Sunday Bandstand 25 March 2018

Sunday Bandstand 25 March 2018

It has been reported in the band press that Riki McDonnell QSM from New Zealand someone who devoted his life to music sadly passed away on the 17 March 2018.

He entered the brass band world in 1969 and in 1971 he won the New Zealand Junior Tenor Horn title and the following year he won the New Zealand Open Horn title. This was the start of 20 Open titles he won on tenor horn, flugel horn and euphonium. Winning more titles than any other competitor in New Zealand’s 120 years banding history and the only person to win the Champion of Champions on three different instruments.

Other successes include winning the Australian Open, Champion of Champions the Ern Keller Memorial titles (1991). He represented New Zealand in three National Youth Bands and four National Bands, touring North America, Asia, Europe and UK, featuring as soloist. His musical highlights included, performing to 250,000 concert goers at 'Symphony Under the Stars' and winning the Errol Mason Memorial Brass Musician of the Year (1993).

Composers and arrangers have been commissioned to write for him, prompting three very popular CD recordings: Midnight Euphonium with Faireys, Operatic Euphonium with Grimethorpe Colliery and Euphonium Songbook with The Marple Band. Major Peter Parkes directed Midnight Euphonium, Garry Cutt directed Operatic Euphonium and Euphonium Songbook. Philip Sparke expertly produced all three CDs.

He performed many times with the Auckland, Christchurch and New Zealand Symphony Orchestras and performed with brass and concert bands throughout the world. In 2001 he joined Grimethorpe Colliery on their Brassed Off tour of New Zealand and Hong Kong, playing baritone.

We send condolences to his family and friends - Riki is featured on this week's show

Playlist 25 March 2018

Rhythm and Blues – Philip Sparke   Opening for weekly show Foden's Band MD: Michael Fowles - 2010
Heralds of the Dawn - Dean Goffin Amsterdam Staff Band (The Netherlands) BM: Howard J. Evans - 2001
Vizcaya - Gilbert Vinter Hammonds Sauce Works Band MD: Geoffrey Whitham - 1980
Glasnost - Dizzy Stratford (Just one of the pseudonyms Jacob de Haan has used) Band of the Royal Netherlands Air Force (The Netherlands) MD: Henk Heins - 1989
Daydream - Frode Thingnaes Euphonium Soloist Tormod Flaten with the Bergen Symphonic Band (Norway) MD: Martin Winter - 2005
Rocky Mountain Overture (1997) - John Burge Hannaford Street Silver Band (Canada) MD: Bramwell Tovey - 2000
Reflections in Nature - Robert Redhead Boscombe Band of the Salvation Army BM: Howard J. Evans - 2018
Norma with variations - Bellini arr: Jean Baptiste Arban Cornet Soloist Huug Steketee with piano accompaniment by Tobias Bosboom (The Netherlands) - 2018
Themes from the New World Symphony 4th mvt Finale - Dvorak arr: Ray Steadman-Allen  New York Staff Band of the Salvation Army (USA) BM: Derek Smith - 1978
I'll Go where the Music Take Me - Jimmy James arr: Bob Hartley Brighouse and Rastrick Band MD: Derek Broadbent - 1979
Rondo - Henry Purcell arr: Jan de Haan  Desford Colliery Caterpillar Band MD: James Watson - 1989
Remembrance - Bertrand Moren Sorum Musikklag (Norway) MD:  Christian Tenfjord - 2012
Anna Karenina – Helen Johnstone Euphonium Soloist Riki McDonnell with the Marple Band MD: Gary Cutt - 1999
All I Ask Of You - Andrew Lloyd Webber arr: Chris Mowat Trombone Soloist Nick Hudson with the Tredegar Town Band MD: Thomas Wyss - 1999
Hail Redeemer, King Divine (King Divine) - Charles Rigby arr: Patrick Brennan The Manchester Chorale & the St Michael's Singers with the Leyland Band MD: Russell Gray - 2006
Petite Suite (3 mvts) Claude Debussy arr: Major Peter Parkes  Grimethorpe Colliery Band MD: Major Peter Parkes - 1998
Festival Polka - Jerker Johanson  Gothenburg Brass Band (Sweden) MD: Bengt Ekland - 1994
Hine E Hine - Traditional arr: Peter Maunder Euphonium Soloist Riki McDonnell with the Marple Band MD: Gary Cutt - 2009
Collingwood - March - George Dickens Melbourne Staff Band (Australia) BM: Colin Woods - 1978
Rhythm and Blues – Philip Sparke   Closing for weekly show Foden's Band MD: Michael Fowles - 2010

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