May 2011 Wells Cathedral School: Malcolm Arnold 90th anniversary concert
In recognition of 90th anniversary this year of Sir Malcolm Arnold’s birth, Wells Cathedral School presents a special concert on May 13th, ‘England Labour and Love’, featuring Sir Malcolm’s music for brass. Wells Cathedral School’s Brass Department will this year also be celebrating its 25th anniversary as a DfES Specialist department, when the first brass specialists, Matthew Gunner (horn) and Ceri McInally (tuba) arrived, along with the current Head of Brass Paul Denegri in 1986.
As Sir Malcolm was a distinguished trumpet player and he held a keen interest in young musicians, 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 ‘Fantasies’ for trumpet, trombone, horn and tuba, his ‘Trumpet Concerto’, various fanfares, his 2 brass quintets and Sir Malcolm’s demanding ‘Symphony for Brass’. The concert, which starts at 7.30pm, will be held in the school’s 16th century recital hall and will feature the Brass Department’s finest young musicians on the CfES specialist music scheme.
For further information: Tel 01749 934483
Paul Denegri, Hon ARAM, FTCL, LTCL.
April 2011 A special reunion event will take place at the Barbican on 12 April. Many of the original actors who played the ‘girls’ in the 1954 film The Belles of St Trinians will gather together on stage at Cinema 1 at 6pm, prior to a screening of this iconic film.
With a glorious score by Malcolm Arnold, The Belles of St Trinians is based on cartoons by the artist Ronald Searle. The stellar cast is led by Alastair Sim as the unorthodox headmistress of a prestigious boarding school for “young ladies”, George Cole as wide-boy “flash Harry”, Joyce Grenfell, Hermione Baddeley, Beryl Reid, Irene Handl and Joan Sims. Directed by Frank Launder, the anarchy, mayhem and laughter to be found in this very British film has never been bettered. To book tickets and for further information click here: http://www.barbican.org.uk/film/event-detail.asp?ID=12032
December 2010
The death of Richard Adeney (1920–2010), one of the leading flautists of our age, was announced on 16 December 2010. The passing of this fine musician, at the age of 91, was sad news to music lovers everywhere - but most especially in the UK, where he played a significant role in British musical life for well over 60 years. A life long friend and professional colleague of Malcolm Arnold, whom he first met during their teenage years together at the Royal College of Music, Richard Adeney was the inspiration for many of Malcolm Arnold's works featuring the flute. The Grand Fantasia for Flute, Trumpet and Piano (1938), Sonata for Flute and Piano (1942), Sonatina for Flute and Piano Op. 19 (1948), Concerto for Flute and Strings Op. 45 (1954),and the Concerto No 2 for Flute and Orchestra Op. 111(1973) were all dedicated to, and first performed by, Richard Adeney.
As Principal Flute with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the English Chamber Orchestra and founder member of the Melos Ensemble, Richard Adeney also played in many world premiere performances and recordings of Malcolm Arnold’s orchestral works.
October 2010
John Gibbons continues his complete cycle of Malcolm Arnold symphonies with the Ealing Symphony Orchestra - Symphony 5 will be performed on October 9th at St Martin's Church in Acton. This acclaimed conductor discusses Arnold's place in the history of the symphony in the 20th century. Read more
October 2010
Paul Harris, Artistic Director of the Malcolm Arnold Festival, speaks about his plans for the 5th Malcolm Arnold Festival, the weekend of 16th and 17 October 2010, at the Royal & Derngate, Northampton. (Box office opens on 23 April: Tel. 01604 624811)
"The Theme for this year's Festival will be Stage & Screen. Ideal mediums for Sit Malcolm's gloriously colourful, evocative and melodic music. In fact Sir Malcolm wrote the scores for over 70 major feature films - indeed in the 50s and 60s he was one of the most sought after film composers, both here and in Hollywood. There are 5 ballets, one musical and a fascinating assortment of incidental music. We shall be exploring each of these genres in this year's Festival, which will be launched by the legendary actress Hayley Mills, star of 'Whistle down the Wind'. During the launch 12 trumpeters from the award winning Northampton County Youth Orchestra will play Sir Malcolm's exuberant and high-spirited 'Hoffnung Fanfare' "... Read more
October 2010 To mark the 50th Anniversary of its composition, Sir Malcolm Arnold's spectacular and exuburant Hoffnung Fanfare heralds the opening of the 2010 Arnold Festival at the Royal & Derngate, with a performance given by 12 trumpeters from the award winning Northampton County Youth Orchestra. James Olcott, founder of Triplo Press and Professor of Trumpet at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, recalls how he first discovered, and came to publish, this remarkable work. Read more
July 2010
