The Medieval Manuscript the 'Chronicles of Mann and Sudreys' mentions various locations, including the Isle of Man, Wales, Scotland, Ireland and even places as far away as Norway and Brittany.
Russell Gilmour (trumpet) and David Kilgallon (organ) use melodies from these countries and they merge and fuse these ideas together with their own to create unique compositions for trumpet and organ. The idea behind their musical collaboration is to explore traditional music from these countries and to adapt the music, interpret it and explore it. Chronicles' musical format is slightly unusual in that it combines trumpet and organ - not the instruments you may initially associate with folk music - but it is an approach that has sparked a lot of interest.
Their limited edition EP "Prologue" is a sample of things to come, as the production of a full album is underway. The full album will be Chronicles' musical impression of the Isle of Man's influences and rich history - as documented in the Chronicles of Mann.
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writing on music, photography, travel and life as a freelance professional musician.
Bach - B Minor Mass - St John the Baptist, Chester
%PM, %Europe/London %b %2025, %RI played second trumpet, alongside Adrian Woodward and Daniel Weitz, in Bach’s B Minor Mass (BWV 232) at the Parish Church of St John the Baptist in Chester on Saturday 22 March 2025.The performance given by the Chester Bach Singers featured the superb soloists Ruth Provost (soprano), Amy Wood (soprano), Joseph Judge (alto), William Balkwill (tenor [formerly a trumpeter!]), and Peter Edge (Baritone).
Handel - La Resurrezione - Le Banquet Céleste
%PM, %Europe/London %b %2025, %RAfter an amazing fortnight of performances with the Aurora Orchestra (and a couple of days to rest at home), I travelled to Brittany to perform with Le Banquet Céleste: a French period-instrument orchestra based in Rennes. Before leaving home, I had a brief look at the list of musicians in the schedule and I did not see any names that I recognised. However, when I arrived (via Eurostar,
Bach - Christmas Oratorio - SJE Arts, Oxford & St James Piccadilly, London
%PM, %Europe/London %b %2025, %RI performed Bach’s Christmas Oratorio with the Oxford Bach Soloists at SJE Arts in Oxford on Friday 3 January 2025 and at St James Piccadilly in London on Saturday 4 January 2025. The performance, featuring parts I, IV, and VI of the Christmas Oratorio, was directed by Steven Grahl and featured the soloists Nick Pritchard (Evangelist), Emilia Bertolini (soprano), Stephanie Franklin (alto), Thomas
Handel - Messiah - Academy of Ancient Music - Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
%PM, %Europe/London %b %2024, %RI went to Gatwick Airport on 17 December 2024, straight after performing at St. Martin-in-the-Fields with the English Baroque Soloists, in preparation to travel to Gran Canaria early the following morning. Once I arrived in Gran Canaria on Wednesday 18 December 2024 (and following a quick dip in the hotel’s rooftop swimming pool, where the water temperature was a bracing 13°C and the weather
Bach - Unser Mund sei voll Lachens - BWV 110 - Monteverdi Choir & English Baroque Soloists - St. Martin-in-the-Fields, London
%PM, %Europe/London %b %2024, %RLa Scala, Milan | Alte Oper, Frankfurt | Elbphilharmonie, Hamburg | St. Martin-in-the-Fields, LondonThe final concert of our tour, which featured Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s Messe de minuit pour Noël, [H 9], Johann Sebastian Bach’s Schwingt freudig euch empor [BWV 36c], and Bach’s Unser Mund sei voll Lachens [BWV 110] took place at St. Martin-in-the-Fields in London on Tuesday 17 December
Bach - Christmas Oratorio - Brompton Oratory
%PM, %Europe/London %b %2024, %RI played first trumpet in Bach’s Christmas Oratorio [BWV 248] at Brompton Oratory in London on Monday 16 December 2024. This remarkable performance, directed by Charles Cole, featured only one professional singer (Peter Davoren, tenor) as the Evangelist, the rest of the soloists came from within the ranks of this incredible choir. The students and teachers of this fine choral school should be extremely
Bach - Unser Mund sei voll Lachens - BWV 110 - Monteverdi Choir & English Baroque Soloists - Elbphilharmonie, Hamburg
%PM, %Europe/London %b %2024, %RLa Scala, Milan | Alte Oper, Frankfurt | Elbphilharmonie, Hamburg | St. Martin-in-the-Fields, LondonThe third concert of our tour, featuring Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s Messe de minuit pour Noël, [H 9], Johann Sebastian Bach’s Schwingt freudig euch empor [BWV 36c] and Bach’s Unser Mund sei voll Lachens [BWV 110] took place at the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg on Saturday 14 December 2024. This
Handel - Messiah - Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford
%PM, %Europe/London %b %2024, %RFollowing my return flight to the UK from Frankfurt (having performed at the Alte Oper yesterday), I travelled directly to Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford to play first trumpet in Handel’s Messiah. This performance, on Monday 9 December 2024, was directed by Peter Holder and featured Christ Church Cathedral Choir, Frideswide Voices, The Wolsey Ensemble, and the soloists Harriet Burns (soprano),
Bach - Unser Mund sei voll Lachens - BWV 110 - Monteverdi Choir & English Baroque Soloists - Alte Oper, Frankfurt
%PM, %Europe/London %b %2024, %RLa Scala, Milan | Alte Oper, Frankfurt | Elbphilharmonie, Hamburg | St. Martin-in-the-Fields, London
