Sowerby Music & Passacaglia

On Saturday 19th of July 2014, I travelled to Sowerby, near Thirsk in North Yorkshire, to play for 'Sowerby Music' with the ensemble 'Passacaglia'. The London-based ensemble gave the final concert of the season for Sowerby Music. The organisers described the event as "an unashamedly celebratory concert", which combined a birthday celebration of one of the organisers and the remarkable milestone
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Gorczycki Recording Volume II

I returned to Wrocław to make a CD recording with Andrzej Kosendiak's ensemble. We recorded more music by Gorczycki for Volume 2 of the National Forum of Music's Gorczycki series.  The music is just as stunning as the pieces we played in the first volume. This time we recorded three different pieces of music involving trumpets in three different keys: D, C and B-flat. These included:
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Bach - Brandenburg II & Magnificat with Ars Eloquentiae at Douai Abbey

Ars Eloquentiae, meaning 'the Art of Eloquence', is a young and lively ensemble, specialising in period instrument performance. It is so great to work with people of my generation. I know people in this group from a range of place such as: the Royal Northern College of Music and the Royal College of Music. There are also several players I know from attending Dartington Summer School and others I know
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Mozart C Minor Mass in Wrocław

20th - 22nd June saw another visit to the charming city of Wrocław in Poland. I was joined by Matthew Manchester, as he happened to be back in Britain from Australia at the perfect time to be able to fit this little tour into his schedule. It was great to be able to play with him again, as the last time was in Australia doing a tour of Monteverdi's L'Orfeo in 2012. We played two concerts in Poland
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Göttingen International Handel Festival 2014

May through to June has been an exciting time. I had the great pleasure of playing in the Thüringia Bach Festival in Weimar in May and then toured with the Göttingen Händel Festival through May and June. I have been amazed by the Festspiel Orchester Göttingen (known colloquially as FOG). The quality of the music-making has been incredible. I was impressed with the string section in particular,
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Bachfest 2014

The Stadtkirche St. Peter and Paul in Weimar (also known as the Herderkirche) was the setting for the Bachfest Weimar, 2014. I was invited to play first trumpet with Cantus Thüringia, in a concert on Friday the 2nd of May, under the direction of Bernhard Klapprott. Together we gave performances of J.S Bach's "Ich hatte viel Bekümmernis" (BWV 21) and C.P.E. Bach's "Ich will dem Herrn lobsingen" (H821b),
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Steinmetz Natural Horn Making - with Graham Nicholson

Last summer, on my way to various concerts in Germany, I needed a few overnight stays in Holland. I was fortunate to be able to stay with Graham Nicholson in The Hague. While I was there he showed me two horns he had been making in his workshop; detailed replicas of instruments by Leichamschneider. We practiced duets for several hours using these instruments and they worked brilliantly.Over the summer
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Household Cavalry Masterclass

On Tuesday, 25th of March, I had the pleasure of giving a lecture and masterclass at Hyde Park Barracks for members of the Life Guards in the Household Cavalry and members of the Band of the Blues and Royals. I performed with the Altenburg Ensemble and we presented a short history of the Natural Trumpet, and then demonstrated each point using a suitable piece of music. We performed music by Bendinelli,
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Deutschland Radio Kultur Broadcast - 28.01.2014

A recording from a concert given last week in Kaiserslautern (featuring Russell Gilmour) will be broadcast on German National Radio: 'Deutschland Radio Kultur' - this evening (Tuesday 28th January 2014) at 19:03 GMT (20:03 in German time) - after the news. Russell is playing with the French ensemble, 'Le Concert Lorrain' and he features in the first item in the programme: the Telemann Trumpet
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Orfeo in Nancy

The first trip of this year was to Nancy in France, to perform in the Opera National du Lorrain. What a great way to get over the so-called 'January blues'! Opera National du Lorrain The group, 'Les Talens Lyriques' (led by Christophe Rousset) were great, both musically and organisationally. I was looked after very well, and they had provided accommodation a short walk from the opera house and
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Orchestra of the 18th Century

I had the opportunity to hear the Orchestra of the 18th Century under the inspiring leadership of Frans Brüggen. They were performing in the Polish Radio Studio 1, as part of the Chopin Piano Festival, 2013.  Hearing the orchestra under Brüggen was the fulfilment of a long-held ambition, on account of their amazing recordings and excellent reputation. It was a real
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Festival du Beaune, France

On Sunday 28th July, Russell performed in the Burgundy region of France with the Gabrieli Consort - directed by Paul McCreesh. The concert was part of the Beaune Festival. The group gave a performance of L'Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato (HWV 55) by Handel, which was streamed live online. It will be broadcast on television in September. The online stream of the concert is available
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Performance at Hampton Court Palace

Russell performed works by Handel and Bach at Hampton Court Palace on the 28th of June 2013. He was privileged to perform with Crispian Steele-Perkins and William Russell. (L-R) Russell Gilmour, William Russell & Crispian Steele-Perkins
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Concert at St. Thomas' Church

On Wednesday 5th of June at 19:30, Russell Gilmour and David Kilgallon will be performing lively and traditional celtic music for trumpet and organ in St. Thomas' Church in Douglas. Admission is free, and there will be an opportunity to sponsor our upcoming CD recording project upon exit. A great way for visitors to the Island to hear some of our musical heritage!
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Impromptu Performance at Isle of Man TT Races

Just before the roads closed for the Isle of Man TT Races today, as an extra part of his initiation as a marshal - Russell was asked if he would entertain the assembled spectators by his fellow marshals at Quarterbridge. (L-R) Russell Gilmour & Roger Birtles raise £85 for the TT Helicopter Fund from generous spectators at Quarterbridge Walking through the crowds, Russell played such classics
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Oxford University Bate Collection Lecture for Taverner Consort

The "Un-Natural Trumpet" : 7th April 2013 With the launch of their new recording of Monteverdi's L'Orfeo and to celebrate the Taverner Consort's 40th Anniversary, Andrew Parrott organised a day of lectures at the Oxford University Faculty of Music and Bate Collection of Musical Instruments. Andrew asked me to give a lecture about the Natural Trumpet. The lecture was held on the 7th April
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Basilica di San Marco, Venice

By the time Giovani Gabrieli had died, St. Mark's Basilica was already 541 years old. The building, as I am sure you know, is colossally incredible. With over a million million pieces of mosaic on the ceilings and seven domes—it's a rather impressive sight. Look down and you also won't be disappointed: the intricate stone floor is detailed beyond comprehension. Architecturally, this building has
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Per ardua ad astra

I've now graduated from the Royal College of Music. I went to the graduation ceremony, walked across the stage wearing the gown and hood, listened to some speeches, picked up my certificate, raised a glass with my course-mates and chatted to all and sundry. One of my fellow graduates asked me, "so, what will you be doing now that you've finished?" My answer to myself was simple: I haven't finished
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Recording in Wrocław

I have spent the last few days in Wrocław in Poland. A beautiful city, with lots going on. They are currently building a new home for the Philharmonic (which I am told will be the best acoustic of any concert hall in central Europe) and the Euro 2012 football trophy has been unveiled since we have been here. There is lots happening. Also, yesterday it was 25°C, which was an added bonus. We are here
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Presentation looming

English Slide Trumpet Presentation:The current form of the Presentation is changing. I'm getting rid of most of the text and just using the images as my impetus. I'm working on the basis that people will learn more with a clearer structure.Less is more.It's good to print it out and swap the pages around. Computers are good, but for certain things - they can sometimes be a barrier."The English Slide
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Russell Gilmour
Russell Gilmour Blog
writing on music, photography, engraving, travel and life as a freelance professional musician.