COMPOSER : Nick Elwood

No. 2

Paralos

Paralos was one of two State triremes and was named after the son of Poseidon.

A trireme was a warship with three tiers of rowers.

It was manoeuvrable and fast and at the brow was a battering ram that was often decorated. The crew of the Paralos were known as the Paraloi.

The triremes' use as a diplomatic ship is well documented.

When the Spartans defeated Athens at the naval battle of Aegospotami  (405),

Paralos took the devastating news back to  Athens.

Pericles the great statesman of the 4th century BC named his second son, Paralos.

8m approx

The Hellenic began in 1980 while I was a student at the Royal Military School of Music, Kneller Hall. I went back to the original score in 2018 and developed the work into a large scale composition. My inspiration derived from my interest in classical history and having completed a classics degree in 2015, my enthusiasm was fired.

The Hellenic comprises four movements each depicting an aspect or event crucial to the Athenian polis in the 4th century  BC.