Orchestral manoeuvres led to symphonic prog rock night

OBOIST Jasmine Huxtable-Wright was so taken by musician and composer Dee Palmer’s classical arrangement of Queen song Somebody to Love that she started up an orchestra.

Thames Valley Festival Orchestra played a symphonic tribute to Queen two years ago in Leytonstone, Windsor and Dorchester Abbey.

Last year, they performed Palmer’s arrangement of the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band in Reading.

The orchestra’s sixth concert, first performed in Windsor in May, features the music of Jethro Tull, Yes, Genesis, Pink Floyd and Queen, again arranged by Palmer.

Jasmine says: “The one thing I’ve always found with this orchestra is it’s not a tribute act. The music speaks for itself and I love this type of arrangement because it features beautifully all around the orchestra.”

The Jethro Tull section will include a medley combining Locomotive Breath, Teacher and Bungle in the Jungle.

“Then the one that we love playing in the set is Elegy, which Dee Palmer actually wrote. Dee then rearranged her own composition for orchestra for the symphonic Jethro Tull album back in 1985.

“The other one in this set is Aqualung, which was one of the classics.”

Genesis songs include Follow You Follow Me and the Los Jigos medley.

“It covers pieces from the Genesis catalogue, Duke’s Travels, The Fountain of Salmacis, The Knife, Unquiet Slumbers and Los Jigos and it tracks along at a great pace.

“Then we have Can-Utility and the Coastliners and it’s a very calm piece. For Pink Floyd, we have Another Brick in the Wall, Wish You Were Here and Money.

“In the Yes section, this was from Dee’s 1993 arrangements of symphonic Yes, Owner of a Lonely Heart, Roundabout and Close to the Edge, which, when Yes did it, was apparently 18 minutes long. So this one is concatenated in Dee’s beautiful style. We finish off with some of our Queen favourites and we’ve got Somebody To Love — because that was what started this, was having heard that on Classic FM and that amazing oboe solo at the beginning.”

Jasmine visited Dee Palmer at her home in the Shropshire Hills recently. “She’s got a new dog, a new Scottish Deerhound called Luca and it’s absolutely delightful. So she’s very well and she’s working on some Pink Floyd for me now.”

l Thames Valley Festival Orchestra presents an evening of symphonic prog rock featuring the music of Jethro Tull, Yes, Genesis, Pink Floyd and Queen, arranged by Dee Palmer, at Dorchester Abbey tomorrow (Saturday, September 20) at 7.30pm. Tickets cost £25 adults, £15 under-18s. For more information, visit TVFOSept 2025.eventbrite.co.uk