A CHANDLER'S Ford school has been providing a musical stage for the build-up to the county's millennium celebrations.

The recent controversial history of Winchester's Twyford Down has been captured musically as part of Hampshire's Millennium Composition.

Around 70 talented young musicians from Eastleigh, Romsey and Winchester Young String Ensembles have been improvising at a workshop at Thornden School under the watchful eye of Hampshire's millennium composer Martin Read.

He says: "The piece explores what has recently happened to the landscape at Twyford Down and is performed by one of the youngest groups involved with the Millennium Composition.

"It is still in the early stages. I like to use structured improvisation and workshops to allow each movement to develop naturally.

"It means the musicians themselves make a contribution to each piece, rather than simply performing it."

Martin's eldest son, eight-year-old Simon, was one of the youngsters taking part in the improvisation.

The eight linked movements comprising the Millennium Composition bring to life some of the important moments in Hampshire's history including the sinking of the Mary Rose and the civil war battle at Alton in 1643.

The first movement - The Mists of Time - has already been premiered while two more have been completed and are in rehearsal.

And the whole work - Between Now and Always: A Hampshire Cantata - will be performed in its entirety at the Hampshire Music 2000 event in Basingstoke next July.

Head of music at Alton College, Martin was appointed as Hampshire's millennium composer in June after the county council was awarded a £25,000 grant by the Millennium Festival Fund.

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