Rolling Parade

Rolling Parade (2025)

for chamber orchestra

2 fl; 2 ob; 2 cl; 2 bsn
2 hn; 2 tpt
timp; perc
strings

Duration: c. 2 minutes

Programme note:

Rolling Parade takes its name from the imagery of a continuous, evolving procession. The word parade typically evokes people marching in ceremony, celebration, or protest, while rolling suggests a sense of motion that is ongoing and unstoppable.

This piece draws on the idea of the circus of life – a reflection on the chaotic, unpredictable, and at times absurd nature of existence. The music seeks to capture that blend of festivity and disorder, of spectacle and uncertainty.

There is also a nod to the revolutionary 1917 ballet Parade, created for Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes. With its scenario by Jean Cocteau, music by Erik Satie, and sets and costumes by Pablo Picasso, Parade embodied avant-garde experimentation and defied artistic conventions. Rolling Parade channels some of that spirit, weaving together disparate elements into a singular, unpredictable procession.

Charlie Barber, April 2025