On the record

During my year as Civic Mayor of one of Greater Manchester’s large boroughs in 2009–10, I had the privilege of meeting and becoming friends with one of the finest recorder players of our time, the Manchester-based John Turner.

By then, I had not composed anything for some years, but John’s musicianship inspired me to set pen to paper once more. The result was a short work for recorder entitled Joie de Vivre, which was subsequently published as a limited edition.

The piece later found its way onto the album The Music of Anthony Burgess – The Man and His Music. Like many readers, I had long known Anthony Burgess as the author of A Clockwork Orange and other remarkable works of fiction, but until then I had been unaware that he was also a prolific composer.

Alongside Burgess’s music, the recording features works by a number of contemporary composers, and I am both delighted and honoured that Joie de Vivre was included among them.

I was particularly touched by the comments of music critic John France, who wrote:

“I loved John Sullivan’s short, well-crafted Joie de Vivre (2009). This work was composed in a tuneful, approachable style more akin to the best of British light music.

Sullivan is a Mancunian composer and music teacher, born in 1951. He has composed a wide variety of music including works for wind and brass ensembles, chorus, and electronic resources.

I noted above that some of the composers presented here are ‘well-known’; others less so. It is good to see that Metier is giving an opportunity for the second group’s music to be heard. I was particularly impressed with Peter Pope, David Dubery and John Sullivan. Let us hope that we can hear more music from their pens, as well as from the others, in the near future.”