Containing ten new works for brass and with all except one work commissioned by Onyx Brass, The sun is free to flow with the sea is a celebration of not only our reaching the grand old age of 30, but also of the ethos of the group from its inception three decades ago. We are proud to be presenting this on the NMC Recordings label who also recorded our other major commissioning project, Onyx Noir
Composers included are Simon Dobson, Bobbie-Jane Gardner, Emily Hall, Charlotte Harding, Zoë Martlew, Roxanna Panufnik, Yshani Perinpanayagam, Mark-Anthony Turnage and Errollyn Wallen. Each were given a free brief and the pieces range from a single instrument fanfare to large scale multi-movement works.
Amos Miller, trombonist and founding member of Onyx, writes:
“Beyond ballpark timings (which in many cases have been generously exceeded), the composers were given a free brief as to content and we are thrilled by the freedom with which they have expressed themselves. They all have a sensational empathy and understanding as to the physical/technical challenges we face as brass players, and have also all imbued their works with a scintillating sense of themselves […] I am proud of all our records over the years but, for me, this is the one that feels like it might be the most ‘us’ and true to the idealistic spirit we had back in 1993. We may have been slimmer and with more hair back then, but I feel that I can still recognise ourselves!”
To celebrate its release, we will be hosting a special launch event on 26th June in London with us performing various works from the recording alongside a Q&A with a number of the composers. For info and tickets, please click here.
To purchase your copy, download or stream, follow this link to the NMC website