WINDSHEAR is a trilogy of pieces reflecting the importance to us of the air we breathe. Although we take the winds earth provides for us for granted, a fresh breeze can be exhilarating and one of the simple joys in life. The complete work is for wind instruments, along with the support of keyboard, electronic and percussion instruments. The two instruments requiring a substantial amount of breath control, the contrabassoon and tuba, are our featured soloists with additional solo roles from the flutes. Rather than a piece of music to make any political points, the work is just a gentle reminder that we should cherish what we have and preserve it for future generations and to enjoy the simple things we have in life. 
WINDSHEAR has three movements:
WIND OF MISCHIEF
WIND OF SOLACE
WIND OF ENERGY

WINDSHEAR

Jean Françaix 1912-1974 

Le Gay Paris for trumpet and wind ensemble 
Marche
Valse
Galop

Françaix's natural gifts were encouraged from an early age by his family: his father, Director of the Conservatoire of Le Mans, and his mother, a teacher of singing. He was only six when he took up composing, and his first publication, in 1922, caught the attention of a composer working for the publishing house who steered the gifted boy toward a gifted teacher, Nadia Boulanger. She encouraged Françaix's career, considering the young composer to be one of the best, if not the best, of her students. Françaix himself often played his own works, to public acclaim; notably in the premier of his Concertino for Piano and Orchestra at the festival of Baden-Baden in 1932. 

He was a skilled orchestrator, which was reflected in his use of tone colours. Françaix wrote pieces in many of the major large musical forms, including concerti, symphonies, opera, theatre, ballet, and works drawing on traditions that fell out of favour in the 20th century, such as the cantata. Though he often put his own modern spin on the old modes of expression, he was an avowed neoclassicist who rejected atonality and formless wanderings, and he drew from great literature of the past for his vocal settings.

Françaix completed Le Gay Paris on April 25, 1974. It received its premiered a year later on April 27, 1975 by trumpeter Carole Dawn Reinhart who serves as professor emeritus at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna. Le Gay Paris is akin to a vision of Paris that is inhabited by good moods and joie de vivre. This work it meant to be light-hearted and is filled with witty musical dialogue. 

The ensemble writing is characterful, virtuosic and brilliant but also requires great sensitivity. Le Gay Paris is a superb showcase for the extraordinary talents of our musicians.This recording was recorded virtually during the Covid-related lockdown of 2021.

This performance is dedicated to Carole Dawn Reinhart for a lifetime dedicated to performance and education.

Flute: Alison Hayhurst
Oboes: Ilid Jones
Clarinets: Katherine Spencer
Horns: Richard Bayliss
Bassoon: Chris Rawley
Contrabassoon: Ruth Rosales 
Trumpet: Paul Archibald

Jean Francaix Le Gay Paris

WIND OF MISCHIEF is part of a trilogy of pieces called WINDSHEAR which reflects the importance to us of the air we breathe. Although we take the winds earth provides for us for granted, a fresh breeze can be exhilarating and one of the simple joys in life. The complete work is for wind instruments, along with the support of keyboard, electronic and percussion instruments. The two instruments requiring a substantial amount of breath control, the contrabassoon and tuba, are our featured soloists with additional solo roles from the flutes. Rather than a piece of music to make any political points, the work is just a gentle reminder that we should cherish what we have and preserve it for future generations and to enjoy the simple things we have in life. 
WINDSHEAR has three movements:
WIND OF MISCHIEF
WIND OF SOLACE
WIND OF ENERGY

Windshear

Wind of Mischief

WIND OF MISCHIEF

WIND OF ENERGY is part of a trilogy of pieces entiled WINDSHEAR which reflects the importance to us of the air we breathe. Although we take the winds earth provides for us for granted, a fresh breeze can be exhilarating and one of the simple joys in life. The complete work is for wind instruments, along with the support of keyboard, electronic and percussion instruments. The two instruments requiring a substantial amount of breath control, the contrabassoon and tuba, are our featured soloists with additional solo roles from the flutes. Rather than a piece of music to make any political points, the work is just a gentle reminder that we should cherish what we have and preserve it for future generations and to enjoy the simple things we have in life. 
WINDSHEAR has three movements:
WIND OF MISCHIEF
WIND OF SOLACE
WIND OF ENERGY

Wind of Energy

WIND OF ENERGY

Wind of Solace

WIND OF SOLACE

Jean Françaix 1912-1974 

Le Gay Paris for trumpet and wind ensemble 
Marche
Valse
Galop

Françaix's natural gifts were encouraged from an early age by his family: his father, Director of the Conservatoire of Le Mans, and his mother, a teacher of singing. He was only six when he took up composing, and his first publication, in 1922, caught the attention of a composer working for the publishing house who steered the gifted boy toward a gifted teacher, Nadia Boulanger. She encouraged Françaix's career, considering the young composer to be one of the best, if not the best, of her students. Françaix himself often played his own works, to public acclaim; notably in the premier of his Concertino for Piano and Orchestra at the festival of Baden-Baden in 1932. 

He was a skilled orchestrator, which was reflected in his use of tone colours. Françaix wrote pieces in many of the major large musical forms, including concerti, symphonies, opera, theatre, ballet, and works drawing on traditions that fell out of favour in the 20th century, such as the cantata. Though he often put his own modern spin on the old modes of expression, he was an avowed neoclassicist who rejected atonality and formless wanderings, and he drew from great literature of the past for his vocal settings.

Françaix completed Le Gay Paris on April 25, 1974. It received its premiered a year later on April 27, 1975 by trumpeter Carole Dawn Reinhart who serves as professor emeritus at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna. Le Gay Paris is akin to a vision of Paris that is inhabited by good moods and joie de vivre. This work it meant to be light-hearted and is filled with witty musical dialogue. 

The ensemble writing is characterful, virtuosic and brilliant but also requires great sensitivity. Le Gay Paris is a superb showcase for the extraordinary talents of our musicians.This recording was recorded virtually during the Covid-related lockdown of 2021.

This recording is dedicated to Carole Dawn Rheinhart for a lifetime dedicated to performance and education.

Flute: Alison Hayhurst
Oboes: Ilid Jones
Clarinets: Katherine Spencer
Horns: Richard Bayliss
Bassoon: Chris Rawley
Contrabassoon: Ruth Rosales 
Trumpet: Paul Archibald

Le Gay Paris

Valse

JEAN FRANCAIX Valse - Movt 2

Marche

JEAN FRANCAIX Marche - Movt 1

Galop

JEAN FRANCAIX Galop - Movt 3

Severn Suite, op 87
A suite in five movements for brass band
1 - Introduction (Pomposo) : Worcester Castle; 2 - Toccata (Allegro molto) : Tournament;
3 - Fugue (Andante) : The Cathedral;
4 - Minuet (Moderato) : Commandery;
5 - Coda (Lento).

