Robert Farnon: Concorde March (1969)

I never had the opportunity to fly by the Anglo‑French Concorde supersonic airliner. But I did see one of the twenty aircraft a few times, most memorably as it swept over the Severn Estuary. Conceived in the late 1950s, Concorde finally took to the skies in 1969 and entered commercial service some six or seven years later. For a brief period, it embodied the glamour and optimism of a new technological age: the sleek delta‑winged silhouette, the droop‑nose, and the promise of transatlantic crossings in under three hours made it an icon long before its first paying passengers boarded. Its Anglo‑French pedigree also gave it a diplomatic sheen - an engineering partnership that survived political turbulence, budgetary wrangling, and fierce American competition. Sadly, the brand did not endure; the final flights took place in 2003, bringing the supersonic era to a close.

To commemorate the aircraft’s premiere flight, British air industry commissioned a march from the well‑known composer Robert Farnon. Best known for his “light” music, Farnon was equally adept at film scores and more substantial concert works, and the Concorde March leans more towards the cinematic than the bubbly charm of his lighter pieces. It opens with a bold, brass‑led fanfare whose rising intervals mirror the aircraft’s dramatic take‑off profile. The main theme evokes both the glamour of air travel and the futuristic sheen of the new airliner. A more lyrical trio section offers a sense of airborne spaciousness before the triumphant return of the main theme, now burnished with added orchestral weight. The result is unmistakably Farnon - polished, confident, and effortlessly evocative.

British Airways used the march in promotional events surrounding Concorde’s introduction into service, and although not conceived as a concert piece, it quickly attracted interest from broadcasters and light‑music enthusiasts. William Kreindler, writing for MusicWeb International (July 2019), notes that the march was recorded by Farnon and the London Symphony Orchestra and issued by the nascent CRD label as a single, coupled with Holiday Flight (c.1958). The release has since become something of a collector’s item, not least for its glossy, close‑miked orchestral sound. Holiday Flight makes an apt “flip-side” companion - an earlier, jaunty evocation of carefree post‑war travel that contrasts neatly with the sleek modernity of the Concorde tribute.

Listen to Robert Farnon conducting the London Symphony Orchestra in the Concorde March, here.