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.
Zelenka - Missa Paschalis - Antwerp - Vox Luminis
%PM, %Europe/London %b %2025, %RIt was a pleasure to perform with Vox Luminis at DeSingel in Antwerp on Friday 24 October 2025, in a programme featuring Jan Dismas Zelenka’s Missa Paschalis (ZWV 7). The concert also featured Georg Frideric Handel’s Dixit Dominus (HWV 232). The programme reprised the Missa Paschalis by Zelenka that Vox Luminis had included (paired with Bach’s Easter Oratorio) in their 20th anniversary concert, which took place on Easter Sunday this year.
On this occasion, Lionel Meunier directed from the choir and the orchestra was led by Hannah Visser (violin); I played first trumpet, with Sam Kinrade on second trumpet, Krešimir Fabijanić on third trumpet, Gareth Hoddinott on fourth trumpet, and Koen Plaetinck on timpani. Zelenka’s writing for trumpets and timpani is jubilant and full of Easter triumph.
It was great to explore Antwerp again, having only had fairly limited time on past trips. I have had the good fortune to perform Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo here with I Fagiolini in 2018, Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique with the Aurora Orchestra in 2022, and I have also appeared here twice with Vox Luminis: the first time was for a recording of Purcell’s King Arthur in 2018, and I returned more recently to perform Bach’s Christmas Oratorio in December 2023.
Vox Luminis, Zelenka
On this occasion, Lionel Meunier directed from the choir and the orchestra was led by Hannah Visser (violin); I played first trumpet, with Sam Kinrade on second trumpet, Krešimir Fabijanić on third trumpet, Gareth Hoddinott on fourth trumpet, and Koen Plaetinck on timpani. Zelenka’s writing for trumpets and timpani is jubilant and full of Easter triumph.
It was great to explore Antwerp again, having only had fairly limited time on past trips. I have had the good fortune to perform Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo here with I Fagiolini in 2018, Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique with the Aurora Orchestra in 2022, and I have also appeared here twice with Vox Luminis: the first time was for a recording of Purcell’s King Arthur in 2018, and I returned more recently to perform Bach’s Christmas Oratorio in December 2023.