The Severn Suite is Elgar's last major completed work and was originally written as a test piece for the twenty-fifth anniversary in 1930 of the national brass band championships at Crystal Palace in South London. He was invited to write it by Herbert Whiteley, whose generous offer was appreciated in somewhat straitened times. As Elgar had no particular experience of writing for brass bands, Whiteley suggested that Elgar produce a short score for the expert Henry Geehl to arrange. It was Geehl who, with Elgar’s blessing, subsequently arranged the piano works Adieu and Serenade for string orchestra in order that they might be broadcast by the strings of the BBC Orchestra in March 1933. But the brass collaboration proved difficult, causing resentment in both men. Elgar’s version consisted of a piano part, a figured bass and indications of orchestration and counterpoint. When Geehl began arranging, he tried to work with Elgar but then rejected most of the latter’s unidiomatic ideas in favour of his own. Elgar dedicated the Suite to his friend George Bernard Shaw, who declared himself to be “hugely flattered and touched”. More recently, a fully scored arrangement for brass band, apparently in Elgar's own hand, surfaced at auction in 1995 (when the score failed to reach its reserve price) and again in 1996.

Introduction 
The martial, assertive introduction (Theme A) is in Elgar's best ceremonial vein and is contrasted with a gentler, evenly beating theme (B), which leads peacefully into theToccata.
Toccata (5 mins 00 secs)
The basis of this (Theme C) is derived from the very beginning of the Minuet (Theme F), the oldest of the movements and is a cousin of Theme A. It appears against a scurrying background, and a climbing linking passage connects it with an “outdoors”, quasi- nobilmente theme (D). C and D are alternated until C, via the climbing link, merges into
the Fugue.
Fugue (3 mins 15 secs)
The fugue follows without a break, and is a deeply felt, serious movement which rises to a richly scored climax. This is the second oldest of the movements, as it was actually written in 1923 for the organist, Ivor Atkins, following Elgar’s study of Bach. It differs from the Baroque fugue in that it is almost entirely melodic and unwinds via beautiful, consoling sequential writing. Its subject (E) is a minor-key variant of C, itself derived from the Minuet – it is truly remarkable that there is such thematic connection over Elgar’s long and disparate composing life.
Minuet (6 mins 00 secs)
This movement has a long history. Its trio section started life in 1878 as the opening to the fifth of the Six Promenades for wind quintet, and then formed the trio section of
the Harmony Music No. 5 for wind quintet, with a new minuet added. The whole was subsequently adapted to form the minuet & trio of the Severn Suite, although in the brass version it is more ingeniously wrought. The opening (Theme F) is conventional and comes across as more martial and vigorous than its wind ancestor, and the trio starts with a spiky upward arpeggio before meandering downwards again (Theme G). By the time it appears at this stage in the Suite, the minuet’s theme appears to have grown organically out of the previous movements, even though F was the progenitor of both C and E. Each time it is repeated, Theme F is decorated with differing colours and accompanying rhythms. The Trio re-appears and a short but poignant solo links this with the Coda.
Coda (2 mins 30 secs) The Coda is a reflective reprise of the first movement material, but becomes more assertive, thus ending this charming Suite with exuberance and panache.

Severn Suite Op 87 Introduction

English Brass Ensemble

Trumpets
Paul Archibald
Richard Martin

Horn
James Handy

Trombone
David Whitson

Tuba
James Gourlay

Music arranged by Paul Archibald

Grieg was an absolute master of the miniature and his Lyric Pieces, originally for piano, are a treasure house of gems. He seems to have modelled them on the pieces Schumann wove into his piano cycles but without Schumann’s feverish intensity, obsessive rhythms or his sometimes agonized moods. They are basically simple pieces, but beautifully fashioned. He also accepted influences from his native Norwegian folk music and later from other composers of the time. However, he could also be prescient and some of the pieces anticipate much later works. 

The pieces may be simple but in shaping melodies, providing harmonic support which subtly adjusts to the melodic line and to changing harmonies, in creating moods and characterisation, they call for a great deal of skill and subtlety from the players in the ensemble.

Lyric Pieces, Op 12 Norwegian Melody

Severn Suite Op 87 Toccata & Fugue

Severn Suite Op 87 Cadenza And Coda

English Brass Ensemble

Trumpets
Maurice Murphy
Rod Franks
Malcolm Smith
Richard Martin
Mark Bennett

Horns
James Handy
Jason Crouch
Geoff Bryant

Trombones
David Whitson
Mark Eager
Roger Williams

Euphonium
Robert Childs

Tubas
James Gourlay
Patrick Harrild

Percussion
Gary Kettel
Michael Moran

Conductor
Paul Archibald

Sergei Prokofiev transcribed Paul Archibald
 10 Pieces from Romeo and Juliet Op. 75

Prokofiev completed his ballet Romeo and Juliet in 1936 and by all accounts this was not a good year to be a Soviet musician. Stalin’s Great Purge (1936-1938) had begun. Plans to produce the ballet had to be cancelled, due to its association with a theatre director who had been purged. Prokofiev moved to salvage his ballet by fashioning a number of suites from the score. His strategy worked. Performances of the suites sparked interest in mounting productions of the complete ballet, which began in 1938, and Romeo and Juliet went on to become one of the composer’s most successful works.

In keeping with its role as music for dance performance, the tonal language is relatively simple, in parts reminiscent of the clear textures of his ‘Classical’ Symphony in D (1917). Also present in abundance are Prokofiev’s trademark quirks: quicksilver diversions to remote keys, melody notes that land one note off from where you expect them to go, and his classic “off-road” harmonic wanderings within phrases that always somehow manage to find their way back home just in time for the final cadence.

The suite begins with two dance movements in a popular vein that introduce us to the moods and manners of the common folk of fair Verona, where the composer sets his scene. The carefree opening Folk Dance gets its ‘folkiness’ from its simple two-voice texture and the drone-like elements in its bass line. 

The following Scene: The Street Awakens is simpler still, its chipper mood guaranteed by the steady pulse of its prancing accompaniment.

We then go indoors for the arrival of guests to the Capulet ball. The opening Minuet theme is ceremonially repeated as new guests arrive, alternating with more flowing passages as each new arrival wanders in to inspect the room.

Juliet as a Young Girl sees our 14-year-old heroine playfully scampering around her room as she gets dressed, incessantly fussed over by her Nurse. Moments of tenderness intervene when she catches sight of her own beautiful self in the mirror.

The heavy pulse, eccentric tone clusters, and fractured harmonies of Masks alerts us to the fact that Romeo and his best mate Mercutio are crashing the party. Romeo and Juliet meet and dance together for the first time in the most famous and recognisable piece from this ballet, the dance of the Montagues and Capulets. Ominous, elegant, seductive and sinister, this music sums up the entire dramatic conflict of the ballet’s storyline.

