First Orchestral Interlude Lyrics - Aspects of Love

Song Overview

Review and Highlights

The so-called “interlude” is anything but a breather. It’s the detonator between “George’s Flat in Paris” and “She’d Be Far Better Off with You,” where Alex and Rose’s fling collides with daylight, and George walks in on the wreckage. The orchestra doesn’t grandstand; it needles, prods, and frames a short burst of sung confrontation. On the original London cast recording you hear Michael Ball (Alex), Ann Crumb (Rose), Kevin Colson (George), and Laurel Ford (Elizabeth) trading terse lines while strings and winds pulse beneath them like a held breath. The cue plays like operatic parlando: plot first, then release.

Creation History

Andrew Lloyd Webber conceived Aspects of Love from David Garnett’s 1955 novel, with lyrics by Don Black and Charles Hart. The show premiered at London’s Prince of Wales Theatre on April 17, 1989, and transferred to Broadway in 1990. “First Orchestral Interlude” sits late in Act 1, crystallizing the musical’s obsession with love’s fallout rather than its fireworks.

Highlights - Key takeaways

1. It’s a plot engine, not a showpiece - the orchestra underwrites shock, not spectacle.
2. The scene pivots the triangle: Alex’s rash act forces George and Rose’s alignment.
3. Recitative-leaning writing keeps language front and center; motives simmer in the pit.
4. The recording’s compact length makes every bar count; no filler, just consequences.

Song Meaning and Annotations

Plot

Morning after. Rose wants Alex gone before George arrives. Panic escalates into bravado; Alex flashes a gun; a scuffle, a stray shot, and Rose is hit. George enters, all composure and control, the adult in the room. The interlude ends with triage and the moral hangover that fuels the next number’s debate.

Song Meaning

This is love stripped of glamour. The cue draws a line between infatuation and responsibility. Alex’s gesture, theatrically sized but emotionally juvenile, runs into George’s steadier gravity. Webber’s writing treats the orchestra as conscience - short figures in the low strings, measured woodwind answers - while voices sit tight to text. In a show famous for a soaring anthem, here the music refuses to romanticize the mess.

Annotations

“Here we go again! Heaven knows when she’ll be back - That girl has got a knack / Of keeping you guessing!”

“If I can’t have you, no one will. Killing you would be a pleasure.”

“Go on and pull the trigger, / See if I care!”

“He lost his head, / The gun went off, / She’s bleeding badly...”

Style and rhythm

Genre fusion leans classical-throughline musical theatre: sung dialogue over pulse patterns, with brief motivic recalls from surrounding cues. Emotion starts brittle, spikes into panic, and settles into stunned aftermath - a steady downward arc that primes the moral debate to come. Cultural touchpoint: the 1980s British megamusical toolkit in miniature, but with chamber-opera restraint rather than arena-sized sweep.

Language and imagery

Threats, taunts, and tidy finality - the speech-song pairs teen swagger with adult consequence. Idioms like “pull the trigger” are literal and metaphorical at once, marking the show’s habit of turning romantic hyperbole into real-world damage.

Key Facts

• Artist: Andrew Lloyd Webber; Original London Cast voices
• Featured: Michael Ball (Alex), Ann Crumb (Rose), Kevin Colson (George), Laurel Ford (Elizabeth)
• Composer: Andrew Lloyd Webber
• Lyricists: Don Black, Charles Hart
• Producer: Andrew Lloyd Webber
• Release Date: 1989 (digital listing shows January 1, 1989)
• Genre: Musical theatre, sung-through scene
• Instruments: Orchestra - strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion, harp, keys
• Label: The Really Useful Group Ltd. under exclusive license to Polydor Ltd. (UK)
• Mood: tense, injured, pragmatic
• Length: 2:30 (original London cast recording)
• Track #: Act 1, after “George’s Flat in Paris,” before “She’d Be Far Better Off with You”
• Language: English
• Album: Aspects of Love - Original London Cast Recording (Remastered 2005 also available)
• Music style: recitative-leaning, motive-driven underscoring
• Poetic meter: mixed, conversational stress over strict scansion
• © Copyrights: © 1989 The Really Useful Group Ltd.

Questions and Answers

Where does this cue fall in Act 1?

Right after “George’s Flat in Paris” and immediately before “She’d Be Far Better Off with You.”

Who’s on the original recording?

Michael Ball, Ann Crumb, Kevin Colson, and Laurel Ford, with the original London company.

What actually happens in the scene?

Alex pulls a gun, a struggle ensues, the weapon discharges, and Rose is wounded; George arrives and takes control.

Was it ever released as a single?

No. The show’s breakout single was “Love Changes Everything,” which peaked at No. 2 in the UK.

How long is it on the cast album?

About two and a half minutes - compact, plot-tight writing.

Awards and Chart Positions

The number itself wasn’t singled out for awards, but Aspects of Love earned multiple 1990 Tony nominations, including Best Musical and Best Original Score, with acting nods for Kevin Colson and Kathleen Rowe McAllen. Meanwhile, the show’s flagship single “Love Changes Everything” reached No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart in early 1989.

How to Sing First Orchestral Interlude

Vocal forces and range: Alex (tenor), Rose (mezzo-soprano), George (baritone), Elizabeth (soprano). Keep timbre speech-forward; pitch centers are modest but sit awkwardly on quick text.

Breath and pacing: Think “sustained calm in crisis.” Use silent breaths between short lines; let the orchestra carry the panic so your delivery stays clipped and clear.

Diction and intention: Aim for pointillist clarity - consonants forward, vowels compact. Don’t sell big emotion; sell focus.

Ensemble traffic: Trade cues by eye and ear. The fastest way to spoil the scene is overlapping stress; share the beat.

Tempo feel: Moderato that tightens at the gunshot; after the impact, sit back into measured pulse for the medical triage lines.

Additional Info

The track appears on the Original London Cast Recording (1989), widely reissued and remastered, and is available on major streaming platforms. A 2023 West End revival re-framed the show with Michael Ball returning as George, a nice echo of the piece’s circle-of-time obsession.