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.
Zieleński - Offertoria et Communiones Totius Anni - Wrocław & Brno
%PM, %Europe/London %b %2023, %RI first visited Poland in July 2011 to play cornetto in Mikołaj Zieleński’s Offertoria et Communiones Totius Anni (1611), alongside David Staff (cornetto), with Emma Kirkby (soprano), Joel Frederiksen (bass), and a group called Collegium Zielenski directed by Stanisław Gałoński (who is now 93 years old) in Krakow. David Staff and I returned to Krakow several times for recordings and performances (which predate this blog). We subsequently played a Zieleński-rich programme at St Marks in Venice; in fact, it was that trip that inspired me to start this blog.
Between 2012 and 2015, I visited Poland very often to perform (on natural trumpet and cornetto) with the Wrocław Baroque Ensemble, under Andrzej Kosendiak, and the Wrocław Baroque Orchestra. We made some excellent recordings, and I met some wonderful people along the way. I last visited Wrocław in 2015, when I performed in the opening concert of the new concert hall, the National Forum of Music, and we recorded Marcin Mielczewski’s Vesperae Dominicales using my arrangement of the work with reconstructed trombone parts. Happenstance has kept me away for too long (though I did perform in Krakow with Les Talens Lyriques earlier this year), so I was delighted to visit Wrocław again for this project of music by Mikołaj Zieleński, and it was great to renew old friendships and acquaintances.
Wrocław has changed remarkably, and yet somehow reassuringly very little. The old town is largely unchanged but the city seems somehow more mature and confident (and noticeably more expensive) than before. It feels almost like my alma mater; it is, after all, where I learnt so much about being a professional musician in those early days. It was lovely to reminisce about old friends and places we visited, with such fond memories of many past trips—a real trip down memory lane. I enjoyed exploring the city centre and noticing the minutiae of changes. It seems that the famous Wrocław dwarves have been busy with their bolt cutters, removing many of the symbolic (and apparently damage-causing) wedding padlocks from the bridges!
After rehearsing at the NFM in Wrocław, we took a coach to Brno in Czechia. I had never visited Brno before; it’s a lovely city with a Vienna-like splendour in parts of the old town. I was delighted to have this opportunity to visit.
As well as many works for two choirs, I also had the opportunity to play a more soloistic number: I performed divisions on Mitte manum tuam on the cornetto, with Bill Lyons on dulcian and Marta Niedźwiecka on the chamber organ. It is a wonderful work, and one that I hope to come back to one day. Performing Spiritus Sanctus docebit took me right back to my first Zieleński recording in 2011.
The encore was a particularly lively rendition of Salve festa dies, complete with an ornamented instrumental verse—a wonderfully jubilant and catchy tune. For this piece, I played in the place of the lead violinist Zbigniew Pilch, and he took my place on the opposite side. It was great to play alongside my old friend Mikołaj Zgółka (violin); we’ve kept in touch and I recently did some proofreading for him, for the preface of his edition of Józef Elsner’s (1769–1854) Trois Quatuors. Mikołaj reliably informed me that Elsner spent several years of his life in Brno, so we took a photo together with the edition. I must say, he’s done a very good job.
This was an excellent trip with the Wrocław Baroque Ensemble under Andrzej Kosendiak.
Cornetto, Poland, RenaisannceBetween 2012 and 2015, I visited Poland very often to perform (on natural trumpet and cornetto) with the Wrocław Baroque Ensemble, under Andrzej Kosendiak, and the Wrocław Baroque Orchestra. We made some excellent recordings, and I met some wonderful people along the way. I last visited Wrocław in 2015, when I performed in the opening concert of the new concert hall, the National Forum of Music, and we recorded Marcin Mielczewski’s Vesperae Dominicales using my arrangement of the work with reconstructed trombone parts. Happenstance has kept me away for too long (though I did perform in Krakow with Les Talens Lyriques earlier this year), so I was delighted to visit Wrocław again for this project of music by Mikołaj Zieleński, and it was great to renew old friendships and acquaintances.
Wrocław has changed remarkably, and yet somehow reassuringly very little. The old town is largely unchanged but the city seems somehow more mature and confident (and noticeably more expensive) than before. It feels almost like my alma mater; it is, after all, where I learnt so much about being a professional musician in those early days. It was lovely to reminisce about old friends and places we visited, with such fond memories of many past trips—a real trip down memory lane. I enjoyed exploring the city centre and noticing the minutiae of changes. It seems that the famous Wrocław dwarves have been busy with their bolt cutters, removing many of the symbolic (and apparently damage-causing) wedding padlocks from the bridges!
After rehearsing at the NFM in Wrocław, we took a coach to Brno in Czechia. I had never visited Brno before; it’s a lovely city with a Vienna-like splendour in parts of the old town. I was delighted to have this opportunity to visit.
We rehearsed and performed in the church of St Peter in Brno on Sunday 8 October 2023, where an ornament adorning the church organ showed something of a likeness!
As well as many works for two choirs, I also had the opportunity to play a more soloistic number: I performed divisions on Mitte manum tuam on the cornetto, with Bill Lyons on dulcian and Marta Niedźwiecka on the chamber organ. It is a wonderful work, and one that I hope to come back to one day. Performing Spiritus Sanctus docebit took me right back to my first Zieleński recording in 2011.
The encore was a particularly lively rendition of Salve festa dies, complete with an ornamented instrumental verse—a wonderfully jubilant and catchy tune. For this piece, I played in the place of the lead violinist Zbigniew Pilch, and he took my place on the opposite side. It was great to play alongside my old friend Mikołaj Zgółka (violin); we’ve kept in touch and I recently did some proofreading for him, for the preface of his edition of Józef Elsner’s (1769–1854) Trois Quatuors. Mikołaj reliably informed me that Elsner spent several years of his life in Brno, so we took a photo together with the edition. I must say, he’s done a very good job.
This was an excellent trip with the Wrocław Baroque Ensemble under Andrzej Kosendiak.