This is followed by the calm and soothing reassurances of Friar Laurence, whose quiet dignity and seriousness of purpose is conveyed in the steady deliberate pace of his music portrait.

Mercutio, by contrast, is portrayed as whimsical, brash and self-confident, almost to the point of recklessness. The amount of wide-ranging keyboard scamper in this piece tells us that here is a guy who runs with scissors.

The Dance of Girls with Lilies shows us Juliet’s girlfriends, who have come to wake her up on the day she is to be married to Paris, the husband her family has chosen for her. The recurring minor harmonies in this piece hint that there is something wrong, something unstated but slightly creepy, about her situation.

The finale is an affectionate look back at Romeo and Juliet before Parting after they have spent the night together. Their drowsiness as they are awoken by the rising sun is conveyed by the static harmonies and chiming pedal tone of the opening. A mood of blissful nostalgia hovers over this piece to bring the suite to a close on a note of romantic reverie.

Romeo And Juliet Popular Dance

Romeo And Juliet- Scene

Romeo And Juliet Menuett

Romeo And Juliet Juliet The Girl

Romeo And Juliet Masks

Romeo And Juliet The Montagues And Capulets

Romeo And Juliet Father Lorenzo

Romeo And Juliet Mercutio

Romeo And Juliet Dance Of The Gils With Lilies

Romeo And Juliet Before Parting

All arrangements by Paul Archibald

Rimsky-Korsakov started his career as a naval officer, but later resigned to devote himself entirely to music. This shortened adaptation of Capriccio Espagnol delightfully captures the spirit of the exhilarating orchestral original.  Mussorgsky’s Gopak comes from the comic opera Sorochintsy Fair, begun in 1874 but sadly not completed before the composer’s death in 1881. Capriccio is from a work composed for piano in 1880, On The Southern Shore of Crimea. The Prelude No 18 is taken from Shostakovich’s 24 Preludes and Fugues Op 87  for piano.. Shostakovich was asked to sit on the judging panel for a piano competition. Inspired by the playing of the eventual winner, Tatiana Nikolayeva, Shostakovich returned to Moscow and started composing his own cycle of 24 Preludes and Fugues. Tchaikovsky’s ballets, The Nutcracker and Swan Lake, have become cornerstones of the repertoire. This suite of ballet music takes two pieces from The Nutcracker, the Miniature Overture and Trepak, the central section being the Neapolitan Dance from Swan Lake. Moritz Moszkowski enjoyed a reputation as a composer of light music. The four dances reflect this characterful music and are popular hroughout the world. Enrique Granados was born in Lerida in the Catalonian region of northern Spain, and drowned in 1916 when the boat he was travelling in was sunk in the English Channel by a German U-boat. The Berceuse comes from Book 1 of Escenas poéticas (Poetic Scenes), which were composed between 1904 and 1907. They were dedicated to Granados’ daughter and were only published after the composer's death. 
If Tchaikovsky is synonymous with Russian ballet then Delibes must be his French counterpart. Born in 1836, he began his musical studies in 1847 at the Paris Conservatoire. The Waltz comes from Coppélia which, despite being Delibes' first complete ballet score, is a work that moved ballet music forward a major step. Delibes provided a generous amount of expressive character in his music - a new idea at the time - to produce music that is a descriptive tone poem. The Passepied is taken from another balletic composition, a suite of six dances composed for the 1882 Comédie-Francaise production of Le Roi s'Amuse. Debussy’s Passepied comes from his 1890 Suite Bergamasque, which was composed as a nostalgic reminiscence of 18th Century musical forms and idioms. Fauré’s Song Without Words, originally for solo piano, is a simple yet evocative insight into this composer’s exquisite sound world. Ravel, a pupil of Fauré, was  inspired to compose his Sonatine by a 1903 competition, sponsored by the Weekly Critical Review. Two years later, he completed the second and third movements and the Sonatine was published in September of 1905. The Rigaudon is dedicated to the memory of Pierre and Pascal Gaudin and is taken from Le Tombeau de Couperin, originally a suite of six movements for solo piano, composed between 1914 and 1917.
The first production of Carmen took place at the Opera Comique, Paris, on the 3rd of March 1875. There was a capacity audience but nobody seems to have thought much of the opera.  His music displayed some startling, novel features, and for these the polite tastes of the French public were not prepared. Sadly, Bizet died three months after Carmen's initial poor reception, and was not able to see his opera achieve the success it deserved. It was really with Carmen’s first performance in England, on the 22nd of June 1878, that its now enormous popularity may be said to have begun. The only aria of Carmen then known in London was the Habanera, a popular Spanish melody introduced by Bizet into the score. The other excerpts from this great opera featured here, however, Prelude and Chanson Bohème, Choeur des Gamins, Seguedille, Overture and the Entr’acte to Act IV, have since become loved by all opera-goers.

Carmen - Act 4: Entr'Acte

Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, BWV 565, was probably written before 1708, by Johann Sebastian Bach. The piece is known for its majestic sound, dramatic authority, and driving rhythm. 
Bach’s take on the toccata is typical in that it has a great many fast arpeggios (notes of a chord played in a series rather than simultaneously) and runs up and down and is generally free form, giving the composer much latitude for personal expression. In Bach’s day, toccatas often served as introductions to and foils for fugues, setting the stage for the complex and intricate composition to follow.
The fugue—a technique characterized by the overlapping repetition of a principal theme in different melodic lines (counterpoint)—that is the second part of Bach’s composition reflects the particular popularity of the form during the late 1600s and early 1700s. This particular fugue, with its accompanying toccata, is not only the best known of Bach’s many fugues but the most famous of fugues by any composer.

