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This was the most unkindest cut of all…..
William Shakespeare
$85 BILLION in cuts across the board by the USA government has resulted in the cancellation of the entire Spring tour by the U S Coast Guard Band, including their concert for the 2013 Convention of the American Bandmasters Association. To hear two works from their programme, Masque by Kenneth Hesketh and Suite of English Folk Dances by Ernest Tomlinson, browse on their website below: U S COAST GUARD BAND
Review: Royal Northern College of Music
TWO WORLD PREMIERES FOR MY 75th BIRTHDAY CONCERT
Clark Rundell and Mark Heron devised a stunning programme for the evening with five of my commissions including three concertos. To see and hear the Bennett Trumpet Concerto, go to the link below and a performance by Urban Angas. Its hard work blowing out candles at my age after conducting World premieres of new works by Adam Gorb and Kenneth Hesketh.
Review: Masters o’Wind
(Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Wind Orchestra)
Nigel Boddice and John Logan Conductors Friday 18th January, Stevenson Hall, 5.30pm World premiere of new work by Derek Healey
Review: National Youth Wind Orchestra of Wales
Better late than never, I guess, is this review of a programme given some two years ago in Cardiff. This will be more a report than a review, since I had no idea that the concert was taking place, but it contained a significant new work by Simon Wills. World premiere of new work by Simon Wills
BENNETT TRUMPET CONCERTO ON YOUTUBE
Urban Agnas is soloist and conductor in a videoed live performance of the Trumpet Concerto by Richard Rodney Bennett with the Östgöta Blåsarsymfoniker. Click below to follow this link. For more information about Urban Angas
Trumpet Concerto
SCORE OF THE MONTH
THE BROKEN SEA
Click on this title for a performance of this great work by Chris Painter which received its second performance on Sunday 21st April, conducted by Tony Houghton in a wonderfully planned concert celebrating the centenary of Benjamin Britten.
STEPHEN DODGSON
Born March 17 1924, Died April 13 2013
Obituary by Tim Reynish
Stephen Dodgson was one of the most important, and neglected, composers for wind and brass of the past half century.
KENNETH HESKETH
Tim Reynish Revised April 1st 2013 ….music which is compact, illustrative, sonorities carefully polished Kenneth Hesketh and Simon Rattle
The Penguin Guide to the 1000 Finest Classical Recordings
The Must Have CDs and DVDs
Altogether fascinating and greatly enjoyable programmes, strikingly well directed by Timothy Reynish and Clark Rundell.
Who wrote this and why?
NEWS AROUND THE WORLD
CANADA
BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION CONCERT
WILFRID LAURIER UNIVERSITY WIND ENSEMBLE
Conductor Jessica Kun
Guy Woolfenden - Gallimaufry
Christopher Marshall - Resonance
Adam Gorb - Yiddish Dances
Geoffrey Poole - Zygotic Variations - World Premiere
Timothy Jackson - Passacaglia
Derek Bourgeois - Symphony of Winds
It’s often cold in Eastern Canada and the really big snows hit the Province of Ontario just before Jessica’s concert in honour of my 75th birthday a month early, with six of my commissions, including the world premiere of Zygotic Variations. Although the final rehearsal had to be cancelled, the concert went ahead on February 9th. No news yet about the performances or about the Geoff Poole premiere, more information later in the Spring.
HONG KONG
HONG KONG FESTIVAL WIND ORCHESTRA
Conductors Carl Choi and Fanny Ma
Trombone soloist Jacques Mauger
April 5th
Peter Meechan - Macbeth
Derek Bourgeois - Symphony of winds
Ramon Pastor - Broadway Concert - World Premiere
Stravinsky Rite of Spring
JAPAN
The 115th concert
Saturday, 27 April, 2013, 17:00
Venue: Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre
Conductor: Radomil Eliška
Program
Carnival Overture Op.92/ A. Dvořák
Sinfonietta / L. Janácek/ T. Ueno
Symphony No. 9, “From the New World”/ A. Dvořák
Radomil Eliška, a disciple of Janácek’s disciple Břetislav Bakala, is president of the Czech Dvořák Association. He will conduct a wind orchestra for the first time in an endeavor to show Dvořák’s true worth through wind instruments. This concert will be the experience of a lifetime. This season of TKWO will climax with Sinfonietta performed by a conductor who studied it under the composer’s disciple.
SCOTLAND
An American in Scotland – new commission from Hollywood percussionist Steve Forman to be premiered at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland 29th June by the Dumbartonshire Concert Band to celebrate their 40th anniversary.
UK - Hesketh Commission
Paul Hindmarsh very kindly put together the commissioning consortium for my birthday concert. The following bands and organisations were involved:
BASBWE
John Golland Trust
Kew Wind Orchestra
Jim Kull, St Charles Bands, USA
Lambeth Wind Orchestra
North Cheshire Wind Orchestra
Nottingham Symphonic Winds
Edward Oertle, Stuttgart
Royal Northern College of Music
Phillip Scott, National Youth Wind Ensemble of Great Britain
ADAM GORB WORLD PREMIERE
Sunday 12 May 2013at18:00
Pamoja Hall, Sevenoaks School
Bromley Youth Concert Band Concert
Conductor: Michael Purton
Programme Includes:
Spitfire Prelude - Sir William Walton
Suite of English Folk Dances - Ernest Tomlinson
Lux Aurumque (Light & Gold) Eric Whitacre
Spirit of the Sequoia - Philip Sparke
Escenas de los Aztecas (Scenes of the Aztecs) - James Barnes
Bohemian Revelry - (world premiere) - Adam Gorb
Conductor: Michael Purton
Tickets: £10 (£5 Concessions) from www.bymt.co.uk or 020 8467 1566
USA - ROCK AND ROLL BASSOONS
Richard Ramey, Professor of Basssoon at the University of Arkansaw writes:
The project is to commission composer Daniel Baldwin to write a new "Rock and Roll" double concerto for 2 bassoons (amplified with microphones) and wind ensemble is in full swing.
RISE OF THE BRASS BAND
Ray Farr writes:
After many years of research I am pleased to announce that my book:
The Distin Legacy: The Rise of the Brass Band in 19th-Century Britain
It is available from
Cambridge Scholars Publishing
12 Back Chapman Street
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE6 2XX
The rise of the brass band in 19th-century Britain is a historical, social and cultural phenomenon which represents the foundation of the modern international brass band movement. Authors such as Trevor Herbert, Arnold Myers and Roy Newsome mention and acknowledge the relevance of the Distin Family brass ensemble; however, extensive research has produced new information. This book examines the various Distin projects as the main reason why brass bands of today are established in their current form.


Visit the World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles website