David Copperfield: The Micawbers

Alongside Oliver Twist and Ebenezer Scrooge, David Copperfield ranks among Charles Dickens’s most iconic characters, embodying resilience in the face of injustice. The 1969 adaptation directed by Delbert Mann, in which Laurence Olivier again appears briefly as a tyrannical schoolmaster, contains the last soundtrack by prolific composer Malcolm Arnold. Mr. Micawber’s theme perfectly captures the temperament of this character, who continually bounces back from desperate situations thanks to his unwavering optimism, summed up in his famous phrase: “Something will turn up.” Although ultimately cut from the film, this piece remains a small gem for solo clarinet.