13 October 2008

FINE ARTS BRASS

Simon Lenton trumpet, Angela Whelan trumpet, Chris Parkes horn, Katy Jones trombone, Sam Elliott tuba,

with RICHARD SISSON reciter

Fine Arts Brass is now in its 28th year and firmly established at the forefront of the international brass chamber music scene. Originally formed in 1980, the ensemble took the name of the place of its first rehearsal, The Barber Institute of Fine Arts at Birmingham University. The group’s enduring success is due to its uncanny chameleon-like adaptability to different audience requirements. These can range from educational concerts for primary school children to broadcasts suitable for BBC Radios 2, 3 or 4. With the combination of their unique versatility of sound, eminent humour and passion for the music they play, it is easy to see why they have toured to over 60 countries and performed in just about every music festival in the UK.

Their repertoire is as comprehensive as you would expect from such artists, encapsulating all musical genres from the Renaissance and Baroque to the sound worlds of the avant garde. Equally, when they play Swing, they swing!

They also have a penchant for commissioning new works (over 50 to date) and have enjoyed working closely with the composers who have written for them: Malcolm Arnold, Robin Holloway, Michael Nyman, John Woolrich & Michael Torke to name but a few. Their discography is no less impressive with a selection of 28 recordings to date with more planned! In the words of Classical Music Magazine, they are simply “Exceptional”. FAB receives financial support from the PRS Foundation and is proud to be associated with Smith-Watkins trumpets and Nimbus Records.

Programme

Verdi     Overture The Force of Destiny

J S Bach    Violin Concerto in A minor

Peter Maxwell Davies   Farewell to Stromness

John McCabe    Hawk in Winter Light

Michael Berkeley    Fantastic Mind  (with reciter)

Philip Wilby     Haka

Purcell     Trumpet Tunes and Aires

Stephen Dodgson   Spice of Life

Falla     Suite from Love the Magician

Hefti/Nestico    Count Basie (Classic Count)

As always with brass quintet programmes, the music is a mix of arrangements of popular classics and contemporary pieces. FAB’s record in commissioning new pieces is second to none and their impressive list of works that they have brought into being is stunning. It includes three of the pieces in this concert. John McCabe’s Hawk in Winter Light was inspired by the sight of a hawk circling obsessively on a bright November day, hence the constantly circular nature of the music and, especially, its melodic material. Michael Berkeley’s Fantastic Mind for quintet and reciter, which in this case will be Kit and the Widow’s Richard Sisson, amalgamates two passionate poems of longing by the 17th century libertine poet, the Earl of Rochester. Stephen Dodgson’s Spice of Life is an immediately appealing and light-hearted set of variations.

More information can be found at www.fineartsbrass.co.uk.