David Bedford - 12 Hours of Sunset

A giant of British classical music, composer and musician David Bedford was as comfortable scoring challenging avant-garde orchestral works as he was work for artists in the pop and rock realms. In collaboration with Mike Oldfield, first as an integral part of the live debut of Tubular Bells, then as arranger of 1975's The Orchestral Tubular Bells album, his work was heard by thousands of people who may never have known his name; as arranger on records by everyone form Elvis Costello to Frankie Goes To Hollywood and a-ha, he proved himself capable of turning his hand to all manner of musical styles.

Amid these achievements, '12 Hours Of Sunset' may be one of Bedford's most impressive works of all.

Originally commissioned for the 1975 BBC Proms, the piece was inspired by the experience of taking a westbound flight in the evening, during which time seems to stand still as the plane moves counter to Earth's rotation, creating the effect of a perpetual sunset.

This recording of that Proms debut finds Bedford drawing upon everything from Roy Harper's song of the same name (from Harper's 1974 album, Valentine), to the work of playwright Henrik Ibsen (Ghosts) and novelist Roger Zelazny (Jack Of Shadows), and reveals just why '12 Hours Of Sunset' is an illuminating insight into Bedford's art.