Handel - Deborah - Newcastle Upon Tyne

The Newcastle Upon Tyne Bach Choir performed George Frederic Handel's oratorio 'Deborah’ [HWV 51] in the King's Hall at Newcastle University on Saturday 16th of November 2016. Eric Cross conducted the choir and the orchestra: Newcastle Baroque. We were joined by excellent soloists: Charlotte La Thrope (Soprano - Deborah), Ruth Jenkins-Róbertsson (Soprano - Jael), Rosanna Cooper (Mezzo-Soprano -
Read more ...

Rutter - Gloria - Headington School

Headington School in Oxford put on a concert showcasing the talents of their thriving Music Department [@MusicHSO] on Thursday 24th November 2016. The programme featured an array of the school ensembles. The school choir had chosen to sing John Rutter’s ‘Gloria’ and a number of professional brass players joined them. There were also three very good brass players from the school playing in
Read more ...

OAEducation - Music is Special

The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment joined forces with Camden Music to put on an educational project called 'Music is Special' at Cecil Sharp House on Monday 21st of November 2016. This innovative project integrated students from two special needs schools and two mainstream schools with the period-instrument players of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. Composer and animateur, Sam Chaplin
Read more ...

Handel - Messiah - Esher

Venturing into the 18th Century, the Monteverdi String Band performed Handel’s ‘Messiah’ with The Ripieno Choir (directed by David Hansell) in the London suburb of Esher on Saturday 19th of November 2016. The Monteverdi String Band was joined by two oboes, a bassoon, two trumpets and timpani for the performance of Handel’s glorious ‘Messiah’. Wonderful evening yesterday venturing into
Read more ...

Haydn - The Creation - Middle Temple Hall

Wednesday 16th of November 2016 saw a performance of 'The Creation’ by Joseph Haydn at the ancient and magnificent Middle Temple Hall in London. Greg Morris directed the Temple Players and the Bar Choral Society through this miraculous work with great energy.The Bar Choral Society’s Autumn Concert featured soprano Amy Haworth, tenor Andrew Tortise and bass DeAndre Simmons - the latter joining us
Read more ...

Croft - Te Deum & Torelli - Trumpet Sonata - St. Andrew’s Church - Cheam

The Little Baroque Company, led by Kinga Ujszaszi, performed with the St. Cecilia Chorus on Saturday 12th of November at St. Andrew’s Church in Cheam. The evening, conducted by Jonathan Rennert promised ‘festive and celebratory music from the first half of the 18th century… predominantly bright in mood, with brilliant orchestral colour, often featuring trumpets.'The ensemble performed William
Read more ...

Spiritato - Guts & Glory - Brighton Early Music Festival 2016

Spiritato's tour of the 'Guts & Glory' programme continued on Friday 11th November 2016 at St. George’s Kemp Town, in Brighton. The performance was part of the Brighton Early Music Festival 2016.Brighton Early Music Festival had chosen the theme of ‘Nature & Science’ for their 2016 festival, exploring observation, discovery, invention and creation. In the spirit of innovation, Spiritato
Read more ...

Spiritato - Guts & Glory - St. George’s Bristol

St. George’s in Bristol was the venue for the most recent performance of Spiritato’s 'Guts and Glory' programme. Click here to read an older post about this programme. The concert took place on the 9th of November 2016 in this magnificent venue in the vibrant city of Bristol. Spiritato performed the programme with vigour and assurance, informing and delighting the audience along the way.
Read more ...

Vivaldi - Gloria & Concerto for Two Trumpets in C Major - Chichester

Trumpeters Russell Gilmour and William Russell travelled to Chichester on Saturday 5th November 2016, to be involved in a concert entitled ‘Gloria’, hosted by the choir 'Chichester Voices’ and their director Andrew Naylor. The all-Vivaldi programme was performed in St. George’s Church on Cleveland Road and featured Vivaldi’s: ‘Magnificat’, ‘Concerto for Two Trumpets in C Major’, ‘Beatus
Read more ...

Haydn & Mozart - Cadogan Hall

Cadogan Hall was the venue for a concert given by Goldsmiths Choral Union, celebrating the 70th birthday of their acclaimed and longstanding Musical Director, Brian Wright. The programme consisted of Haydn’s 'Nelson Mass' and Mozart’s ‘Requiem’. The choral union was accompanied by the ‘Musicians of London’ orchestra. The period-instrument orchestra featured a fantastic obbligato from
Read more ...