Toccata And Fugue In D Minor

Gustav Mahler 
Symphony No 5 in C♯ minor
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
Pierre Boulez

George Gershwin 
Piano Concerto in F
 Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra
Jon Nakamatsu

Igor Stravinsky 
Petroushka Ballerina's Dance
New York Philharmonic 
Zubin Mehta 

Dmitri Shostakovich 
Piano Concerto No 1  in C minor Op 35
London Mozart Players
Alain Lefevre (piano)
Paul Archibald (trumpet)

Johann Sebastian Bach
Brandenburg Concerto No 2 
Philharmonia Maurice Andre

Great Orchestral Trumpet Solos

Written for Paul Archibald and Simon Limbrick in 1999, the opening of Cool It is based around the tritone which initiates the song, Maria, from Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story. A slow, langorous introduction, a dialogue between trumpet and vibraphone, sets the scene. A quick change into a fast-paced 6/8 rhythm with a drum kit underlay allows the trumpet to explore thematic allusions to the song of Riff and the Jets (Cool) from the same musical. Some of the material is linked to the last movement of my trumpet concerto, Seraphim, commissioned by the London Mozart Players and premiered by Paul Archibald, also in 1999.
Cecilia McDowall

Cecilia McDowall Cool It

Michael Nyman wrote Flugel and Piano for me during a period when I felt his approach to the writing and recording of his music was changing quite considerably. I had given him very few guidelines as I did not want to restrict his writing. I knew the result would be a difficult piece, as Michael had often said he likes to hear the performer 'fighting' the instrument. Flugel and Piano is a fight for a couple of reasons: firstly, the flugel does not like being played in the key of D sharp minor, especially with a trombone 'bucket mute' - unfortunately, this was all that I could find to fit over the larger flugel bell; secondly, the flugel enjoys being flat at the top register, making top Cs and Ds a nightmare! Michael's reaction on hearing the recording was that he found the piece surprisingly emotional.
© Graham Ashton

Michael Nyman Flugelhorn Piano

Ernest Tomlinson
Comedy Overture
Ernest Tomlinson Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra

Eric Coates
By The Sleepy Lagoon
London Symphony Orchestra Sir Charles Mackerras

Malcolm Arnold
Four Scottish Dances, Op. 59: IV. Con brio
Bryden Thomson, Philharmonia Orchestra

Ron Goodwin
633 Squadron
London Symphony Orchestra Stanley Black

Great British Light Music

A closer look at some of the composers in Les Six, a group of composers whose music represented a strong reaction against the heavy German Romanticism of Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss, as well as against the chromaticism and lush orchestration of Claude Debussy. 


Francis Poulenc
Les Biches - Finale
South West Radio Symphony orchestra Baden Baden
Marcella Viotti

Darius Milhaud
Scaramouche (1937 - Vif
Ian Hobson (piano)
Sinfonia da Camera

Germaine Taillefaire
Forlane
Leta Miller (flue)
Itene Herrmann (piano)

Georges Auric
Caesar and Cleopatra Suite
Movt 3: The Battle
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra 
Rumon Gamba

Les Six

Henry Purcell was an English composer who is widely regarded as one of the greatest Baroque composers in history. His music was highly innovative, displaying his technical mastery and his ability to convey a range of human emotions through music. Despite facing personal tragedies, professional challenges, and ill health, Purcell persevered and left behind a lasting legacy as one of the most important composers of his time.

Full Anthem: I will sing unto the Lord Z 22 (before 1679)
Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge
Richard Marlow (conductor)

Dido and Aeneas, Z. 626, Act 3: When I Am Laid in Earth (approx 1688)
Susan Graham (soprano)
Le Concert d’Astreé
Emmanuelle Haïm (conductor)

2. Semi-Opera, King Arthur or The British Worthy: Act 5 Chaconne Z 628 (1691) 
Les Arts Florissants 
William Christie (conductor)

The Indian Queen: Act III Overture (1695)
The Scholars Baroque Ensemble

Benjamin Britten (1923-1976): The Young Person’s Guide To The Orchestra, Op. 34 
Based on Purcell’s Incidental Music, Abdelazer or The Moor's Revenge Z 570 (1695) Movement 2, Rondeau
London Symphony Orchestra
Benjamin Britten (conductor)

Henry Purcell (1659-1695)

Paul Archibald (trumpet) plays Gabriel’s Oboe by Ennio Morricone - arranged by Robert Longfield and re-orchestrated by Paul Archibald - from the award winning movie THE MISSION with We Are Harmony Orchestra. 
All proceeds go to the charity, HARMONY - ACTION THROUGH THE ARTS. 
Please donate through the website
https://www.weareharmony.org/donates.php

Gabriel's Oboe

Paul Archibald (flugel horn) plays Send In The Clowns by Stephen Sondheim - arranged by Bob Krogstad and re-orchestrated by Paul Archibald - from the award winning work for music theatre, A Little Night Music, with We Are Harmony Orchestra.
All proceeds go to the charity, HARMONY - ACTION THROUGH THE ARTS.
Please donate through the website
www.weareharmony.org/donates.php

Stephen Sondheim's career stretches from writing the lyrics for West Side Story and Gypsy when he was in his late twenties to mentoring Jonathan Larson and Lin-Manuel Miranda in his seventies and eighties. 
His work encompasses the very best of modern musical theatre: Company, Follies, A Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd, Merrily We Roll Along, Sunday in the Park with George, Into the Woods and Assassins. 
His trophy shelf boasts eight Tony Awards, eight Grammys, a Pulitzer Prize, an Olivier Award and the Presidential Medal of Freedom - yet the most popular piece of Sondheim’s legacy is the ballad-turned-pop song most people can identify in the first four notes: Send in the Clowns

Send In The Clowns

Mozart’s late symphonies are considered to be amongst the greatest works in classical music. Among his 41 symphonies, Nos. 36 (Linz), 38 (Prague), 39, 40, and 41 (Jupiter) standout as unique achievements. They show how his style changed over time and how he became the consummate composer. These symphonies were written between 1783 and 1788 and blend beautiful melodies, drama with a heartfelt sense of joy.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Symphony No. 36 in C major, K. 425 (“Linz”)
IV. Presto
Academy of St Martins-in-the-Fields
Neville Marriner (conductor) 

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Symphony No. 38 in D major, K. 504 (“Prague”)
I. Allegro 
Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg 
Ivor Bolton (conductor) 

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Symphony No. 39 in E-flat major, K. 543 III. Menuetto
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
Leonard Bernstein (conductor)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
No. 40 in G minor, K. 550 I. Allegro molto 
Hamburg Camerata
Claus Bantzer (conductor)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Symphony No. 41 in C major, K. 551 (“Jupiter”) IV. Molto allegro
London Symphony Orchestra 
Claudio Abbado (conductor)

Mozart - The Last Symphonies

 Three Tenors - Luciano Pavarotti, Plácido Domingo, and José Carreras - were an operatic supergroup active from 1990 to 2003. They formed for a 1990 charity concert supporting Carreras’s leukemia foundation, debuting at Rome’s Baths of Caracalla before the FIFA World Cup final, watched by about 800 million people. This concert became the best-selling classical album ever. They performed at World Cup finals in 1994, 1998, and 2002, toured globally in large venues, and supported various charities. Their final show was in 2003 in Ohio. Their repertoire included opera arias like Nessun dorma, Neapolitan songs such as  O sole mio, Broadway, and popular music. Conductors included Zubin Mehta and James Levine. Despite some controversy over royalties and criticism from purists, they expanded opera’s audience worldwide and left a lasting cultural impact, inspiring tribute concerts and media references.

