The Guardian newspaper ran a story yesterday about the music of Oliver Postgate’s TV series The Clangers, Ivor the Engine and Pogle’s Wood. The music was written by a bassoonist named Vernon Elliott, whose evocative soundscapes were as much a part of the character of these beloved series as the quirky stop motion animation.
Now Elliott’s music has been arranged into suites by film composer Laura Rossi, and it will be performed by the North Sea Radio Orchestra in a concert at Union Chapel in North London on 22 October.
Laura scored all of the arrangements in Sibelius, and my friend and colleague James Larcombe (one of our very talented software developers), who plays keyboards in the North Sea Radio Orchestra, told me:
“The music is incredible. I don’t know if you’re familiar with it but Vernon Elliot’s cues for The Clangers are astonishingly beautiful, and have long been a favourite of mine. Laura did a great job on the arrangements and apparently went to Vernon Elliot’s daughter’s house to consult the original manuscripts! I would love to have seen those.”
Sounds like this will definitely be a concert worth checking out. Tickets are on sale now.