Mead records with Buizingen

Ten years since Steven Mead recorded his award-winning album ‘Euphonium Virtuoso’ with Brass Band Buizingen (BBB) and conductor Luc Vertommen, the star soloist, band and conductor meet in the studio once again.

As with all of Steve’s albums, it is repertoire driven, with several of the works arranged by BBB's talented MD, Luc Vertommen. The recording took place in Belgium's Cultural Centre 'Stromming’ (Berlare) earliet this month. The natural resonant acoustic of this hall, much loved by other bands and orchestras made for a superb recording with the highly respected Richard Scott travelling from the UK to produce and engineer.  

 There are two main works on the new album, to be released in October this year. The first is the Euphonium Concerto No.1 by John Golland, first performed by Robert Childs and the Grimethorpe Colliery Band in Perth, Australia, in March 1982.  This magnificent concerto deserves far more performances than it gets, with its huge range of emotions and supreme writing for the instrument a major feature.  Steven is grateful to the Golland Trust for its assistance in making this performance possible.

The American composer, Frank Proto, composed his dazzling Capriccio di Niccolo  for trumpeter Doc Severinson and the Boston Pops Orchestra. Luc Vertommen has made a quite incredible transcription, with the composer’s permission, of this 16 minute virtuoso fantasy on the ‘famous’ theme from Paganini.  This is sure to become a highly sought-after work within the brass band movement. Audiences will absolutely love it. Staying  with the music of Paganini,  Steve also recorded the fearsome technical extravaganza La Campanella (from Violin Concerto No.2), which the soloist suggests is the hardest technical work he has ever recorded in the studio!  

There are also some stunning lyrical works included, Michelangelo (Dagsland),  In Gardens of Peace ( Phillip Harper),  The Auld Noost (Arr. Tony Swainson), and one of the most beautiful songs of Gustav Mahler ‘Ich bin der Welt’  from his Rückert-Lieder, that saw the addition of a harp,  and a church bell to the brass band score.

One work from the pen of the American jazz virtuoso euphonium player David Bandman, the mexican-inspired La Corrida de Toros, is also included, demanding a stratospheric range from the soloist. Haydn's Hungarian Rondo, Stan Nieuwenhuis’s Mayfly Blues and Leoncavallo’s Serenade Napolitaine complete the programme. 

Following the recording Luc Vertommen told BBW: “It was a great weekend recording with Steven Mead and Brassband Buizingen. The godfather of the euphonium was in amazing form throughout, playing some great repertoire”.

In response, Steven paid tribute to the band: “The band’s concentration and professionalism from start to finish with this project was absolutely first-class. It was a real pleasure to be involved in the making of this album, and I feel pretty sure that people will enjoy this a lot. The band kept its concentration even though the first night of the recording coincided with the European Championship match between Belgium and Wales, which of course Wales won! Luc’s  arrangements are just out of this world, and hopefully many players will get to tackle these in the years to come.”

Steven’s busy summer is now in full flow with two summer festivals in Spain, a summer  festival in Val di Sol, Trentino, Italy,  an outdoor concert in Reid, Austria, a summer band course in Trakai, Lithuania, and then he’s Artistic Director of the Jeju International Wind Ensemble Festival in South Korea (8-16 August). At the end of August he will most definitely be putting his feet up!

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