Augustin Lara (1897-1970)
Granada
Jose Carreras (b. 1946) 
Rome and Florence Opera Orchestras (combined)
Zubin Mehta (conductor)

Pablo Sorozábal (1897–1988) 
La Tabenera del puerto Act 2: No puede ser
Placido Domingo
Rome and Florence Opera Orchestras (combined)
Zubin Mehta (conductor)

Ernesto de Curtis (1875-1937).
Torna a Surriento
Luciano Pavarotti
Rome and Florence Opera Orchestras (combined)
Zubin Mehta (conductor)

Leonard Bernstein (1918–1990)  Tonight
Vincenzo D’Annibale (1894-1950) O paese d’o sole
Quirino Mendoza y Cortés (c.1862–1957) Cielito Lindo
Carreras, Pavarotti, Domingo
Rome and Florence Opera Orchestras (combined)
Zubin Mehta (conductor)

Giacomo Puccini (1858–1924)
Nessun D’orma
Carreras, Pavarotti, Domingo
Rome and Florence Opera Orchestras (combined)
Zubin Mehta (conductor)


The Three Tenors

Classical music in Sweden has a rich and enduring tradition, shaped by both royal patronage and folk influences. Its history stretches back to the Baroque era and continues to this day. Key figures such as Johan Helmich Roman (1694-1758), along with Joseph Martin Kraus 1756-1792, Franz Berwald (1796 - 1868), and Kurt Atterberg (1887 - 1974), played significant roles in developing Sweden’s classical repertoire and establishing a distinctive national style. 

Johan Helmich Roman 
Partita in C minor (circa 1730s) IV. Presto
Rebaroque
Maria Lindal (director)

Hugo Alfvén (1872 - 1960) 
Swedish Rhapsody No 1 ’Midsommarvaka’ Op. 19 (1903)
Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra
Neeme Järvi (conductor)

Wilhelm Stenhammar  (1871 - 1927) 
Symphony No 1 in F major (1902-1903) IV. Allegro
Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra
Neeme Järvi (conductor)

Franz Berwald: (1796 - 1868) 
Septet in Bb major (1828) IV. Finale: Allegro co spirito 
Arien Wind Quintet and Schein Quartet

Kurt Atterberg (1887 - 1974) 
Symphony No 8 in E minor Op. 48 (1944) IV. Con moto
Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra 
Ari Rasilainen (conductor)

Music From Sweden

There’s nothing quite like the sound of brass and choir at Christmas. The bright, joyful ring of the brass and the warmth of voices in harmony create music that can be both thrilling and deeply moving. This Christmas episode of RTHK Radio 3’s The Brew brings together brass ensembles and choirs, proupos that fit well into the festive music of the season.The programme ranges from familiar carols to newer works that show off the rich colours of brass and voice. Together, they capture everything we love about the season - joy, reflection, and sense of community.

Anonymous arr Wilcocks
Angelus et Virginem (circa. 1290)
The Bach Choir
Philip Jones Brass Ensemble
Sir David Wilcocks (conductor) 

Kevin Norbury (b.1956)
Christmas Day (2020)
New York Staff Band
Dr William Hines (conductor)

Chris Coletti (b.1987)
Bach’s Bells (2012)
Canadian Brass

Franz Xavier Grüber (1787) arr. Darrol Barry
Silent Night (1816)
Black Dyke Band
Nicholas Childs (conductor)

arr. Will Todd (b.1970)
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing (1840)
St Martin’s Voices
Will Todd Ensemble
Will Todd (conductor)

A Joyful Noise – Christmas Music for Brass and Choir

Classical music in Africa is a story of meeting, transformation, and creativity. It began with melodies that crossed oceans, arriving in new places where African musicians made them their own. By blending Western classical forms with local rhythms, colours, and stories, they created something new and full of life. Across communities, from villages to concert halls, composers and performers united two traditions: the structure of classical music and the vibrant energy of African song, dance, and storytelling. This was not imitation but transformation - music shaped by the people, landscapes, and languages of Africa.

The evolution of classical music in Afria celebrates tradition and change, where cultures meet to form new sounds and identities. The music echoes of the past but expresses  beauty, strength, and a sense of belonging. These works remind us that classical music belongs everywhere. In Africa, it continues to grow, evolve, and tell stories that speak to the shared human experience.

Fela Sowande (1905-1987)
African Suite (1944) V. Akinla
Menhuhin School Senior Orchestra
Otis Enikidu (conductor) 

Ayo Bankole (1936-1976)
Ya Orule (1957)
Rebecca Omordia (piano)

Christian Onyeji (b. 1967)
Amuworo ayi otu nwa (approx. 1992)
Chicago a Cappella

Nkeiru Okoye (b. 1972)
Voices Shouting Out (2002)
Central Washington Symphony Orchestra 
Wesley Hunter (conductor) 

Kwaku Boakye-Frempong
Sinfonietta Sub-Sahara (approx. 2010) , Movement III
Kwaku Boakye-Frempong Ensemble

Sounds of Africa: A Classical Journey

In the early years of the 20th century, Vienna stood as one of Europe’s great musical capitals - a city alive with energy, curiosity, and change. The legacy of Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn, Schubert, and Brahms still shaped its musical identity, while new voices began to redefine its sound. The grand stages of the Vienna State Opera, the Musikverein, the Konzerthaus, and the Volksoper regularly hosted performances that blended artistry with accessibility, drawing audiences from all corners of society. A growing urban middle class and flourishing intellectual life inspired the spread of music education, concert societies, and salons. Jewish composers, conductors, and performers contributed profoundly to this cultural vitality, even as antisemitism cast a troubling shadow. In this extraordinary moment, Vienna balanced reverence for its classical heritage with an appetite for innovation, giving birth to bold modern movements that mirrored the shifting spirit of a rapidly changing world.

Joseph Marx (1882-1962)
Symphony Movt I (1921)
Graz Philharmonic Orchestra
Johannes Wildner (conductor) 

Franz Schreker (1878-1934)
Chamber Symphony (1916) III. Scherzo
Bochumer Symphony Orchestra
Stephen Sloane (conductor)

Gustav Mahler (1860-1911)
Symphony No 4 (1900) I. Bedächtig, nicht eilen 
Budapest Symphony Orchestra
Ivan Fischer (conductor)

Karol Szymanowski (1882-1937)
Third Symphony in Bb Major Op. 27 (1916) I. Song of the Night
London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus
Valery Gergiev (conductor).

Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897-1957)
Sinfonietta in B major Op 3 (1912) III. Allegro giocoso (1912-1913)
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
Matthias Bamert (conductor).

