David Gow’s Overture One-Two-Five (1976)

In 1976, David Gow was commissioned by British Rail to compose an overture to celebrate the beginning of the operation of the High Speed Train service between London, Bristol and Cardiff on 4 October of that year. The top speed of this new train was 125 mph. 

The Overture opens with what sounds like a train approaching, the rhythm of the rails, and the horn sounding. Then a jaunty theme emerges. The composer introduces two more themes, one “erratic” and the other “relaxed.” As is to be expected, the opening section reappears and gradually becomes more expansive, representing the train reaching its destination.

Bearing in mind that Gow is usually regarded as a serialist composer, there is nothing in this overture to discomfit the listener. In fact, some of the music seems to be almost “light” in character.

Some months later, the music was used, with little alteration in a British Transport Film documentary of the same title. This is an impressionistic film, where the “star” is the HST train. There is no spoken commentary in this film.

It opens with a shot of the music score, whilst the orchestra tunes up. Soon, the prototype HST is seen somewhere on the East Coast Mainline. Scenes of technicians at work, and the engineers building the trains follow. There is a short clip of a model train. Next up, a blue and yellow liveried train sneaks past the camera. A shot of the interior of a signal box has a now politically incorrect image of a signalman smoking his pipe! The train passes a level crossing, and some trainspotters are seen on the platform. The film crew now go inside the speeding train. I think that many of the passengers are probably actors - some of them crop in other BTF productions. They sit in first class and are regaled with refreshments. In the driver’s cab, the speedometer reads 125 mph. Finally the train arrives at its destination, Bristol Temple Meads, presumably on time. The music ends. Applause follows.

Even before the Overture was composed it did have an impact. The Daily Telegraph (22 March 1976, p.15) had reported that British Rail’s Western Region were to spend £100 to commission a “tune”, as they called it, to celebrate the introduction of the new train service. It explained that this “tune” would be played by the BBC Concert Orchestra in October at (presumably) Bristol Temple Meads Station, to “coincide with the train’s first run.”  Or maybe it was at the BBC studios. Furthermore the piece was to be broadcast on the ever-popular Friday Night is Music Night show on Radio 2.

Now, what upset some people, including the Conservative Member of Parliament for Louth, a Mr Michael Brotherton, was the cost. He denounced the £100 commission fee as “a gratuitous insult to the taxpayer.” It was estimated that the cost of taking the players to Bristol would be more than £300. The MP wrote sarcastically, “I would be the first to approve British Rail commissioning a composer to write a song of praise when they manage to break even, but until that day comes, I suggest it would be better for them to cease blowing their trumpet as this merely draws attention to their inefficiency.” Brotherton indicated that he would make a formal protest to Sir Richard Marsh, then Chairman of British Rail. It seems that he was a bit of a spoilsport. British Rail for their part, insisted that the commissioning fee was “coming out of the marketing budget for the Western Region. The spokesman added that “It’s a small sum to pay for the publicity it will bring to the new high speed service.”

It seems to me that £100 (which is about £600 at 2022 prices) was a modest amount of money for an eight minute overture, for full orchestra.

I have not been able to find any reports about the orchestra’s performance of the Overture on that day, 4 October 1976. In fact, it may have been part of the press preview train that ran on 30 September 1976. Or maybe it never happened. Perhaps an investigation for the future.

Unfortunately, the only recording (White Line, CD WHL2137, Royal Ballet Sinfonia/Gavin Sutherland) of David Gow’s Overture One-Two-Five has not been uploaded to YouTube. However, the British Transport Film is available online on the BFI website, here.