Mozart Requiem - St. Anne’s Church, Kew Green

A performance of Mozart’s ‘Requiem’ took place at St. Anne’s in Kew Green for the 'commemoration of the faithful departed’ service on All Souls’ Day. The Requiem Mass was held from 18:30 until 19:30 on Sunday 30th of October 2016.Chad Kelly directed the St. Anne's Choir and an orchestra of reduced forces (namely: Violin I, Violin II, Viola, Cello, Cor Anglais I, Cor Anglais II, Bassoon
Read more ...

Wedding at St. Peter’s Church, Sibton

I performed at the marriage of Cleo Rose Brock-Abraham and James Andrew Talbot on 22nd October 2016 at St. Peter’s Church in Sibton, Suffolk. Leos Strings [@Leos_Strings] performed music as the wedding guests arrived at the church. As the family entered, they played Bach’s ‘Air on the G String’ and a processional ‘Trumpet Tune’ by Purcell was performed for the entrance of the bridesmaids
Read more ...

Salieri - ‘Les Horaces’ - Les Talens Lyriques - Versailles & Vienna

Christophe Rousset’s orchestra, Les Talens Lyriques [@talenslyriques] invited me to play in their project comprising two performances and a recording of the opera ‘Les Horaces' (1786) by Antonio Salieri (1750 - 1825). On the 10th of October 2016, I travelled from London to Paris on the Eurostar [a marvel of railway engineering that I never fail to be impressed by]. Rehearsals with Les Talens
Read more ...

Vivaldi - Gloria - St. Martin-in-the-Fields

I performed Vivaldi’s ‘Gloria’ with the Brandenburg Baroque Soloists at St. Martin-in-the-fields at 1900 on Thursday 15th of September 2016. The first half of the concert explored instrumental works by J.S. Bach. The Violin Concerto in E major (BWV 1042) and the 'Brandenburg Concerto No.3 in G major' (BWV1048) were finely-played and led by violinist, Persephone Gibbs.Oboist, Tony Robson and natural
Read more ...

Scarlatti, Handel & Bach - University of York

I performed with Kasia Slawski (Soprano) in her Final MA Recital which took place at the Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall at the University of York on Monday 12th of September.Kasia had chosen to sing music by Scarlatti, Handel and Bach. She was accompanied by Peter Seymour on the Harpsichord and Organ, and by myself (Russell Gilmour) on Baroque Trumpets in C and in D.Her recital began with two movements
Read more ...

Prom 68 - Rossini - ‘Semiramide’ - Sir Mark Elder - Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment

As a young lad, if I showed any reluctance to attend a rehearsal I was given the choice of: 'band, ballet or bed'. I ruled out ballet immediately and always chose band eventually. To a six-year-old, the prospect of going to bed early seemed like a punishment - how times change! Being allowed to stay up late was a privilege reserved for very special occasions - one such occasion being the Last Night
Read more ...

Manannan's Isle - Culture Vannin - Gaiety Theatre, Isle of Man

Culture Vannin put on a show on Sunday 24th of July at the Gaiety Theatre in the Isle of Man called ‘Manannan’s Isle’. It combined Manx music with Manx dance and Manx folklore and gave the audience a flavour of a similar show given at the 2015 Festival Interceltique de Lorient (FIL). 2015 had been ’the year of the Isle of Man and Cornwall’. Click here to read my earlier blog about the 2015
Read more ...

Hampton Court Palace - Tudor Music

I performed Tudor music from the time of King Henry VIII at Hampton Court Palace on Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th of July 2016. I played the natural trumpet and the cornetto in several different formations of ensemble, in various locations around the palace and grounds. Other colleagues played upon the sackbutt, lute, tenor drum, tambourine, bagpipe and hurdy-gurdy, showing a selection of the instruments
Read more ...

16th & 20th Century Music - Hampstead Parish Church

On Saturday 25th of June 2016, I performed music by Gabrieli, Banchieri, Vaughan-Williams and Rutter in Hampstead Parish Church (St. John-at-Hampstead). The Hampstead Chamber Choir, conducted by Dominic Brennan, had chosen an eclectic mix of music for choir, brass, organ and percussion. The concert began chronologically, with the ancient music in the first half (performed on modern instruments). The
Read more ...

Bach - Magnifcat & Brandenburg Concerto No.2 - Winchester Cathedral - Ars Eloquentiae

Zelenka - Hypocondrie Bach - Magnificat in D Bach - Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 - Interval - Handel - Dixit Dominus Ars Eloquentiae and the Southampton Philharmonic Choir performed a programme of demanding choral and instrumental works on Saturday 18th of June 2016. The 7:30pm concert in Winchester Cathedral was attended by a substantial and ethereally back-lit audience. As the concert began
Read more ...

Russell Gilmour
Russell Gilmour Blog
writing on music, photography, engraving, travel and life as a freelance professional musician.