Tradition and Transformation - Vienna at the Crossroads

The Baltic countries - Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania - share a musical heritage shaped by history, resilience, and pride. Through centuries of foreign rule, music became a lifeline, carrying their languages and identity when little else could. At its core lies a rich folk tradition: ancient songs accompanied by distinctive instruments such as Estonia’s kannel, Latvia’s dūdas bagpipes and stabule flute, and Lithuania’s birbynė, with its bright, singing tone. These sounds still echo through the region’s music today. From these roots grew an extraordinary generation of composers who shaped Baltic classical music. Today, Baltic music ranges from vast choral festivals to bold contemporary works, always reflecting a deep connection to nature, heritage, and hope. It’s a living tradition and one that reflects freedom and resilience.

Imants Kalniņš (1941) 
Symphony No 6 III (2001)
Liepaja Symphony Orchestra
Maris Sirmais  (conductor) 

Jazeps Vitols (Jāzeps Vītols) (1863–1948) 
Latvian Folk Song Fantasy Op. 42 (1908-1910)
Valdis Zarina (violin)
Latvian National Symphony Orchestra
Dmitry Yablonsky (conductor)

Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis (1875–1911) 
The Sea (1903-1906)
Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra 
Modestas Pitrenas (conductor)

Ēriks Ešenvalds
O Salutaris hostia (2008)
Choir of Trinity Choir Cambridge
Stephen Layton (conductor)

Rudolf Tobias (1873–1918)
Jonah’s Mission (1904): The Marriner’s Give Thanks
Estonian State Symphony Orchestra 
Tallinn Boys Chor
Oratorio Choir
Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choit
Neeme Jarvi (conductor)

Tradition to Innovation - Music from the Baltics

Patterns and Pulses  - The Power of Minimalism

Pied Piper: The Musical World of David Munrow (1942-1976)

While Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky is loved worldwide for Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, and his great concertos, his catalogue holds many pieces that deserve renewed attention. Works such as Souvenir de Florence, Op. 70, display his mastery of chamber textures and his gift for lyrical melody, whilst Hamlet, Op. 67a, and the evocative Tempest, reveal his fascination with dramatic narrative. The Symphony No. 2 in C minor, Op. 17, nicknamed the “Little Russian,” brims with folk vitality, and the Concert Fantasia for piano and orchestra, Op. 34, demonstrates his flair for virtuosic innovation beyond the traditional concerto form. Together, these lesser-known works reveal just how imaginative Tchaikovsky was. His music moves easily from deep, personal emotion to sweeping drama, inviting listeners to rediscover a composer with endless creative spirit.

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
Souvenir de Florence, Op. 70 (1890)  (IV. Allegro vivace) for string quartet. 
Leonidas Kavakis Quartet

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
Hamlet, Op. 67a; Fantasy Overture (1888) 
New York Philharmonic 
Leonard Bernstein (conductor)

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
The Concert Fantasia for piano and orchestra, Op. 34 (1884) 
Eldar Nebolsin (piano
New Zealand Symphony Orchestra
Michael Stern (conductor)

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
The Tempest (Oberon) Overture (1873)
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
Andrew Litton (conductor) 

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
Symphony No. 2 in C minor, Op. 17 “Little Russian” (1872)
Chicago Symphony Orchestra 
Claudio Abbado (conductor)

Tchaikovsky Uncovered: Beyond the Ballets and Symphonies

The Bayreuth Festspielhaus stands as a monumental testament to Richard Wagner’s visionary genius, embodying his radical ideas on music drama and theatrical innovation. Conceived in the 1870s, this purpose-built opera house in Bavaria’s Bayreuth realized Wagner’s dream of a space dedicated to his monumental cycle, Der Ring des Nibelungen, and mature operas. Unlike traditional theaters with proscenium arches and social distractions, it immerses audiences in the Gesamtkunstwerk—total artwork fusing music, drama, poetry, and visuals.
Wagner collaborated with architect Otto Brückwald to create a revolutionary venue on a wooded hilltop. The hidden orchestra pit, sunken and hooded, makes sound emerge invisibly, heightening mythic illusion. Double proscenium doors enable seamless scene changes, while steeply raked seating without boxes envelops every listener equally. Funded by global patrons like Ludwig II amid financial woes, it opened in 1876 with fanfare.
The Festspielhaus symbolized Wagner’s cultural revolution, rejecting 19th-century opera frivolity for profound spectacles from Norse sagas and Greek tragedy. Hosting annual festivals—interrupted only by wars—it became a Wagnerian pilgrimage. Its legacy influences modern stagecraft, from immersive audio to site-specific spaces, provoking ongoing debate on nationalism, anti-Semitism, and artistic transcendence under Wagner’s descendants.

Richard Wagner 
Overture to Tannhäuser
Vienna Philharmonic
Sir Georg Solti (conductor)

Richard Wagner 
Siegfried Act 1 
Nothung! Nothung! Neidliches Schwert
Placido Domingo
Orchestra of the Royal Opera
Antonio Pappano

Richard Wagner 
Tristan und Isolde
Liebestod (Love Death) Mild und leise wie er lächelt (Softly and gently, how he smiles)
Margaret Price (soprano)
Staatskapelle Dresden
Carlos Kleiber (conductor)

Richard Wagner
Gotterdammerung
Siegfried’s Funeral March
Orchestra of the Bayreuth Festspielhaus
Daniel Barenboim (conductor)

Richard Wagner
Ride of the Valkyries (1854)
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
Sir George Solti (conductor)

Music and Myth at Bayreuth: The World of Richard Wagner (1813-1883)

Polish music has long carried the echoes of its nation’s turbulent history - a story marked by loss, resilience, and renewal. Following the late‑18th‑century partitions, Poland disappeared from the map of Europe, its people living under foreign rule. When political freedom was suppressed, art became a sheltered space for national memory. Music, in particular, offered a voice through which Poles could affirm their identity, pride, and spirit.
In 19th‑century Europe, the movement of musical nationalism sought to celebrate native traditions and local colour. In Poland, this took on a deeply emotional character. Living in exile, Frédéric Chopin transformed Polish dance rhythms into poetry for the piano. His mazurkas and polonaises blended classical elegance with rustic vitality, expressing a quiet but unmistakable patriotism. Their impact endured far beyond their salon origins - so powerfully, in fact, that the Nazis later banned Chopin’s music in occupied Poland for its patriotic symbolism.
Other composers continued this cultural mission. Stanisław Moniuszko drew on folk melody and stories of rural life to create operas that nurtured a shared national feeling, while Ignacy Paderewski combined international fame with activism, composing music that inspired unity and advocating for Polish independence abroad.
After 1918, when independence was regained, Karol Szymanowski redefined what Polishness could mean in the modern age. Drawing inspiration from the folk traditions of the Tatra mountains, he fused modern harmony with local colour to express a forward‑looking sense of identity.
Through these composers, Poland’s voice was never silenced. Their music - drawn from the homeland - demonstrates how cultural nationalism could endure and flourish even when political expression was denied, sustaining the nation’s soul through beauty, memory, and sound.

