Sunday Bandstand 29 April 2018

Sunday Bandstand 29 April 2018

Michael Ball was born in Manchester in 1946. As a Ralph Vaughan Williams Trust Scholar at the Royal College of Music, he studied with Herbert Howells, Humphrey Searle and John Lambert.

In 1970 he was one of four students selected to take part in master classes with Nadia Boulanger on her visit to the RCM and in the same year was awarded all the major composition prizes of the College, including the Octavia Travelling Scholarship, which he used to study with Franco Donatoni in Italy during the summers of 1972 and 1973.

He has received many commissions, including five from the BBC over the last ten years, and has written several large-scale works for orchestra.

He has written for wind and brass number Chaucer's Tunes (premièred at the 1993 BASBWE Conference by Stockport School Wind Band), Frontier! (1984), selected as test-piece for the 1987 European Brass Band Championships and again for the regional finals of the Championship Section of the National Brass Band Championships in 1992 and Midsummer Music, commissioned by Paul Hindmarsh for Besses o'th'Barn Band in 1991.

Whitsun Wakes, was commissioned by the BBC and first performed by the Black Dyke Band, conductor James Watson at the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester on 26 May 1997, as part of the BBC 'Music Live!' Festival. It was subsequently selected as test-piece for the 1997 British Open Brass Band Championship.

His major work Frontier is featured on this week's show

Playlist 29 April 2018

Rhythm and Blues – Philip Sparke   Opening for weekly show Foden's Band MD: Michael Fowles - 2010
Prelude For An Occasion - Edward Gregson  Houston Brass Band (USA) MD: Robert Walp - 2011
An Epic Symphony - Percy Fletcher  Grimethorpe Colliery Band MD: Major Peter Parkes - 1997
Emerald Skies - Paul Lovatt-Cooper Cornet Soloist Jim Hayes with the Cooperative Funeral Care Band MD: Michael Fowles - 2013
Viva Rimmer - John Whittle  BNFL Band MD: Richard Evans - 1996
Scherzo for Euphonium and Piano - Asaad Hamzy Euphonium Soloist Mark Glover with piano accompaniment from Dr. Viktoriya Zaharieva - 2018
La Storia - Jacob de Haan Brighouse and Rastrick Band MD: Jan de Haan - 1998
T(w)o the Limit - Andre Waignein Cornet Soloist Weibe Buis & Eb Bass Soloist Kerst Buis with the Soloi Deo Gloria Band (The Netherlands) MD: Jan De Haan - 1994
Road To Run - Paul Lovatt-Cooper Black Dyke Band MD: Professor Nicholas Childs - 2017
Nightmare from Cry of the Celts - Hardiman and Dudley arr: Peter Graham Yorkshire Building Society Band MD: David King - 1997
Hungarian Dance - Brahms (vers. Rafael Mendez) arr: Derek Barnes Cornet Soloist Jim Davies with the Brighouse and Rastrick Band MD: David Hirst - 1997
Frontier! - Michael Ball Williams Fairey Band MD: Major Peter Parkes - 1991
American Dances 1.Country  2.Tempo Di Blues  3.Jazz - Bertrand Moren Brass Band 13 Etoiles (Switzerland) MD: Geo-Pierre Moren - 2003
Winter from The Four Seasons - Vivaldi arr: Howard Snell Howard Snell Brass MD: Howard Snell - 1991
Prelude On A Hymn Of Praise - James Curnow  Black Dyke Band MD: James Watson - 1997
A Ted Heath Tribute Big Band Set: 1) Opus One Sy Oliver  2) Memories of You Eubie Blake Trumpet Soloist David Smith 3) South Rampart Street Parade Ray Bauduc & Bob Haggart - arr: Bill Geldard Desford Colliery (Matsuura Machinery plc) MD: Eric Crees - 1997
Roses For A Princess - Traditional arr Andrew Duncan Whitburn Band MD: Andrew Duncan - 2004
Carnival Of The Animals - Finale - Saint Seans arr: Gordon Langford  Black Dyke Mills Band MD: Major Peter Parkes - 1984
Rhythm and Blues – Philip Sparke   Closing for weekly show Foden's Band MD: Michael Fowles - 2010

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