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, bass clarinet, 2 bassoons, contrabassoon, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, harp, drum kit, percussion, strings.
Duration: 5'30 mins
Watch a performance here:
List of themes used:
W1A/Animal Magic (This is Las Vegas)
Blackadder
I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue (The Schickel Shamble)
Have I Got News For You
Panorama
BBC News
Antiques Roadshow
University Challenge
Ski Sunday (Pop Looks Bach)
Match of the Day
Cricket Theme (Soul Limbo)
Dr Who
Strictly Come Dancing
The Archers (Barwick Green)
Eastenders
Some reviews of the work:
The Daily Telegraph
“The evening kicked off with A Party with Auntie, a brand-new musical party cracker for the BBC's 100th birthday. The composer Iain Farrington is a dab-hand at evoking a convivial atmosphere - he shot to world fame when he played piano alongside Rowan Atkinson at the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympics. This piece wrapped a tune of Leonard Bernstein-ish rhythmic catchiness into a melange of half-hidden BBC signature tunes, carried off with brilliant panache by the BBC Symphony Orchestra under the powerful direction of startlingly energised conductor Dalia Stasevska. I spotted Match of the Day, Blackadder, EastEnders, Animal Magic, and no doubt more hardened telly-watchers than I would have spotted several more. It was a reminder of how theme tunes have woven themselves into the fabric of our lives."
The Guardian
“The centenary of the founding of the BBC was marked on 18 October (it did not start broadcasting for another month), so Dalia Stasevska and the BBC Symphony opened their Barbican concert with the world premiere of Iain Farrington's A Party with Auntie, an engaging little curtain-raiser, originally scheduled for the eventually cancelled Last Night of the Proms, and now a late addition to Friday's programme. Great fun, it's essentially a pot pourri of TV and radio themes wedged together, often in profuse counterpoint and frequently revamped stylistically: the EastEnders theme, for instance, turns big band, and ends up sounding very louche and sleazy."