Fryderyk Chopin (1810–1849)
Mazurka Op. 6, No. 1 in F-sharp minor.
Arthur Rubinstein (piano)

Stanisław Moniuszko (1819–1872)
Halka Overture
Warsaw Philharmonic Orchedtra 
Antoni Wit (conductor)

Ignacy Jan Paderewski (1860–1941)
Overture
Polish National Symphony Orchestra
Antoni Wit (conductor)

Henryk Górecki (1933–2010)
Symphony of Sorrowful Songs 
Dawn Upshaw (soprano)
London Sinfonietta
David Zinman (conductor) 

Witold Lutosławski (1913–1994)
Concerto for Orchestra (1954)
Cleveland Orchestra 
Christoph von Dohnanyi (conductor)

From the Homeland: Polish Music and Identity

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827) was born in Bonn but spent most of his adult life in Vienna, where he became a key figure in the shift from the Classical era of Haydn and Mozart to the Romantic age. He arrived in Vienna in 1792 to study with Haydn and quickly gained fame as a passionate virtuoso pianist and a fiercely independent composer who sought to live by his art rather than serve a court or patron.
In the 1790s, Vienna was a lively musical centre with an active culture of home music-making. Publishers sought dances, piano pieces, and chamber works to satisfy the tastes of amateur musicians. Beethoven’s early Viennese works - piano sonatas, orchestral pieces, and sets of German dances - show him mastering traditional Classical style while already revealing his bold personality through rhythmic energy and a strong sense of character. Even in his lighter compositions, his clarity of texture and individuality set him apart from many of his contemporaries.
By the early 1800s, Beethoven had established himself not only as a brilliant performer but as an original and profound composer. He absorbed the influence of Haydn and Mozart yet expanded and deepened forms such as the sonata, string quartet, and symphony. Both his famous and lesser-known works demonstrate his drive for contrast, drama, and expressive intensity.
As his deafness worsened in the 1810s and 1820s, Beethoven withdrew from public life and turned inward. His late works are concentrated, complex, and spiritually searching, rich in contrapuntal writing and emotional depth. Beethoven came to embody the Romantic vision of the artist as a visionary figure, confronting personal struggle and expressing universal emotion through music. Across his entire output, one hears his integrity, humanity, and unmistakable voice.

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
German Dances, WoO 8 No 12 (1795)
Academy of St Martin’s in the Fields
Sir Neville Marriner (conductor)

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Piano Sonata No. 19 in G Minor, Op. 49, No. 1 (1795 to 1797)
Daniel Barenboim (piano)

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Cantata on the Death of Emperor Joseph II (1790): 
San Francisco Symphony Orchestra
Michael Tilson Thomas (conductor)

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Auld Lang Syne (1817-1818)
Felicity Lott, Elizabeth Leyton, Ursula Smith, John Mark Ainsley, Thomas Allen
Malcolm Martineau (piano)

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Consecration of the House Op 124
Orchestre Lamareux
Igor Markevitch (conductor)

Off The Beaten Track: Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)

The emergence of the American symphony marks one of the most fascinating chapters in the nation’s cultural history. In the early nineteenth century, composers began forging a musical identity distinct from European tradition, even as they drew upon its forms and ideals. Among the pioneers was Anthony Philip Heinrich, whose orchestral works evoked the vastness of the American wilderness and the spirit of frontier life.
As the century progressed, composers such as George Frederick Bristow, John Knowles Paine, and Amy Beach carried this vision forward. They wrote ambitious symphonies rooted in European Romanticism yet coloured by the rhythms, moods, and imagery of their own country. Through their music, audiences began to hear an emerging national voice -  one that balanced the refinement of Old World symphonic writing with a growing sense of American individuality. These early symphonists laid the groundwork for what would become a flourishing symphonic tradition in the twentieth century. Their efforts to blend inherited forms with new cultural expressions helped define the idea of an ‘American sound,’ paving the way for later generations to continue exploring the character and spirit of a modern, independent musical nation.

The First Symphonists: Dawn of the American Sound
Anthony Philip Heinrich (1781-1861)
The Ornithological Combat of Kings or The Condor of the Andes and the Eagle of the Cordilleras Grand Symphony Victor of the Condor Finale: Vivace brillante (1837)
Syraceuse Symphony Orchestra
Christopher Keene (conductor)

George Frederick Bristow (1825-1898)
Symphony No 2  (Julien) I. Allegro appassionato 
Royal Northern Sinfonia 
Rebecca Miller (conductor)

John Knowles Paine (1839-1906)
Symphony No 1 in C minor Op.23 Allegro con brio
New York Philharmonic 
Zubin Mehta (conductor)

George Whitefield Chadwick (1854-1931)
Symphony No 2 in Bb major Op. 21 IV. Allegro non troppo 
Ukraine National Symphony Orchestra 
Theodore Kuchar (conductor)

Amy Beach (1867-1944)
Symphony in E minor Op. 32 I. Allegro con fuoco
Nashville Symphony Orchestra
Kenneth Schermerhorn (conductor) 

The First Symphonists: Dawn of the American Sound

The Vienna Philharmonic’s New Year’s Day Concert endures as one of the city’s most cherished traditions - an exuberant tribute to waltzes, polkas, and 19th-century Viennese sparkle. Born in 1939 amid Austria’s annexation by Nazi Germany, it elevated the Strauss family - Johann I, Johann II, Josef, and Eduard - as symbols of ‘pure’ Viennese culture under propaganda’s shadow. After World War II, it blossomed into a global ritual, its origins softened while the Strausses reigned supreme. Yet Viennese light music thrived beyond the Strauss dynasty. Joseph Lanner, Johann Strauss I’s contemporary and partner, elevated the waltz to symphonic grace. Carl Michael Ziehrer and Franz von Suppé breathed new life into operettas and dances, while Paris’s Émile Waldteufel and Germany’s Moritz Moszkowski enriched Europe’s ballroom repertoire with inventive charm. By championing alternative composers, this programne honours the splendour, elegance, allure and vitality of the New Year’s Day concert-  replacing tradition with innovation, whilst celebrating Vienna’s musical heritage.

