Brass Tubular Bells

A brass band arrangement by Sandy Smith of the iconic 1970s album, Tubular Bells, will be performed in Manchester on 28 May.

Mike Oldfield's progressive rock opus will be performed by Tubular Brass, a 28-piece brass band conducted by the arranger himself and featuring some of the UK's finest players.

Sandy Smith commented that, in his opinion, the album works perfectly for the medium of brass, adding: "It's an iconic album and one that is instantly recognised by listeners young and old, even 40 years after it was first released. It's been great to be able to arrange it for brass band as it works so well. With a fantastic line-up of players, it's going to be an amazing concert and will hopefully thrill a new audience."

The band will also perform a new work entitled, Mary Casio by singer/songwriter, Hannah Peel, that combines 1970s analogue synthesisers with brass to great effect. Tubular Brass also hopes to bring further contemporary works and innovative collaborations to the stage in the future, starting with Hannah Peel's extraordinary work that combines the deep, rich power of traditional brass with the uplifting arpeggiated patterns and unearthly sound textures of analogue synthesisers. With a nod to 1970s concept albums and progressive rock, the work's theme is an intergalactic journey from Earth to the star constellation of Cassiopeia, utilising her creative pseudonym, Mary Casio.

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