Notes on Xiaoyu's Listening Presentation

Since several of your were away for ABA, I thought I would share a blog about Xiaoyu's listening presentation. It was an eclectic mix of types of group from around the world in several different styles. Here is her playlist.

Three Brass Cats is a composition by Chris Hazell commissioned by the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble. The group we hear was from Sinfonia Varsovia, an orchestra from Poland. From a German publishing website, here is a bit about the composer:

Chris Hazell studied composition at the Royal College of Music before joining the Argo division of Decca in 1973 as a producer. There he continued the legendary recordings of Sir Neville Marriner, Philip Jones, King's College Cambridge and Peter Hurford amongst others. As the Decca Group labels evolved his artist base widened to incorporate such names as Sir Georg Solti, Dame Joan Sutherland, Charles Dutoit and Sir Charles Mackerras with the Berlin, Chicago, Montreal Symphony and all the major London Orchestras, becoming Senior Producer in 1992. His many recordings with David Zinman in Baltimore have continued (after becoming freelance in 1997) with the Tonhalle Orchestra in Zurich, on their award winning Beethoven Symphony cycle. His partnership on recordings with Simon Eadon is about to enter its 30th year.

Parallel to this has been his work as arranger and composer. His 'Brass Cats' (written for Philip Jones) is standard repertoire world-wide. He has worked extensively with Dame Kiri te Kanawa, and was both producer and arranger on Bryn Terfel's recent best selling Welsh album. He also works regularly with Angela Gheorghiu. He has written music for television, including the title theme for the late Desmond Wilcox's award winning documentary series 'The Visit.'

This is what Chris Hazell, the composer, had to say about ‘Three Brass Cats': ‘Some years ago I had four cats in the house - all were strays and decided that I was a soft touch when it came to free board and lodgings, so instead of moving on, they all decided to stay. Sadly they have all now gone to the great cattery in the sky. However, at the time they were around I was asked to write some pieces for a brass group (The Philip Jones Brass Ensemble). What should I write about? Well, I've always liked writing about the people and places around me (they appear in a lot of my music) so I thought.. I know, my cats. These days I don't have any cats as I travel around a lot with my work, but it's nice to think that they're still with me in the music.'

Sinfonia Varsovia Brass

is a thirteen-person brass band formed of the members of the brass and percussion sections of the Sinfonia Varsovia Orchestra. The ensemble’s repertoire includes original compositions written for the ensemble as well as arrangements of symphonic, jazz, and baroque music. The members of the ensemble are particularly drawn to Latin music as well as film scores. The ensemble has performed with notable soloists, such as Eric Miyashiro or Wayne Bergeron. In 2017, Warner Classics published the debut record of the Sinfonia Varsovia Brass, an energetic compilation of hits drawn from film scores and American and Latin music.

The ensemble is made up of: Jan Harasimowicz (trumpet), Jakub Waszczeniuk (trumpet), Ostap Popovych (trumpet), Andrzej Tomczok (trumpet), Marek Żwirdowski (trombone), Tomasz Światczyński (trombone), Tomasz Hajda (trombone), Mariusz Opaliński (trombone), Henryk Kowalewicz (French horn), Krzysztof Mucha (tuba), Piotr Kostrzewa (drums), Sebastian Frankiewicz (drums), and Tomasz Bielecki (drums).

Brass Ensemble Zero

In 2010, a group of recent music university graduates came together to form Brass Ensemble ZERO. In keeping with their motto, “tradition and innovation,” the ensemble strives to expand possibilities in different directions to explore the true meaning of music. Their name contains their goal – thinking up new things from nothing; from point zero. Since its founding, Brass Ensemble ZERO has presented primarily unique programs with music for brass instruments at subscription concerts. The ensemble’s programming includes early works, such as arrangements of Early and Baroque music by Monteverdi, J. S. Bach and Handel, as well as later works by Sibelius, Hindemith, and Stravinsky, which were composed primarily for brass instruments. They also perform contemporary pieces by composers such as Xenakis and Takemitsu, as well as works by Chris Hazell, Jim Parker, and Goff Richards, which the well-known Philip Jones Brass Ensemble has often played.

 This video below is from Paradise Balkan Orchestra

 

I commented that it was my new favorite band, and admired the video for how engaging, musical, dynamic and energetic is was. The audio is excellent, the videography is outstanding and compelling, and visually the scenery, settings, and "uniforms" work very well. From their website:

Since they began their journey in early 2015 in Barcelona, Balkan Paradise Orchestra has shown, in each and every performance, their potential as an unusual and ground-breaking group. Composed by wind and percussion players, the Balkan Paradise Orchestra (aka BPO) is a breath of fresh air for the music panorama of our country. Audiences are completely engaged with their pure cheerfulness and distinguish playful vibes which will make it impossible for you to sit still during they shows.   

With different studies, experiences and influences, but inevitably connected with the Balkan tradition of wind orchestras, they transform this musical genre to an authentic elixir made of rhythms of the entire world. They offer a show that works both on stage and on the street, with a surprising capacity of generating empathy towards the public and always bringing joy, party and an urge for dancing in every single corner of the world.

Balkan Paradise Orchestra

 

The playlist also includes outstanding performances by the Samurai Brass, the China Philharmonic Orchestra Brass Quintet, the Canadian Brass and another work by Henri Tomasi, Etre ou ne pas Etre (To Be or Not To Be). We didn't get to the last three selections on the list, but give it a listen and leave feedback on Xiaoyu's latest blog post.