Paul Carr was born in Cornwall, England in 1961 to Anglo-Australian nationality, and has been writing music since the age of 15. From 1984 to 1998 his main career was in opera stage management, and he has worked with some of the world’s leading companies including English National Opera, The Australian Opera, The Israeli Opera and Glyndebourne Festival Opera as well as various freelance contracts including the annual Raymond Gubbay Opera at The Royal Albert Hall.
In 1998 he decided to concentrate more fully on composition. He has written scores for several British films including Janice Beard 4wpm and Being Considered – both now released on video – and Lady Audley’s Secret, a Victorian melodrama for television. Last year he wrote the original music for Girls in Love, a 13-part adaptation of the popular children’s books, for ITV.
Paul’s concert work is varied, and over the past two years he has had several premieres, including a Viola Concerto written for Peter Sulski, Concertos for Piano and Flute, and a Concerto for Four Guitars and Chamber Orchestra which was given six performances in Belgium last April by the Symfonieorkest van Vlaanderen who commissioned it. Paul has recently completed a 2nd Viola Concerto for Roger Benedict, a wind quintet Diverting Sundays (premiered at the 2003 Brighton
Festival by The Galliard Ensemble) and two Sonatinas, for Oboe and Piano and for Flute and Piano.
His most recent works include Man in a Short Red Dress (a habañera for large orchestra), Jazz Cardigans (a suite of five pieces for two guitars) and a Symphony. His suite for strings A Very English Music was recently recorded by The Royal Ballet Sinfonia for Volume 5 of British String Miniatures, due for release in January 2005.
In 2000 Paul released Crowded Streets on the Claudio Records label – a CD of his orchestral music, played by the Sussex Symphony Orchestra. The review of this disc on Classical Music Web reads, “Paul Carr writes music that is without pretence, fluent and fluid, singing, concise and joyous.&rsquot;
Future works include a piano quartet and a bassoon concerto for Graham Salvage.
Aunt Sally is a game predominantly played in Oxfordshire whereby wooden batons are hurled at a wooden skittle known as &lsquot;the doll&rsquot; (Aunt Sally), which is positioned on top of a hollow rod (&lsquot;the iron&rsquot;). It is thought to date back to the l7th century, and is taken very seriously by regulars. It is usually played in pub gardens on summer evenings, pints all round.
I first encountered it in the idyllic village of Garsington, where I was stage manager for a production of Die Schweigsamme Frau with Garsington Opera. John Gibbons, who was assistant conductor and also played various instruments in the orchestra (including a marvellous and unearthly rendition of a strangled parrot voiced through a megaphone from the back of the pit), suggested I might like to write a work for the Ealing Symphony Orchestra – and this is the spontaneous and happy result.
Taking this rather bizarre, but very &lsquot;English&rsquot; game as a main theme, this concert overture is also an expression of the enjoyment found in a perfect English summer’s day, which at its best is unbeatable: remembering times gone by – childhood picnics and lemonade, outdoor games and chasing old aunts, or even Sally.
April 2004