On a warm May day in 1952, the composer Avril Coleridge-Taylor stepped onto the runway at Palmietfontein Airport. She was one of only two women on the inaugural Comet jet flight between Britain and South Africa, the fastest ever passenger service between the countries. South Africa seemed a world of promise to Coleridge-Taylor, aged 49 and eager for new adventures. While on board, she was so moved by the feeling of coming to a new life that she wrote an orchestral overture responding to it: the “Comet Prelude”. In a note on the score, she explained it was inspired by “the sight of the golden dawn breaking over the desert”, building to: “a note of triumph when the arrival of the comet is greeted by thousands”.
Coleridge-Taylor went to South Africa partly to escape the prejudice against women in music she had experienced in the UK. At first, it seemed that South Africa might be more open to a female musical creator and leader. While the BBC had repeatedly rejected her for conducting opportunities, within weeks of landing she had conducted the “Comet Prelude” premiere with the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) symphony orchestra, and was booked with multiple other high-profile orchestras. Coleridge-Taylor was building the career she could only dream of in Britain.
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