232.778ºC
‘232.778ºC’ was written during October 2016 and is a musical homage and reaction to Ray Bradbury’s ‘Fahrenheit 451’ and the illustrations of the novel by Ralph Steadman. It received its premiere on Sunday 20th November at the 40th Brass in Concert Championships at the Sage, Gateshead.
‘232.778ºC’ is the temperature at which paper will burn without the use of an accelerant. As the music begins with a spark the flames begin to grow, adding all that they encounter to their flame. Fire engine sirens can be heard through the mayhem and the dynamic and dissonance intensifies as the calls and screams of ‘London’s Burning’ begin to shriek from all directions. The music continues to grow in intensity until the flames have consumed everything, and all that remains are the crumbled ruins of all that was once there.