Momentum

Commissioned by the BBC to inaugurate Birmingham’s Symphony Hall on 12 June 1991, the sense of optimism surrounding that event is exactly mirrored in Momentum’s long melodic lines and vibrant rhythms, drawing themselves out at the last minute into a litany of orchestral gestures massively confirming the mood of communal pride and aspiration. Nothing could better reflect the sense of civic distinction than the ensemble giving that first concert, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, with whom Turnage was then Composer-in-Association.