Edward Gregson – out and about
March was a busy month in Edward Gregson’s diary. He travelled to Trondheim, Norway, to adjudicate the Norwegian National Wind Band Championships, commenting that:
…“The standard of wind playing in Norway is extraordinarily high, and in the Elite section the quality of both performance and programming was of a professional standard. The winning ensemble, the Christiania Blåseenemble from Oslo, conducted by Rolf Gupta, played four movements from Messiaen’s demanding Et Expecto Ressurectionem, as well as John Adam’s Short Ride in a Fast Machine, to an extremely high level, and were worthy winners. I gather the ensemble is made up of
Hallé commission
In 2017 the Hallé Concerts Society commissioned Edward Gregson to write a new work for the Hallé Children’s Choir. The premiere of this new work will take place on 1 July 2018 at The Bridgewater Hall, Manchester. The Hallé Children’s choir will be joined by two narrators from the Manchester Metropolitan University School of Drama and the Hallé Orchestra, conducted by Stephen Bell.
The Salamander and the Moonraker (An Adventure Story in Music) is based on a cantata commissioned in 1980 by the Croydon Schools’ Music Association with funds provided by the Arts Council of Great Britain. However, the work …
Premiere of Euphonium Concerto
It has taken many years to come to fruition, but Edward Gregson’s new Euphonium Concerto, commissioned by international euphonium soloist David Childs, will receive its premiere in its incarnation for brass band on 16th June in Kawasaki, Japan. Further performances will take place in the Autumn in Belgium and Switzerland. The orchestral version will be recorded next January by David Childs and the BBC Philharmonic, conducted by Bramwell Tovey, for the second volume of ‘The Symphonic Euphonium’. It will be released on the Chandos label later in 2019.
The three-movement concerto, lasting some 22 minutes, is a truly symphonic work …
Dances and Arias wins Brass Band World’s Band CD of the Year Award
Dances and Arias, featuring the music of Edward Gregson, performed by Black Dyke Band and conducted by Nicholas Childs, and is the winner of the Brass Band World (BBW) Band CD of the Year Award, from a shortlist of seven contenders featuring a range of fascinating programme concepts and a notable predominance of concert repertoire.
This, the sixth volume in Doyen’s Gregson disc series, was recorded in the presence of the composer and also includes the BASCA-nominated Four Études for brass band, the Cornet Concerto, and the magnificent and dramatic The Trumpet of the Angels.
Commenting on the Award, Edward …