The 1959 film ‘The Boy and the Bridge’ – directed by Kevin McClory with music by Malcolm Arnold – is to receive an all too rare screening this July. The British Film Institute will show this atmospheric and evocative film at 3pm on July 17, at the South Bank’s National Film Theatre 1. The film will be introduced by Robin Baker, Head Curator at the BFI Archives . Read more
June 2010
Malcolm Arnold chosen for proposed new academy name. The David Ross Foundation is pleased to announce that its proposed new academy in Northampton will be called the Malcolm Arnold Academy. Over 400 students and staff submitted their suggestions for a name for the proposed new academy. Malcolm Arnold was the most popular choice for a unique academy name. Read more
March 2010
The Stockholm Chamber Brass new release of Malcolm Arnold's Brass Quintet No1, Op 73 (BIS-CD 1438)
Gramophone Magazine, April 2010 – Richard Whitehouse
‘Malcolm Arnold’s First Quintet (1961) remains a model of how to invest the classical formal sequence with an immediately identifiable personality and a technical expertise acquirable only “from the inside”… a disc that, finely recorded and well annotated, deserves to be in the collection of more than just brass buffs’
November 2009 The Hitchin Symphony Orchestra was in celebration mode this November! With 4 major anniversaries to their credit - the 80th year of the orchestra’s founding, the 70th birthday year of the HSO’s President, John McCabe, the 40th anniversary of its Leader, Janet Hicks, and the 25th anniversary of their conductor Paul Adrian Rooke – a special concert was given by the orchestra on Saturday 21 November at St Mary’s Church, Hitchin. The programme, conducted by Paul Adrian Rooke, featured Sir Malcolm Arnold’s Symphony 3, Wagner’s Prelude to Act 3 of Lohengrin and Standford’s Violin Concerto.
October 2009 The conductor John Gibbons discusses Arnold’s Symphonic status with particular reference to the Fourth Symphony - a work he conducted in two concerts this October, including the gala evening at this year's 'Malcolm Arnold Festival' in Northampton. Read more
October 2010 The Fourth Malcolm Arnold Festival
I am delighted to be able to announce details of the Fourth Malcolm Arnold Festival, which will be taking place over the weekend of October 24th, and 25th at our home in the Royal and Derngate Theatre, Northampton. Read More
October 2009
The fourth Malcolm Arnold Festival - Artistic Director Paul Harris
With the glorious sound of Malcolm Arnold’s 'Four Fanfares' for brass played by members of the NCO, the start of the fourth Malcolm Arnold Festival was heralded in true style at Northampton’s Royal & Derngate Theatre, on October 24th. In the presence of music lovers from throughout the UK and abroad, the eminent composer and pianist John McCabe CBE was invited by Paul Harris to officially launch this year’s exciting programme of events, including concerts, films and talks. Read more
October 2009 The Fourth Malcolm Arnold Festival
I am delighted to be able to announce details of the Fourth Malcolm Arnold Festival, which will be taking place over the weekend of October 24th, and 25th at our home in the Royal and Derngate Theatre, Northampton. Read More
October 2009
The first Padstow Arts Festival takes place in early October, Friday the 2nd to Sunday the 4th. It will focus on being a celebration for two eminent former residents, Sir Malcolm Arnold, composer and Sir John Betjeman, poet and man of letters. Read More
October 2009 This autumn sees the release of an important and exciting new addition to the expanding Arnold/Chandos recording catalogue: Sir Malcolm Arnold – Ballet Music CHAN 10550, with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Rumon Gamba Rumon Gamba’s reading of the Arnold ballet scores on this disc – ‘Electra’, ‘Rinaldo & Armida’, and the two suites from ‘Homage to the Queen’ and ‘Sweeney Todd’ – shows once again the empathy and feeling this fine conductor has for Sir Malcolm’s music. The BBC Philharmonic deliver performances that combine all the sweep and élan needed for ballet music containing such brilliant colours; whilst in the haunting lyrical passages of ‘Rinaldo & Armida’ and ‘Homage to the Queen’ especially, their playing is at once nuanced and sensitive.
Read more
October 2009 In the glorious North Cornwall venues of Prideaux Place and St Petroc's Church, the very first ‘Padstow Arts Festival’ took place between the 2nd and the 4th October. The Festival celebrated the life and work of two of the town’s former residents, Sir Malcolm Arnold and Sir John Betjeman. Read More
October 2009 The Salieri Quartet has Malcolm Arnold's 'String Quartet 2' firmly established within their repertoire. Their leader, Nick Barnard, reflects on this profound work - and the process of bringing it to performance - with fascinating insight. Read more
September 2009
Last night of the Proms: “A Grand, Grand Festival Overture” Reviews
The Sunday Telegraph, 13 September 2009
Classical music critic, Geoffrey Norris, reviews the last night of the Proms.
