Over from Normandy

There's great excitement that the British Museum have launched their publicity for the visit of the Bayeux Tapestry, which takes place from September until next July. Beautifully rendered images from the tapestry have suddenly appeared in tube stations, and even on huge billboards such as this one, pictured on the Brixton Road. As a BM Friend, I've already this week had the thrill of a 4-hour online wait to book tickets ("There are 16,000 people ahead of you") and, sometime during this, realised what a massive cultural experience this is going to be.

My Bayeux-love dates from 60 years ago, when my first year at secondary school coincided with the 900th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings. Our history teacher went at it hammer and tongs, and indeed it's the only thing I can by now remember studying in that class. A few years later (but still long before anyone was bothered about women artists) someone pointed out to me that the Tapestry is probably the most famous artwork, or artefact, made by women.

Very early in my composing career I wrote a suite of pieces inspired by the year 1066, and one of these is Thread! written for Edward Harper's New Music Group of Scotland in 1981. In it, I set nearly all of the Latin commentary stitched in the Tapestry's border (translated into English) together with a very representational instrumental accompaniment. Several performances are understandably on the horizon next season. We are better than usually prepared for these, thanks to a recent (and of course I would say, delightful) recording by Alexander Armstrong and the Orchestra of the Swan, conducted by Tom Hammond.