Golden Anniversary Celebration for Flowers
This year the Flowers Band celebrates their 50th Anniversary and will mark the occasion with a ‘Celebration of Brass and Voices’ in Gloucester Cathedral on Saturday 19 May at 7pm.
A spokesperson from the band commented, "We are delighted that the presenter of the National Brass Band Championships of Great Britain, Kapitol Promotions Ltd., is to stage the concert as part of their Cathedral Series. In addition to the West of England Champion Band under the expert guidance of our M.D. David Childs, the concert will also feature the chamber voices of RECHOIR with their Director Nathan Cole, and compère, David Hayward.
"We will perform a wide-ranging programme comprising four sets, each with its own theme. During the first half ‘Slavonic Brass’ will showcase music of Russian and Czech origin, whilst ‘Celebrating Icons’ will pay homage to the centenaries of Wilfred Heaton and Leonard Bernstein, 50 years since the death of Martin Luther King, and salute one of Gloucestershire’s most important musical figures, Derek Bourgeois, who passed away last year.
"In the second half ‘The Music of Sir Karl Jenkins’ - Europe’s most popular living composer will provide a fitting prelude to ‘Best of British’, which will celebrate the life of Henry Purcell and pay homage to Holst and Elgar, both born close to Gloucester in Cheltenham and Worcester respectively."
The band's full programme will consist of Shostakovich’s 'Festive Overture'; Dvorak’s 'Rusalka’s Song to the Moon' featuring cornet soloist, Andrew Smith; Borodin’s 'Polovtsian Dances'; Wilfred Heaton’s 'March Praise'; Jonathan Bates’s 'Let Freedom Ring' featuring soprano soloist, Paul Richards; Derek Bourgeois’s 'Serenade'; Leonard Bernstein’s 'America and Somewhere'; Sir Karl Jenkins’s 'Cantilena' (from the Cheltenham and Gloucester TV commercial) and 'Suite from Stabat Mater' (the latter featuring euphonium soloist, Grant Jameson); Holst’s 'Jupiter' from the 'Planets'; Elgar’s 'Nimrod' from Enigma Variations and the world premiere of Jonathan Bates’s revised 'Diversions after Henry Purcell'.
To join the celebration you can purchase tickets priced as follows: Front Nave - £20.00; Rear Nave - £15.00. Concessions: 5 - 16 years - £10.00 and £7.50 Front and Rear Nave respectively. Only available from Gloucester Cathedral Box Office.
Telephone: 01452 768928
www.gloucestercathedral.org.uk/whats-on/
