March 2006
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Submitted 17th March 2006
Submitted
by Karon Maskill PR
A fitting farewell for an old friend:
Due to public demand, ‘Requiem for the Routemaster’ becomes
available (exclusively on iTunes).
Press
information for immediate release March 13th:
TOM SMAIL
is a well-known composer of music for film, television, radio and the concert
hall. Recent TV credits include OMNIBUS, WILDLIFE ON ONE and
THE NATURAL WORLD for the BBC, THE RIDDLE OF EINSTEIN’S BRAIN
for Channel 4 and TABOO for ITV. He has written music for
countless BBC radio dramas as well as composing many choral, chamber and
orchestral works for the concert hall. His award-winning
series of LETTERLAND VIDEOS received great critical acclaim and in 2005 TOM
released the first CD in his series of much-anticipated musical Fairy
Tales, ‘RED RIDING HOOD and SLEEPING BEAUTY’, with his friend
and colleague, children’s author EMMA HOUSE.
It is therefore rather surprising to see a man, who is normally to be
found in the great concert halls of Europe, on the open platform of a number 38 ROUTEMASTER
bus. It is perhaps even more surprising to learn that this classical
aficionado was so moved by the demise of the much-loved Routemaster that
he felt compelled to write a requiem as a fitting goodbye.
SMAIL’S REQUIEM is a musical portrayal of a day in the life of this
London icon: a joyous journey, complete with throbbing engine, squealing
brakes, conductor, ticket machine and bell; and it has touched the hearts
of many who used to travel aboard her. (It is actually more of an In
Memoriam, but REQUIEM FOR THE ROUTEMASTER sounded better!). It
is also a fine example of a very rare species: a topical piece of
classical music, an orchestral response to a particular historical event, namely
Mayor Livingstone’s infamous u-turn decision to phase-out the Routemaster.
The music has three main themes: the great sadness felt at the loss of the
buses, the vivid memories of wonderful journeys aboard them, and
the harsh threat posed by the Routemaster replacements - a discordant force
which grows until, ultimately, it can no longer be resisted.
SMAIL explains: “This is my personal response to what I see as the
disgraceful and tragic betrayal of the Routemaster and of the
people of London, the vast majority of whom wanted to keep the old buses.
It was utterly frustrating: I had signed petitions and written letters, but
all to no avail. I felt I had to do more to express my feelings: something
productive. I just hoped that the music would strike a chord with the
enormous number of people out there who share my opinion.”
And indeed it did. When news broke of SMAIL’S REQUIEM, he
was inundated with requests to purchase the music from bus lovers and classical
purists alike. It would seem he had unwittingly tapped into the mood of
the nation. As a result, the memory of the nation’s beloved
Routemaster buses will live on when ‘REQUIEM FOR THE ROUTEMASTER’
becomes available on APRIL 10th, exclusively on iTUNES. This
release will not only offer the opportunity to own a beautiful piece of
music, but also act as a fitting reminder of a significant moment in British
history.
‘Requiem
for The Routemaster’
To be released on iTunes, 10th April 2006, price 79p.
For further information please contact:
Karon
Maskill on
07768 526262 or 0208 8007222
karon@karonmaskill-pr.com <mailto:karon@karonmaskill-pr.com>
Here
is a taster of "Requeim for the Routemaster" - click the play button
to play in your browser:
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