The Purcell School Symphony Orchestra & Choir perform P Theodorou WP at Cadogan Hall, June 2022

On Monday 27th June, The Purcell School's Symphony Orchestra, Sixth Form String Orchestra, Symphonic Wind Orchestra and Choir performed pieces by Bernstein, Copland, Philip Theodorou (WP) and Dvořák at Cadogan Hall.

This is a recording of The Purcell School Symphony Orchestra and Choir performing Blue Speck (WP) by student composer Philip Theodorou. (3/4)

Blue Speck (WP) - Philip Theodorou
The Purcell School Symphony Orchestra and Choir
Violin (Leader) - Catherine McCardel
Conductor - Jakob Rahmstorf

'Blue Speck' was written in early 2021, and is inspired by Voyager I’s Pale Blue Dot image; which shows us that earth, in the eyes of the spacecraft, is little more than a speck suspended in a sunbeam, barely visible before the endless void of space.

The piece presents ethereal voices that innocently ask the question: 'Blue Speck, what fires burn?', unaware of its darker implications. Through this and the orchestral writing, Blue Speck depicts Earth’s fragility and life-sustaining beauty for us as its inhabitants; versus its minuteness when put before the rest of the cosmos.

'Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark.' - Carl Sagan

Special thanks to Black Swan Film & Video for the video and sound recording: https://www.bsfv.co.uk/

The Purcell School is one of the worlds’ finest schools for young musicians aged 10 to 18 and the oldest music school in the UK. Based in Hertfordshire, just outside of London, the School provides a rounded education with music at its heart to around 180 talented students, most of whom go on to the top conservatoires and colleges for music, often with scholarships. Whilst at Purcell, students share a common bond in their passion for music with a community boasting creativity and mutual support.

The School puts on nearly 100 events a year including concerts featuring our students and masterclasses with some of the most renowned musicians from across the globe. For more information on everything happening at The Purcell School and to keep up to date with the latest news, be sure to sign up to our mailing list: https://www.purcell-school.org/join-o...

Follow us on;

Facebook -   / purcellschool  
Twitter -   / purcellschool  
Instagram -   / the_purcell_school  
YouTube -    / thepurcellschool