ONYX BRASS

Tag Archive for John Wilson

Awards for Festmusik

Coming to the end of the year and a number of publications and commentators are pulling together their best recordings of 2021 and its good to see Festmusik: A Legacy is receiving its fair share of attention. First piece of silverware has been awarded by the website, 4 Bars Rest, and its CD of the…

Festmusik: A Legacy Released

We are pleased to announce that our latest recording, Festmusik: A Legacy is now available to the general public. Recorded by Chandos Records, it’s available in multiple formats across all the major streaming services, it’s another collaboration with the award winning conductor John Wilson, the acclaimed British brass chamber group, Septura and other talented friends that is guaranteed to raise the roof. For more information about the genesis of the whole project, take a look at the full promotional release video including an interview with David Gordon Shute that gives an idea of the decades of planning that has gone into the project.

To purchase a copy or stream and to find out more information on the music we have recorded on the release, click here.

Dave gives the back story to Festmusik: A Legacy

A Letter from Johannes Brahms

This latest recording project upon which Onyx have embarked has been extraordinary in all sorts of ways. It consists of almost exactly half chamber music and half large brass ensemble with our friend John Wilson directing us. There is a specific reason for these repertoire choices: every single piece which has been chosen was selected…

Festmusik: A Legacy to be released on 30 April

News hot off the press is that the long anticipated release of Festmusik: A Legacy is to happen on 30th April 2021. Recorded by Chandos Records, it features Onyx alongside John Wilson and Septura in an uplifting new rendition of the eponymous Strauss work for brass. Alongside this are new transcriptions of Zwei Gesänge by…

Festmusik is getting closer

All the audio editing is done, now it’s the turn of the video. Here are some stills from the three big pieces that are coming your way on our new John Wilson/Chandos Records recording, A Legacy. Alongside Festmusik der Stadt Wien there are new transcriptions of two gorgeous sixteen part Strauss motets, Der Abend and…

Onyx Brass record Festmusik by Richard Strauss with John Wilson

Festmusik der Stadt Wien, Onyx Brass, John Wilson

Over the weekend of 4/5 October, we got together along with a few friends to record a new disc for Chandos Records. Revisiting our collaboration with John Wilson from Fanfares, the recording has Festmusik der Stadt Wien by Richard Strauss as its centrepiece and brought together the finest brass-playing talent from across Britain.

Also included on the disc will be new arrangements of vocal motets, again by Strauss and smaller scale transcriptions for the quintet of music by Brahms, Schumann, Mendelssohn, Rubinstein and Franz.

We will keep you posted with the release date.

Here is the line up:

Trumpets – Alan Thomas, Niall Keatley, Philip Cobb, James Fountain, Christian Barraclough, Simon Cox, Ryan Linham, Catherine Knight, Richard Blake, Matthew Williams
Trombones – Amos Miller, Peter Moore, Matthew Gee, Matthew Knight, Richard Watkin
Bass Trombones – Dan West, Paul Lambert
Tubas – David Gordon Shute Sasha Koushk-Jalali
Horns – Andrew Sutton, David Pyatt
Timpani – Scott Bywater

Fanfares and Onyx Noir reviewed in Gramophone Magazine

It’s always a good day when you get a recording review in Gramophone and we have had one or two over twenty five years. However imagine our joy to find out that in the June issue we have reviews for Fanfares and Onyx Noir. The Chandos Fanfares with John Wilson is described as a “superb…