Positive reviews of The Flight of Icarus

'Cleared for take-off into the sun'
Widely regarded as one of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales's most successful commissions John Pickard's The Flight of Icarus received its first London performance at the Proms on Wednesday night, amply fulfilling its promise. It is in a single movement, and scored for a large orchestra which makes its presence felt from the opening bars. With strings and wind in whirlwind motion, and frenzied tuckets on three trumpets, the introductory section suggests, in the composer's words, the '"ascent from the labyrinth" (ie, the aeronautical escape of Daedalus and his son Icarus from King Minos). This is not simplistic scene-painting, however, and the middle section vividly evokes the exhilaration of flight, it also projects a sense of triumph over natural laws, of the high idealism of human endeavour.
Pride comes before a fall though and suddenly catastrophe looms out of a clear blue sky. icarus falls hubristiclly to his death, and his father flies on into the setting sun – an image that Pickard recreates with his sonorously spaced brass and full-textured strings. Pickard's score remains airborne over its 20-minute span rather more proficiently than Icarus, leading the ear and imagination with impressive resourcefulness.'

Barry Millington
The Times, 2 August 1996

'Out of this world'
'The Wednesday Prom by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales got off to a flying start. Having been inspired by the Apollo 11 moon landing as a child, the composer John Pickard became fascinated by the idea of man in space and hit upon the myth of Icarus as the subject for an airborne orchestral piece.
The result was The Flight of Icarus, a BBC commission, premiered by the orchestra in 1991 and here receiving its London premiere. Essentially this is a 20-minute Straussian tone-poem, written for a huge orchestra and exhibiting a flamboyant taste for pounding timpani and rocketing brass fireworks. The opening music is reminiscent of the flying sequence in Strauss's Don Quixote, though divided strings and woodwind filigree later suggest the rich textures of Tippett were a more immediate influence. As a concert opener, it provided an exciting lift-off.
The rest of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales's two concerts under Mark Wigglesworth inevitably sounded fairly earthbound by comparison.'

Richard Fairman
Financial Times, 2 August 1996

'Appealing response to age of space flight'
'Our national symphony orchestra is a familiar and well-proven visitor to the Albert Hall Proms, its concerts increasing in number over the years as its international reputation grows.
This week saw the first two appearances (of this year's five) both with music director Mark Wigglesworth at the helm and newly appointed Janice Graham as leader
This highly successful programme opened with the London premiere of John Pickard's already acclaimed and considerably performed Flight of Icarus, a substantive continuous symphonic response to the age of space flight, taking off as it were what the Greek legend of the title leaves to the imagination, speculation and the gift of the story-teller.
Scored for a large orchestra, its three sections are packed with energetic musical demands, identifiable or not (according to the composer's well-attended pre-performance lecture) with the various stages of a real space mission.
It resolves its earlier dissonant clamour with eventual human melody, harmony and a restful familiar consonance (D flat), vindicating the concept of endeavour and clearly to the appeal of the large and concentrating audience, an essential element in the composer's natural purpose.'

Aldon Rees
Western Mail, 2 August 1996

'Tribute to the Glory of Vanity'
'Last night's Prom was all about vanity. The BBC National Orchestra of Wales began their second concert with the London premiere of John Pickard's The Flight of Icarus. It was vanity which led the first would-be pilot to fly too near the sun.
Principal Conductor Mark Wigglesworth flapped eloquently. The orchestra was lustrous and responsive. There were no weaknesses. Principal trumpet Paul Archibald blazed with golden tone. Martin Ronchetti's clarinet was cream.
Mr. Pickard's exciting 20-minute overture takes about a quarter of an hour to become airborne. Its gait after the tuba's first bar exclamation – go! – is heavy but agile and characterised by short, sharp crescendos like swellings of pride in angry, high-stepping earthbound tutti chords. Eventually it lifts off with a soaring string melody that floats above a murky orchestral sound receding into the distance. Vanity likes to keep failure quiet. Crying oboes follow a descent until the distant whisper of a gong – splosh – cues applause'

Rick Jones
Evening Standard, 1 August 1996