A new consortium commission for Martin Ellerby

Image of Martin Ellerby

Martin Ellerby

International Committee of the Red Cross logo

Martin Ellerby has agreed to undertake the creation of a new work for wind band commemorating the 150th anniversary of one of the world's most significant organisations, the International Committee of the Red Cross.

This will be a 4/5 minute quiet reflective piece, with a quasi programmatic scenario, based on one of the most significant battles in European history. The work will be approachable and accessible to bands of modest technical background (US Grade 3) but worthy of performance by those with advanced skills.Martin notes: I have held on to the title A Soliloquy for Solferino for some time. Solferino was a battle in Italy in 1859 and caused the Red Cross movement to be born. I thought of it as an elegy that represents many other such situations with antiphonal trumpets and the like echoing across the centuries through which we learn (it would seem) very little or nothing...

The work will be completed by December 2011 - more news on the WASBE website www.wasbe.org