I WONDER how many of our numerous octogenarians have followed up a successful scientific career by becoming busy composers, particularly of classical music?

One such is ex-London University Professor Derek Smith of Malvern, now nearly eighty-five, who has been producing a steady stream of instrumental pieces for wind and for strings which have received over fifty performances, mostly in the Marches and in Wales during the past fifteen years.

Derek is closely linked to the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff, one of Britain’s leading music academies, for whose top-grade wind ensemble, Chamber Winds, he has created a series of arrangements of classical orchestral works, three of which will be performed at Pittville Pump Room, Cheltenham on Sunday, 30 November at 3pm conducted by Meyrick Alexander.

These are Brahms’ Variations on a Theme by Haydn (St Anthony Chorale), Dvorak’s Symphonic Variations and one of Haydn’s Serenades. Also, the ensemble will play Mozart’s G Major Piano Concerto K453, in a new arrangement by Nicholas Reader, with the celebrated virtuoso pianist Richard McMahon, Head of Keyboards at the RWCMD.

Asked why he chose to score these orchestral works for winds, Derek replied: “Besides the obvious advantages of reduced artist costs and use of more intimate venues, the enormous increase in virtuosity of today’s wind players is well worth demonstrating. The clarity of part-writing and the kaleidoscopic colours of a wind group help an audience to enjoy the music as from some third dimension, free from the string varnish which so easily obscures much classical writing. My method is to use only the composer’s hallowed notes, but to rework them in such a way as to make the absence of string texture a positive advantage. The end product must be credible in the sense that it could have been written by the composer. For instance, when I use the bass saxophone in the work by Dvorak, it is no gimmick but must help create a sound world which is recognisably Czech so that it genuflects towards his Wind Serenade."

For tickets (£12, students £6) please ring the Box Office on 01905 570979, or visit www.orpheus-events.com for more details