Vacuum cleaners and a floor-polisher were the bizarre stars of the evening. The 115th season of BBC Proms ended last night with the usual balloon-popping, flag-waving and lusty singing of "Land of Hope and Glory", but the novelty item, embellished with household appliances and rifle shots, came in the shape of Sir Malcolm Arnold's eight-minute "Grand, Grand Overture".
Consternation has often been expressed that Arnold, who died in 2006, has received little or no recognition at the Proms in recent years despite his major contributions to the film and concert repertoires, and, if the overture cannot be counted among his more serious works, it does at least show that he could cock a snook with the best of them. Read more
June 2009 Musicologist Dr Raphael Thoene, author of 'Malcolm Arnold - A Composer of Real Music: Symphonic Writing, Style and Aesthetics' (pub:Entercom Saurus) was interviewed on the subject of Malcolm Arnold's music for 'Music Academy onLIVE' on June 15th 2009.
April 2009 The Three Musketeers go to the Baltic in 2009 Read More
The Three Musketeers. An interview by Liina Viru, Literary Editor of the Estonian National Opera, with the Choreographer/Stage Director David Nixon (Northern Ballet Theatre), Set Designer Charles Cusick Smith, and dancers from the Estonian National Ballet, on the eve of their premiere of The Three Musketeers in Tallinn on 23 April. Read more
February 2009 Moritz Ernst plays Malcolm Arnold
Moritz Ernst has released a new all-Arnold CD on the Entercom Saurus label. The recording comprises major works from the Arnold catalogue, alongside several of the composer’s smaller piano pieces - gems rarely heard in the concert hall, still less available on CD. Read More
November 2008 Vernon Handley, CBE (1930-2008) / Richard Hickox, CBE (1948-2008)
The passing of any great musician and performer is a sad time for music lovers the world over. With the recent deaths this year of two of our leading conductors - Vernon Handley on September 10, and Richard Hickox on November 24 - we have indeed lost two of the greatest interpreters, and passionate champions, of British music of our time. Read More
October 2008 - Paul Harris announces his plans for this year’s Malcolm Arnold Festival!Read More
September 2008 - Newly published works from Queen's Temple PublicationsRead More
June 2008 - 'Homage to the Queen' to travel to China and JapanRead More
November 2007 - Arnold Sinfonia: Inaugural concert took place on 18th November 2007Read More
November 2007 - British Music Festival, featuring the music of Sir Malcolm Arnold, At St Petersburg, Russia November 2007 Read More
July 2007 - Malcolm Arnold - A Composer of Real Music: Symphonic Writing, Style and Aesthetics (R. Thoene/Entercom Saurus. ISBN 978-3937748061)Read More
October 2006
Premier recording of Malcolm Arnold's stunning new ballet The Three Musketeers now released on the Quartz Label Read More
October, 2006 - Sir Malcolm Arnold: Burlesque for horn and orchestra (world premiere)Read More
September 2006 Decca announce Arnold edition Read More
September 2006 Bright Jewels music from the 1940's and 1950's (Review)Read More
Andrew McGregor, presenter of BBC Radio 3 CD Review, looks at the comprehensive survey of Arnold’s orchestral works on Decca, originally intended for release as an 85th birthday tribute Read More
June 2006 - It is marvellous news for all Arnoldophiles that in the coming months we shall see new productions of two of Arnold’s most popular works. Read More
June 2006 - Encomium for Sir Malcolm Arnold at the time of the award of an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Northampton Read More
October 2005- Sir Malcolm Arnold and the Birmingham Philharmonic Orchestra Read More
August 2005 - Sir Malcolm Arnold Honoured with ISM AwardRead More
September 2004 - A Feast of Vintage Arnold in the Autumn A veritable feast of orchestral and brass band music by Sir Malcolm Arnold has been announced as part of the London Philharmonic Orchestra's 2004/5 season at London's Royal Festival Hall in September. Read More
September 2004 - Malcolm Arnold: Rogue Genius (A. Meredith & P. Harris/ElkinISBN 090341354X.) - David Mellor writes of Tony Meredith and Paul HarrisRead More
September 2004 - New video - Towards an Unknown Region released on video - acclaimed film maker Tony Palmer's portrait of Sir Malcolm, made for TV's South Bank Show, is now available on DVD and VHS video.Follow this link to buy online.
February 2003 - The Life and Music of Sir Malcolm Arnold: The Brilliant and the Dark (P.W.R. Jackson/Ashgate. ISBN 1859283810)Read More
January-April 2003 - A "Malcolm Arnold Fiesta" takes place in Texas from January to April this year with performances of many Arnold works attended by. Sir Malcolm and Anthony Day. Read More
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