This programme was prompted by the theme of this current season, The Relationship between Literature, Art & Music. In the early 80s I was commissioned to write a score for The Royal Ballet of New Zealand. The work was to be based on a short story by the New Zealand writer Katherine Mansfield. Before sending the score off to be choreographed on the other side of the world, I was anxious to check that musically everything was in order, so I organised a concert in London to try out the music.

This was the first professional concert I had curated and played in and it is nostalgic for me to re-visit it some 40 years later. The concert opens with a Mozart sonata that I was studying at the time with my teachers, Irene Kohler and James Gibb. The short story, Bliss, is then read aloud by Joanna David. It was Joanna who read it for that first concert all those years ago and it is such a pleasure now to welcome her back to Luton. After the interval we will then hear how the music for this score has interpreted the narrative of Bliss. It is scored for clarinet, string trio, double bass and piano. For the concert I have invited performers all of whom I have met over the many happy years I have spent helping to organise concerts here in the town. It has been such an interesting project for me to look again at the music after 40 years and to work on preparing it with such fine musicians and friends. I hope you too will all enjoy this special evening.

Richard Sisson (Chair of Luton Music)