2011 is the 90th anniversary of Sir Malcolm Arnold’s birth, for which many celebrations are being organised.
Plans for Malcolm Arnold Festival in 2011
Paul Harris, the Artistic Director of the Malcolm Arnold Festival, gives a sneak preview into the highlights of next year’s anniversary Festival from October 21st – 23rd at the Royal & Derngate, Northampton.
‘The Malcolm Arnold Festival will be celebrating Sir Malcolm’s 90th with an appropriately grand gesture! The Festival will include all of his nine symphonies. Arnold was undoubtedly a major symphonist: his very personal sense of musical structure and development and his self-proclaimed announcement that ‘all my music is autobiographical’ make these works enormously important within the corpus of 20th century British Music. I envisage the weekend not as a series of concerts but as one continuous musical experience which will also include other contemporary works, talks, discussions and general celebratory offerings!’
Paul Harris
In recognition of the anniversary, the brass department of Wells Cathedral School is presenting, as part of its concert season ‘England Labour and Love’ – a special concert in May which will feature Sir Malcolm’s works for brass. Wells Cathedral School is a DfES Specialist Music School and coincidentally the Brass Department in 2011 will also be celebrating its 25th anniversary as a DfES Specialist department, when the first brass specialist, Matthew Gunner (horn) and Ceri McInally(tuba) arrived along with the current Head of Brass Paul Denegri in 1986.
As Sir Malcolm Arnold was a distinguished trumpet player, there seems no more fitting event than an evening that will celebrate these 2 anniversaries. The concert will feature, amongst others, all his brass unaccompanied Fantasy’s for trumpet, trombone, horn and tuba, his Trumpet Concerto, various fanfares, his 2 brass quintets and Sir Malcom’s demanding Symphony for Brass.
The concert will be held in the school’s 16th century recital hall and features the Brass Departments finest young musicians on the DfES specialist music scheme.
As Sir Malcolm Arnold was a distinguished trumpet player, there seems no more fitting event than an evening that will celebrate these 2 anniversaries. The concert will feature, amongst others, all his brass unaccompanied Fantasy’s for trumpet, trombone, horn and tuba, his Trumpet Concerto, various fanfares, his 2 brass quintets and Sir Malcom’s demanding Symphony for Brass.
The concert will be held in the school’s 16th century recital hall and features the Brass Departments finest young musicians on the DfES specialist music scheme.
Paul Denegri HonARAM FTCL LTCL