Description
The novels by Jules Verne have been a rich source of inspiration for composers over the years. Graham has taken elements of the epic work Around the World in Eighty Days as the outline for a series of adventures recorded in an imaginary diary by the hero of the story, Phileas Fogg.
Commencing with London bells in the background, the ensuing journey takes our hero by boat train to Paris (passing the Moulin Rouge en route), Russia (where he is chased by Cossacks), Vienna at night, Spain (where he is a spectator at a bull fight) before a final circumnavigation by sea (where we hear hints of foreign lands) brings him back to London with rich memories of his trip.
The Journal of Phileas Fogg was commissioned by Dr Nicholas Childs for the National Children’s Brass Band of Great Britain and was first performed by them in July 2012, conducted by Dr Robert Childs.
(The Journal of Phileas Fogg is the 2016 GB Regionals 4th section test piece.)
