Edward Gregson’s enchanting work, The Salamander and the Moonraker (An Adventure Story in Music), has been nominated for The Ivors Composer Awards 2019 (formerly British Composer Award) in the ‘Amateur or Young Performers’ category.
The story tells of the adventures of some children caught up in the magical realms beyond Earth who are transported into space to rescue the Moonraker, and held captive by the god Thor. They enlist the help of the mythological Salamander to carry them through Thor’s barrier of fire, rescue the Moonraker and take her back to the Moon.
The work is scored for children’s choir, two narrators (male and female), and symphony orchestra, and the story and text were written by the composer’s wife, Susan. It was commissioned by the Hallé Concerts Society and premiered in July 2018 in a performance by the Hallé Orchestra and Children’s Choir, conducted by Stephen Bell, at Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall.
Three works are nominated in each category and the winners will be announced at the ceremony on Wednesday 4 December at the British Museum, London.