SRC

Greetings from SRC

Andy — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 21:15:07 +0000

Greetings from Boston MA where I’m on holiday with my wife. Having lunch next week with Keith Brion, the great Sousa conductor. Off to Cape Cod today and Tanglewood this weekend to see the Boston Symphony Orchestra. I’m just in the process of fixing SRC’s next recording, which will be with the Band of the Royal Logistic Corps in September in a beautiful big church in Aldershot. The repertoire will be to do with the regiment and its component regiments and will have a ‘Surrey’ flavour. I’m greatly looking forward to working with them and with Major Phil Stredwick, their Director of Music.

Imminent SRC release – SRC’s Latest CD SRC156 ‘By Popular Demand’ with the Band of the Corps of Royal Engineers, DoM Major Neil Morgan, his last album with the Band as he shortly moves over to direct the Royal Artillery Band. You can buy it shortly from this website, it’s a great concert programme and includes some of the Royal Engineers’ smaller groups.

Also still in production: Philip Sparke no 2 with the Grenadier Guards, the Music of The Rifles, a Great War CD with the Honourable Artillery Company and a CD of historic German marches ‘Blut und Eisen – from Waterloo to Wipers’.

Bye bye for now!

Mike

Update

Mike — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 13:42:37 +0000

Greetings everyone! Sorry it’s been such a long time but there has been so much going on. My full-time job as Principal of Bromley Youth Music Trust (www.bymt.co.uk), which is the best British (I say modestly) music service for children based in south east London, has been taking much of my time and energy and we have just had a series of four huge Schools Prom Concerts at Fairfield in Croydon involving 3000 children! On Sunday 7th March at 6.00 pm, I’m in St John’s Smith Square, London conducting the fabulous Bromley Youth Concert Band (you can buy our CDs via the BYMT website) in a world premiere of Adam Gorb’s ‘War of the World) and music by Percy Grainger and Alfred Reed. We share the programme with our equally talented Chamber Orchestra who will perform Beethoven’s ‘Emperor’ Concerto with the distinguished pianist Philip Fowke – please come and join us! Last week I was in Gran Canaria conducting a 90 piece wind band in a concert of British music with Music students from the Gran Canaria and Tenerife Conservatoires, plus professionals from the Las Palmas Banda Municipal. A fantastic sound, in the square in front of Las Palmas Cathedral in perfect evening weather. And For SRC, I was down in Berkshire recently, recording the fabulous REME Band at Bearwood College, an Independent School originally founded for children of Merchant Seamen. This is going to be a ‘Bandstand’ style CD with a lovely varied programme. I was very impressed with the musicianship of this Band and of the very helpful attitude displayed by these very versatile musicians. We want to release by 1st May so watch out! On 13/14th March in the superb acoustics of Henry Wood Hall, London we record the Band and Bugles of The Rifles in another ‘Bandstand’ programme. The CD will include the two tracks ‘Love Farewell’ and ‘Over the Hills and Far Away’.

My flurry of activity continues on 16/17th March in the Dockyard Chapel, The Historic Dockyard, Chatham, with the Band of the Royal Engineers in our third upcoming ‘Bandstand’ recording. I’m really looking forward to these recordings but am working meanwhile editing the HAC Great War CD (which has been delayed as we need to record some more tracks) and on Philip Sparke Volume 2 with the Grenadier Guards. I’m always amazed when some military band fans seem to think of Philip’s music as avant-garde, it is highly attractive and listenable music and this CD contains at least two fantastic concert marches. We are hoping to have audio clips on this website in the near future so you can hear what I mean! Hot off the press, we have a recording scheduled for September with the combined AAC and Prince of Wales Bands, so I think that’s me up to date, but I must go now, I’ll be in touch soon.

Best wishes

Mike

Love Farewell / Over The Hills & Far Away

Andy — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 21:08:59 +0000

Love Farewell / Over The Hills And Far Away

The Band and Bugles of the Rifles featuring the legendary John Tams (www.johntams.co.uk)

This 2 track CD single was recorded and produced by SRC for The Band of The Rifles / Help for Heroes.

SRC are grateful to have been selected by The Rifles Band to manage this production and proud to be associated with the superb Help For Heroes who are selling the recordings.

Please note: CDs and Downloads are currently only available from the Help For Heroes website. All profits from sales are being applied by Help For Heroes to assist wounded Servicemen and women. Please do your bit, purchase a copy and spread the word.

Many Thanks

For a CD or download please visit www.helpforheroes.org.uk/love-farewell.html

Love Farewell … and more!

Andy — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 17:41:31 +0000

Whether you are the proud owner of some SRC recordings or are just browsing, SRC’s team would like to wish you all a Happy, Healthy, Peaceful and Prosperous New Year.

