King Solomon’s Mines
This short concert overture was written for Robert Childs and the Cory Band as part of the composer’s contribution to the Brass Band Aid project. It is based on Sir Henry Rider Haggard’s African adventure story of the hunter Alan Quartermaine and his companions, and their search for the fabled lost diamond mines of King Solomon, in which they are aided by a local tribesman and obstructed by an evil witch doctor. The music is firmly planted in John Williams’ Indiana Jones territory but, before anyone accuses him of plagiarism, the composer would like to point out that, since all the Indiana Jones films owe a huge debt to the romances of Rider Haggard, the wheel has turned the full circle, and he is utterly unrepentant!
The premiere recording of King Solomon's Mines is featured on the Cory Band release Enter the Galaxies (DOYCD264) and is available from World of Brass.