Composer's note: The clarinettist Janet Hilton requested I should write a woodwind octet and this work was expressly composed for her own group 'The Camerata Soloists'.
Number 19 of the collection 'Lifecycle' is a transcription of the second movement for piano.
FIRST PROFESSIONAL CD RELEASED SEPTEMBER 2013 ON PENTATONE: AN ENSEMBLE FROM PLAYERS OF THE ACADEMY OF ST. MARTIN IN THE FIELDS/DAVID THEODORE, RACHEL INGLETON [OBOE], TIMOTHY LINES & KATIE LOCKHART [CLARINET], GRAHAM SHEEN & GAVIN McNAUGHTON [BASSOON], STEPHEN STIRLING & SUSAN DENT [HORN]/CONDUCTED BY SIR NEVILLE MARRINER/TITLE OF ALBUM 'THE BARBER OF NEVILLE' / PENTATONE CLASSICS SUPER AUDIO CD HYBRID MULTICHANNEL PTC 5186 506 2013 www.pentatonemusic.com
16th July 2016 - 24th September 2016 |
St. John's Church, Bury St. Edmonds |
16th July 2016 - 24th September 2016 |
Churchgate Wind Octet, Walsham Le Willows Church nr. Bury St. Edmonds 16th July 2016 and at St John's Church Bury St Edmonds on Sept 24th 2016 |
1st March 2015 | Sir Neville Marriner,conductor,The Orchestra of the Academy of St.Martin in the Fields,soloists: Gustavo Nunez, Jaime Martin and Andrew Marriner. Wind Octet for soloists within the orchestra: David Theodore, Rachel Ingleton (oboes); Timothy Lines, Katie Lockhart (clarinets); Graham Sheen, Gavin McNaughton (bassoons); Stephen Stirling, Susan Dent (horns). Released on Pentatone Classics/Hybrid Multichannel
PTC 5186 506 Super Audio CD Global distribution by Naxos, Recorded at St John's Smith Square, London
THE BARBER OF NEVILLE ON PENTATONE Released September 23rd 2013 by Pentatone Classics/hybrid multichannel/super audio. Link: http://onebitaudio/?cat=44 Recordings took place September 24-26 2012 in St. John's Smith Square with the Orchestra of The Academy of Saint Martin in the Fields. Clarinet Concerto perf. by Andrew Marriner with revisions previously unincorporated; Bassoon Concerto perf. by Gustavo Nunez (principal Concertgebouw Amsterdam); Flute Concerto perf. by Jaime Martin; Serenade for Wind Octet perf. by soloists from the orchestra. Music producer Andrew Keener, location sound engineering Erdo Groot and Roger de Schot from Polyhymnia, supervising producer Job Maarse for Pentatone. Editing Baarn Studios Netherlands. |
25th November 2014 | Orchestra and soloists of The Academy of St Martin in the Fields conducted by Sir Neville Marriner, Church of Saint Martin in the Fields, Trafalgar Square, London
Concertos and wind octet, soloists to be confirmed. |
3rd August 2011 | Manchester Camerata Ensemble, Lake District Summer Music, Lakes Hall, Troutbeck Bridge, LA23 1HW,
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13th March 2007 | Janet Hilton directs RCM Woodwind Ensemble, Bishopsgate Institute, lunchtime concert series (with works by Malcolm Arnold and Jonathan Dove) |
1st November 2006 | Michael O'Donnell, Bryony Middleton (ob) Kimon Perry, Andrew Stainer(cl) Andrew Watson, Cory Barger(fg), Sam Pearce, Andrew Weber(hn)directed by Janet Hilton, 49 Queen's Gate Terrace, London |
26th March 1994 | Camerata Wind Soloists, Nicholas Yonge Society, Lewes Tertiary College |
15th December 1990 | Camerata Soloists, Seaton Music Club |
The Serenade for Wind Octet seems to be dominated by a personalized chorale style; the second movement, Serioso, has a marvelous oboe solo and the finale is a dance that might be called worthy of Byrd or Bull. But, stylistically, this music belongs to no one other than Howard Blake. To steal a phrase from the late composer and critic Herbert Elwell, Howard Blake has shown us that “new things are still possible within the diatonic system”.
The album is titled The Barber of Neville, since Neville and Andrew Marriner --- as well as Howard Blake ----frequented the Kensington hairstyling salon of a man called Jean-Marie. Through Jean-Marie, the three men got together and planned the making of this recording. All four of them are shown in photographs in the accompanying booklet.
The Academy under Marriner (who will be 90 next year, and who has passed the symbolic baton to Joshua Bell while continuing to conduct the group from time to time), is one of the marvels of orchestral playing, having begun as a string ensemble and now greatly varied in size and scope as the repertory demands, with a core membership of about fifty to sixty musicians. It continually reveals new aspects of itself, having been heard over the last half-century plus in an unbelievable variety of repertory for ensembles of almost every size and description.
Christopher Hathaway, KUHF 88.7 - News for Houston. [ Music Library Reviews: Beethoven, Wagner, and Blake], 5/11/2013
...I am adding a few more works, mainly from England, that I have heard or often conducted and can recommend warmly Three works in particular I would like to mention. The first is the beautiful Richard Rodney Bennett Reflections on a 16th Century Tune (Novello), seamlessly re-scored by a master-craftsman from his original string orchestra version for double wind quintet with piccolo, cor, bass clarinet and contra bassoon. Another charming work for double quintet is Guy Woolfenden's Serenade for Sophie (Ariel), while for octet one of my favorite pieces is the Howard Blake Serenade.
TIM REYNISH, DIRECTED CHAMBER MUSIC, 17/8/2004