Dawn chorus

English Sinfonia celebrates the release of the orchestra’s debut single on Monday on its new record label ES Digital. The recording features Towards the Dawn, a recently composed work by the orchestra’s artistic advisor Geoffrey Alexander. The piece was inspired by a family friend who has had cancer. All the profits from sales of the single will be donated to the charity Breakthrough Breast Cancer. As in Alexander’s other recent works for the Oxford-based ensemble, Towards the Dawn features a lyrical solo part for the orchestra’s leader and artistic director Janice Graham.

Alexander is best known as an arranger of film music, for which he has won awards. His writing for English Sinfonia has an emotional directness clearly influenced by his work in film and television. English Sinfonia is releasing the piece in two mixes. The first features a combination of electronic and orchestral elements, appropriate for a broad cross-section of radio stations, while the second is purely orchestral, suitable for live performance and designed to appeal to more classically oriented broadcasters.

Alexander told me: "The inspiration for the piece came from a remarkable friend and supporter of the orchestra, Deb Little, who, following her own experiences with cancer, has been a dedicated fundraiser for Breakthrough.

"My aim in the music was to write something reflecting the grief, sorrow and loss that can be caused by an illness such as breast cancer, but goes on to become more optimistic and life-affirming. I have tried to reflect both the emotional journeys experienced by sufferers and those close to them, and the human qualities which drive us to search for new ways to combat illnesses such as this."

The music passes from darkness to light, beginning with the sad and lonely song of the solo violin, and developing into a warmer, more optimistic, rousing anthem taken up by the whole orchestra in the final chorus. "The image I had in mind was of a single candle floating on rippling water being gradually joined by many others," said Alexander. "Their ever-brightening light is eventually replaced by that of the rising sun."

English Sinfonia is hoping to have the single featured on Radio 2 and Classic FM as well as other popular radio stations. Getting regular air time will be critical in achieving sales. Classical music isn’t normally a big money-spinner and contemporary music in particular is a hard sell. English Sinfonia itself had serious financial problems just two years ago, but Alexander hopes that the accessible, lyrical style of his writing will appeal to a broad audience.

Deb Little said she was "blown away" by Alexander writing this piece for her.

"I’m hoping we can sell lots and lots," she said. "We really need people to buy it." Little said music helped her greatly when she was ill and she knows other people have had similar experiences. Breakthrough’s vision of "a world free from the fear of breast cancer" has a particular meaning for her with two sisters and two daughters potentially at risk.

The funds raised by Towards The Dawn will be used to help Breakthrough continue with vital breast cancer research at its dedicated research centre and at three new research units it is opening this year, as well as supporting campaigning and education work.

Towards the Dawn will receive its first public performance during the orchestra’s forthcoming Cadogan Hall concert in London on October 16. Hip minimalist rhythms begin the evening with the London premiere of Still Life Fast Moving by Geoffrey Alexander, followed by Holst’s St Paul’s Suite — a showcase for English Sinfonia’s virtuoso string section — and Adrian Munsey’s recently composed Requiem. At the heart of the programme is Wagner’s erotically charged, deeply personal masterpiece Siegfried Idyll. This is followed by Holst’s rarely performed Song of the Night, and the finale is provided by the witty classicism of Haydn’s Oxford Symphony. Graham features as soloist in the Requiem and in Song of the Night. At the end of the evening, Alexander and Graham will rejoin the orchestra to give the first performance of Towards The Dawn.

English Sinfonia’s next Oxford concert is on October 8 at the North Wall arts centre, Summertown. The programme features Malcolm Arnold’s Concerto No.1 for Flute and Strings as its central work. Mozart’s Eine Kleine Nachtmusik opens the evening, followed by Elgar’s Serenade for Strings. Britten’s Prelude and Fugue, and Dvorak’s Serenade for Strings conclude the programme.

For tickets for the Cadogan Hall concert call 020 7730 4500 or visit www.cadoganhall.com/ Information about tickets for the North Wall concert can be found at www.thenorthwall.com/ Towards The Dawn (Cat.No. ESS 001CD) is available from www.amazon.co.uk and www.hmv.com or as a digital download from i-tunes or www.napster.co.uk