Emmanuel Chabrier (1841-1894)
Fête polonaise from Le roi malgré lui (1887)
Detroit Symphony Orchestra
Paul Paray (conductor)

Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975)
Waltz No. 2 from Suite for Variety Orchestra, also known as Suite for Jazz Orchestra No. 2 (1938) 
Russian State Orchestra 
Dmitri Yablonsky (conductor) 

Franz von Suppé: (1819-1895)
Light Cavalry Overture (1866)
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Herbert von Karajan (conductor)

Hans Christian Lumbye (1810-1874)
Champagne Galop (1865)
Vienna Salon Orchestra 

Sergei Rachmaninov (1873-1943£
Italian Polka (1906)
Philharmonic Wind Orchestra
Marc Reift (conductor)

Gioccomo Rossini (1792-1868)
Overture to William Tell (1829)
National Orchestra of Santa Cecilia
Antonio Pappano (conductor)

Beyond Vienna:  New Year’s Day Concert Reimagined

Charles-Marie Jean Albert Widor (1844 – 1937) was a French organist, composer and teacher. He was born in Lyon, to a family of organ builders, and initially studied music there. In 1863 he moved to Brussels to study organ technique with Jacques-Nicolas Lemmens and composition with François-Joseph Fétis. After this term of study Widor moved to Paris, where he lived for the rest of his life.

Widor wrote music for a wide variety of instruments and ensembles and composed four operas and a ballet. He is probably most notable for his works for the organ which include – ten Organ Symphonies, three Symphonies for orchestra with organ, Suite Latine, Trois Nouvelles Pièces, and six arrangements of works by Bach. Many would say that the ten organ symphonies are his most significant contribution to the organ repertoire.

Symphony for Organ No 5
The most famous of the ten organ symphonies is Symphony for Organ No. 5 in F minor, Op. 42, No. 1. This was composed by Widor in 1879, with numerous revisions published by the composer in later years. The full symphony lasts for about 35 minutes.

The Symphony for Organ No. 5 consists of five movements. The fifth movement, is often referred to as just Widor’s Toccata because it is his most famous piece. It lasts around six minutes. Its fame in part comes from its frequent use as recessional music at festive Christmas and wedding ceremonies.

1. Allegro vivace
The first movement of the 5th Symphony is a set of variations on a theme in F minor, which starts gently and has a number of points with dramatic dynamic contrast. It’s a hard movement to play well, but Nolan’s fingers dance over the keys in this masterful interpretation.

2. Allegro cantabile
In the pastoral second movement we have a delightful duet between a melody on an oboe that sounds on the top manual and a flute on the middle manual. That relationship between the manuals enables the difficult occasional thumbing down for a staccato counter-melody on the flute.

3. Andantino quasi allegretto
The third movement, which centres around the relative major key of A flat, is underpinned by a repeating pedal pattern that crops up in various shapes and forms. The music moves towards a C major anchor for a stormier and more chromatic middle section, before returning to the original theme and an A flat major conclusion.

4. Adagio
We’re in C major again for the beautiful fourth movement, a gentle affair on the strings and celestes, one of Widor’s favourite combinations. The melody here is solo’ed out on a four foot flute in the pedals.

5. Toccata
The famous fifth movement Toccata in F major needs little introduction. A favourite for weddings, royal and otherwise, this finishes the 5th Symphony with a blaze of glory. Nolan’s virtuosity and rock-steady tempo take us to the mighty conclusion.

This recording was made at the Gateway Studios, part of the music department at Kingston Polytechnic (now University) in 1990. All the parts were performed by:

Paul Archibald (trumpet)
Richard Martin (trumpet)
James Handy (horn)
David Whitson (trombone)
Roger Williams (bass trombone)
James Gourlay (euphonium, tuba)
John Scott (organ)

Toccata

Widor Symphony No. 5 in F minor- 1st Movement - Allegro Vivace

Paul studied at the Royal Academy of Music, London. His first appointment was co-principal trumpet of the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden eventually moving from this position to join Philip Jones Brass Ensemble and the UK’s premier contemporary ensemble, London Sinfonietta. During this period Paul was a prize-winner at the Toulon Prix de Concours alongside Hakan Hardenburger and Eric Aubier. His success in this competition allowed him to develop his solo career. 
On the retirement of Philip Jones, Paul was a founder-member of English Brass Ensemble and toured extensively with this group for many years, focussing on the contemporary brass ensemble repertoire. Paul has worked with many of the world’s leading composers including Witold Lutoslawski, Elliott Carter, Gunther Schuller, Peter Maxwell Davies, Luciano Berio, Pierre Boulez , Toru Takemitsu, George Benjamin and Harrison Birtwistle.
Paul has also been principal trumpet of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and is still currently a member of one of the world’s leading chamber orchestras, Britten Sinfonia: resident ensemble at the Barbican, London.
His career as a trumpeter has covered many genres: classical, contemporary, commercial, film, pop and folk music, and he has worked with many popular artists including Barbara Streisand, Shirley Bassey, Sir Paul McCartney, Bloc Party and Oasis. He was also invited to perform with trumpeter Maurice Murphy at the wedding of Paul McCartney and Heather Mills
His film work includes Batman (1989), Gladiator, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Shrek, Madagascar, The Chronicles of Narnia, Rambo, Sweeney Todd, Moulin Rouge and Pirates of the Caribbean. In the studio he has worked with many of the great film composers such as Henry Mancini, Michel Legrand, John Williams, Danny Elfman, Hans Zimmer, Elmer Bernstein and Jerry Goldsmith. His interest in folk music stems from his work with the iconic folk group, Brass Monkey and the folk-rock band, Home Service. 
Paul’s work as a chamber musician includes long-established relationships with three London-based chamber orchestras, Britten Sinfonia, London Mozart Players and Orchestra of St John’s. As principal trumpet of these orchestras he regularly performs the solo trumpet repertoire and contributes to their creative educational and community-based projects. 
In 2003 he was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music, London, limited to 300 former Academy students, and awarded to those musicians who have distinguished themselves within the music profession. 

In 2010 Paul founded English Brass Academy and has since developed collaborations with many UK and international schools in countries such as Hong Kong, China, Singapore, Japan, Dubai, Poland and Ukraine. 
Paul is also an active composer and arranger and many of his works are published by Brass Wind Publications. He is the editor of two series of brass music: English Brass Collection and the Paul Archibald Collection. 
His discography includes solo works for trumpet and piano (Joie de Vivre and Divertissment) and a range of concerti with the National Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Charles Gerhardt. Paul also brought together the International Celebrity Trumpet Ensemble for an iconic recording of original works for trumpet ensemble, featuring Ryan Anthony, Maurice Murphy, Gabor Tarkovi, Hans Gansch and other world class musicians. His recording of the Shostakovich Concerto No 1 op 35 for trumpet, piano and strings with Alain Lefèvre (piano), Mathias Bamert (conductor) and the London Mozart Players was awarded Canada's prestigious JUNO award for best Classical Album in 2010
In 2019 Paul founded a new charity - Harmony: Action Through the Arts - bringing benefit to young people who are socially and economically disadvantaged through activity in a range of musical projects. Paul is currently Head of Woodwind and Brass at Shrewsbury International School, Bangkok, Thailand

Paul Archibald

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