Song Cycle: vive la vélorution! marked the grand départ in Yorkshire of the 2014 Tour de France and is the third in a hugely successful series of grand-scale choral works with jazz quintet by acclaimed British composer and jazz musician Alexander L’Estrange.

The ten cycling-themed songs – eight originals and two arrangements – take audiences on an exhilarating bicycle ride across hill and dale, celebrating both the appeal of this most energy efficient mode of transport and the beauty of our natural surroundings. Describing the role of bicycles in the emancipation of women (‘A woman (wearing bloomers) on a wheel’) and the benefits of cycling to both body and mind (‘Freewheeling’), Song Cycle encompasses an impressive variety of musical styles including pastiche Victorian music hall, folk, minimalism, barbershop, musical theatre and, of course, jazz. If you loved Zimbe! and Ahoy! and are looking for an SATB choral work to wow your next audience with, look no further than Song Cycle: vive la vélorution!

Buying a cycle is the sixth movement from the cantata Song Cycle and is scored for SATB and piano. Available to print at home in digital sheet music format.