Andrew S. Dalby

Category: Dark Horse Musings

  • Rain Does Not Stop Play

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    DarkHo_Admin
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    It is good to be back into the school term after the summer holiday because I am beginning to find my routine again. Having said this, it does mean that my diary has suddenly filled with dates for concerts and all my weekends are spoken for until November. This is good. It means there is…

  • Summer Draws to an End

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    DarkHo_Admin
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    This last few weeks have been an almost complete break from anything to do with writing music, or even making any serious plans for new pieces, but I do think I needed to take some time out having completed a major project. I had hoped for a trip away this summer, however events conspired against…

  • Where are they now?

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    DarkHo_Admin
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    I have been working hard on completing two pieces over recent weeks in between everything else in life that demands my attention, and I have been successful in getting the work done. Something that has been at the forefront of my mind recently has been memories of my time as a student. I have been…

  • A Busy Summer

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    DarkHo_Admin
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    It has been a hectic few months here in the Dark Horse office. I have stoically persevered with my compositions, completing my choral work and starting something new for orchestra, on top of which I had a wild idea for a more avant-garde piece which came into being with gratifying speed. I intend to record…

  • Keeping it Simple

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    DarkHo_Admin
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    It has been a bit of a tough project, but I am pleased to have completed my choral work. I became bogged down in one of the movements and it eventually became clear that the problem wasn’t the ideas, but the key. I had aimed for a I, II, V, I key structure for the…

  • Getting High

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    DarkHo_Admin
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    There are many ways to be uplifted, some legal and others not, but by far and away the most reliable, healthy, longest lasting and above all legal high comes from making music, especially in a good concert. Last night, Saturday 17th May 2025, was one such occasion! I am still buzzing from the high of…

  • Show Time

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    DarkHo_Admin
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    This time tomorrow night we will be in the process of performing Tchaikowsky’s 1st Piano Concerto in the Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall at York University. This is where all the York Symphony Orchestra concert’s take place, and what a venue! It will be quite the test of endurance though because we are also playing…

  • All Change

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    DarkHo_Admin
    in

    I shall begin with an apology. I am sorry I have been quiet in recent weeks. Things took a turn for the worse after Christmas when my wife became very unwell with a dose of flu (compounded by a pulmonary embolism and a collapsed lung) which left her laid low for a considerable length of…

  • Let’s Sing!

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    DarkHo_Admin
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    I can hardly believe we are already over 2 weeks into 2025, but on the other hand Christmas and New Year seem a long time ago already. Having said that a lot of things have happened in the last few weeks, and I am glad to be back to rehearsals with York Symphony Orchestra. I…

  • Optimism for the New Year

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    DarkHo_Admin
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    Happy New Year to one and all. Over the festive period I have been contemplating what to do next, but sometimes trying to decide on the next piece to write can be difficult. Ideas often seem non-existent and the muse is just absent, then at other times a whole bunch of ideas crowd in and…