I rejoined the English Baroque Soloists under the direction of Christophe Rousset to perform Johann Sebastian Bach’s Unser Mund sei voll Lachens [BWV 110] alongside the Monteverdi Choir at the Alte Oper in Frankfurt on Sunday 8 December 2024. This was the second performance of the project,
Bach - Christmas Oratorio - Deddington
%PM, %Europe/London %b %2024, %RAs storm Darragh raged across much of the UK, I performed Bach’s Christmas Oratorio with the Adderbury Ensemble and the Cherwell Choral Society at St Peter and St Pauls Church in Deddington, Oxfordshire. It was nice to return to this village one year after our performance of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach’s Magnificat last year.The performance, which took place on Saturday 7 December 2024, was directed
Handel - Messiah - Temple Church
%PM, %Europe/London %b %2024, %RI performed Handel’s Messiah at Temple Church in London on Thursday 5 December 2024. The performance was led by Dominika Fehér (violin) and directed by Thomas Allery, Director of Music (and formerly my direct contemporary at the Royal College of Music).I performed The Trumpet Shall Sound with the bass soloist Ashley Riches. The other vocal soloists, equally excellent, were Jessica Cale (soprano),
Bach - Unser Mund sei voll Lachens - Monteverdi Choir & English Baroque Soloists - La Scala, Milan
%PM, %Europe/London %b %2024, %RLa Scala, Milan | Alte Oper, Frankfurt | Elbphilharmonie, Hamburg | St. Martin-in-the-Fields, London
I played first trumpet, and a solo trumpet aria, in Johann Sebastian Bach’s Unser Mund sei voll Lachens [BWV 110] at La Scala in Milan on Monday 2 December 2024. The performance, given by the Monteverdi Choir and English Baroque Soloists under the direction of Christophe Rousset,
‘Just’ Natural Trumpet Masterclass - Junior Guildhall
%PM, %Europe/London %b %2024, %RI was invited to give a masterclass about just intonation, the harmonic series, early music, and my book, ‘Just’ Natural Trumpet, at the Junior Guildhall on Saturday 30 November 2024. I began the class with a short discussion about overtones and the harmonic series. This was a brief and practical introduction to the acoustics of wind and brass instruments. After a few demonstrations on
Handel - Messiah - Canterbury Cathedral
%PM, %Europe/London %b %2024, %RI played first trumpet in Handel’s Messiah (HWV 56) in the candlelit quire of Canterbury Cathedral on Saturday 23 November 2024. The performance featured the soloists Alexandra Kidgell (soprano), James Hall (alto), Nicholas Todd (tenor), and Robert Rice (bass), as well as an excellent choir comprising the lay clerks and female choristers of Canterbury Cathedral. The ensemble was conducted by Dr David
‘Just’ Natural Trumpet Masterclass - Royal Northern College of Music
%PM, %Europe/London %b %2024, %RI was invited by Murray Greig, Head of Brass at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, to lead trumpet class and introduce my book, ‘Just’ Natural Trumpet, to the college’s trumpet players on Monday 18 November 2024. This was a wonderful ‘full circle’ moment for me, as I first began playing the natural trumpet 18 years ago after attending a similar masterclass at the
Bach - B Minor Mass - Aldeburgh Music Club - Snape Maltings
%PM, %Europe/London %b %2024, %RI played first trumpet in Bach’s B minor Mass (BWV 232) at Snape Maltings in Suffolk on Saturday 16 November 2024. The performance featured the Aldeburgh Music Club choir, directed by Tom Appleton. There were many wonderful musical moments, including from the stellar oboe section led by Gail Hennessy. The trumpet and timpani section comprised Russell Gilmour, William Russell, Nick Wright, and Nick
‘Just’ Natural Trumpet Lecture Presentation - St Andrew's Thornhill Square, London
%PM, %Europe/London %b %2024, %RI gave a lecture presentation about my book, ‘Just’ Natural Trumpet on Saturday 5 October 2024 at St Andrew’s church in Thornhill Square in London. The lecture was part of a natural trumpet weekend course organised by Bill Tuck. I have known Bill for many years, having first met him in 2008, even before I moved to London. Indeed one of my earliest blogs on this website was entitled ‘Tomes
Clarke, Blow, Purcell & Handel - A Choral Celebration of Queen Mary II - Royal Hospital Chelsea
%PM, %Europe/London %b %2024, %RI was delighted to rejoin the Brandenburg Baroque Soloists with the Chapel Choir of the Royal Hospital Chelsea and the Old Royal Naval College Trinity Laban Chapel Choir for a reprise of a programme from a concert given in April 2024 at the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich. This concert, on Thursday 26 September 2024 was part of the Chelsea History Festival and took place at the Royal Hospital
Porpora - Ifigenia in Aulide - Les Talens Lyriques - Markgräfliches Opernhaus, Bayreuth
%PM, %Europe/London %b %2024, %RThe 15th September 2024 marked my 20th performance of a staged opera this year with Les Talens Lyriques and Christophe Rousset—it is actually 23 if you count ticketed dress rehearsals, and even more if you count concert versions. Ten performances of Mozart’s Così fan tutte took place at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris in February, six performances of Salieri’s Cublai gran kan de' Tartari took
Mozart - Requiem & Coronation Mass - Southwell Music Festival
%PM, %Europe/London %b %2024, %RI performed in two concerts at the Southwell Music Festival in its tenth anniversary season in August 2024. My first performance at the festival was on Sunday 25 August 2024: I performed in a (sold-out) concert with the Festival Voices which featured Mozart’s Requiem [K. 626] along with a new commission by Cheryl Frances-Hoad entitled With What Sudden Joy. This piece for solo soprano (Alison Rose),