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Posted by Paul Serotsky on August 8, 2008, 10:01 am, in reply to "Re: http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2007/Apr07/Arnold_3821462.htm"
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The overture was commissioned by the TUC to mark the entenary of its foundation in June 1868. Certainly, Arnold was working on it during the previous year, as witness his response, dated 5 September 1967, to a letter of encouragement from Donald Mitchell (cited in the Meredith/Harris biography, p274).
It seems that Arnold had, uncharacteristically, been struggling. In appreciating Mitchell's remarks, Arnold wrote, "I shall approach the work . . . with new heart." If this was indeed the case, then it's unlikely that the job would have taken him all of four months, and that is what would have been required for him to sign it off in 1968.
So, my money's on "first performed in 1968, but composed the year before".
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