The Stavanger Band is poised to fly into the UK from Norway to give a spectacular concert at Durham Cathedral on 14th July, as part of BRASS: Durham International Festival.

Conductors Course

The band and conductor will then be in residence the following day (15th) at Durham Gala Theatre, hosting a one-day Conductors’ Course.

The concert on 14th July, which commences at 7.30pm, will present 'Bach and Beyond', incorporating special choreography and tracing the history of the simple hymn, from Bach’s 'St. Mathew Passion', to the more contemporary sounds of 'A Whiter Shade of Pale and Gospel' – perfect for the spectacular Cathedral setting.

Stunning

The programme will open with Giovanni Gabrielli’s brass antiphonal 'Sonata XX', written around 1555 for five brass choirs, which will be positioned around Durham Cathedral.

This leads into John Williams’ 'Sound the Bells', originally written for brass and percussion, and later orchestrated for the Boston Pops Orchestra’s tour of Japan in 1993.

Philip Sparke’s 'Concerto Grosso', featuring many of the band's leading soloists comes next and is, says Stavanger’s Professional Conductor, Allan Withington: "A form of composition dating back to Baroque times, in which the solo group is pitted against the larger group."

Stavanger will move towards the interval with excerpts from Elgar’s 'Enigma Variations' and Maurice Hamer’s evocative 'The Power of the Soul' – written for the Norwegian National Championships in 2011.

Bach and Beyond attempts to explore the development of the chorale, the influence of J. S. Bach on later music and how the hymn and anthem have been used to accompany the changes, developments and conflicts in an ever more complex societyAllan Withington

Bach and Beyond

The concert’s second-half will be given to the main theme, 'Bach and Beyond' — an Oratorio for brass band and four soloists arranged by Allan Withington, Robin Dewhurst and Jacob Vilhelm Larsen.

The soloist will be Eva Bortne, Astrid Tynning, Per Illguth and Ingvild Rosenberg.

Explaining the piece, Allan Withington commented to 4BR: "The inspiration for this idea comes directly from J. S. Bach’s 'St. Matthew Passion'. The idea of using four soloists together both compliments and contrasts the 'Concerto Grosso' used in the first-half.

"Bach and Beyond attempts to explore the development of the chorale, the influence of J. S. Bach on later music and how the hymn and anthem have been used to accompany the changes, developments and conflicts in an ever more complex society."

He concluded: "Hymns and anthems are sometimes used to unite different creeds and colours, but also as a ‘call-to-arms’. I would rather not elaborate more on the content of the second-half, as this would spoil the overall effect of the show."

Stavanger has also planned an encore to take the use of the chorale to a final conclusion,

Tickets

For tickets, call Durham Gala Theatre Box Office on 0191 332 4041. Or book online at: www.brassfestival.co.uk

Conductors Course

Delegates on the one-day Conductors’ Course hosted by Allan Withington and Stavanger Band on 15 July in Durham Gala Theatre, will benefit from a 25% discount on the band’s 14 July Cathedral concert tickets.

Conductors’ Course delegates, the concert has the added value of showcasing both of the pieces that they will study the following day – 'The Power of the Soul' and 'Enigma Variations'.