We are proud recently to have been asked to record and produce the CD Single ‘Love Farewell’ (with bonus track ‘Over the Hills and Far Away’) performed by folk singer John Tams and the Band of The Rifles. The CD is currently only available from www.helpforheroes.org.uk so please show your support and buy one now. Proceeds go towards helping wounded Servicemen and women returned from Iraq and Afghanistan.

I’m just about to start editing a CD of music we recorded last year with the Band of the Honourable Artillery Company commemorating a battle at Reutel near Passchendaele in October 1917, where my grandfather (a Lewis Gunner in the HAC) was badly wounded. We’ve found regimental German and British music appropriate to both sides who fought on that occasion and it’s an un-missable collection of Great War Music. Following that, I start editing a second recording of music by Philip Sparke performed by the Band of the Grenadier Guards, recorded last August in the Chapel at the Royal Hospital, Chelsea. It’s a great programme which should also suit traditionalists as it includes several marches!

New projects for early 2010 include ‘Bandstand’ CDs with the bands of The Rifles, The Royal Engineers and the REME. Also being planned is a CD with the Royal Artillery Orchestra and more to come….

New Horizons

Michael — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 19:40:20 +0000

This recording takes its title from the piece for Solo Cornet and Band by Gordon Langford, beautifully played here by the RAB’s Solo Cornet Martin Hinton.

The programme is part of SRC’s Bandstand series, with marches and Three English Dances by Roger Quilter to appeal to lovers of traditional military band music, Korngold’s Overture: Captain Blood (from the film starring Errol Flynn) and music from Star Wars.

Aaron Copland’s tone poem El Salon Mexico is the major work featured, it has the reputation of being exceedingly difficult to play and to conduct. Here, under Director of Music Major Tim Arnold, the RAB give a rumbustious and finely honed performance to delight one and all in its depiction of a dance hall in Mexico City.

The Director’s Choice

Michael — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 19:37:41 +0000

This is a must for any collector of marches, especially because, under the baton of Leif Arne Pedersen, who is also Principal Clarinettist with the Oslo Philharmonic, these are stunningly musical performances.

The Norwegians demonstrate their prowess in a fascinating selection of European and American marches.

This recording includes some Scandinavian rarities and marches from Belgium, France, Germany, Great Britain and the old USSR from where we hear two Police marches and Salute to Moscow.

Even if you already own recordings of all these marches, you should buy this CD because you won’t find more musical and stylish performances anywhere.

From Where I Stand

Michael — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 19:34:16 +0000

The title of this CD, performed by the brass and percussion players of the RNNB is also the title of a work in this programme featuring a solo Trombone. The musicians of the RNNB show their absolute mastery of their instruments, both musically and technically in a varied programme, including music by Bach, Grieg, Wagner, Thad Jones, Duke Ellington and Dizzy Gillespie.

As with most of SRC’s CDs of this band, the recording was made in the Domkirke (Cathedral) at Toensberg, south of Oslo. A must for all lovers of brass music and military bands.

In The Footsteps of Heroes

Michael — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 18:11:17 +0000

In the Footsteps of Heroes

As with the Grenadier Guards’ CD Fields of Remembrance (SRC195), this recording was made for the Scots Guards to sell during a recent concert tour with the objective of raising money for the Colonel’s Fund Scots Guards supporting the war-wounded of the Regiment.

The Band of the Scots Guards, directed by Major Duggie Robertson, are on absolutely wonderful form here, and the Pipes & Drums of the 1st Battalion are also first-class.

This CD contains most of the music played on the concert tour and has several solo sets for Pipes and Drums.

You won’t hear Scottish military music played better than this!

Now Playing!

Michael — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 18:01:32 +0000

The Band of the Corps of Royal Engineers: Director of Music Captain Bruce Miller

A programme of well known film music with British connections.

Old favourites such as music from Lawrence of Arabia, The Dambusters, The Great Escape and The Bridge on the River Kwai.

Music from the recent version of Henry V featuring the Band in fine voice.

Recorded in the fine acoustic of the Naval Dockyard Chapel, The Historic Dockyard, Chatham, location for the House of Commons in the film Amazing Grace.

Fields of Remembrance

Michael — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 17:54:46 +0000

The Band of the Grenadier Guards: Director of Music Major Barry Wassell.

This recording was specially commissioned by The Colonel’s Fund (The Colonel in this case being the Duke of Edinburgh) for a concert tour in 2008 raising money for this fund which provides support for Grenadiers who were severely wounded in recent conflicts.

This is a typical bandstand programme, with music in many different styles superbly played by one of the world’s finest military bands, renowned for the warmth and depth of their sound.

This CD features a new work Fields of Remembrance by the distinguished composer Nigel Clarke

Recorded in the warm acoustic of All Saints Church East Finchley, London