Monday, 9 January 2012
The trip to the Besson factory in Markneukirchen Germany was a success. I was asked to test about 40 euphoniums and baritones off the production line and had the pleasure of selecting a new instrument for myself.
Having the opportunity to select my own instrument is a privilege I don'92t take for granted, but to be honest it was really difficult! All the instruments were superb so it was hard deciding which one I liked the best. In the end I tossed a coin and have ended up with a beautiful instrument.
Just one wall of Besson's August euphonium production.
As a performer there are venues you dream about performing in; the likes of the Royal Albert Hall, Carnegie Hall and Sydney Opera House. However, near the top of my list has always been Amsterdam'92s Concertgebouw '96 home to the world renowned Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. On August 28th I had the honor of performing the Karl Jenkins'92 Concerto in the Concertgebouw as part of the Holland Brass Festival, and in doing so fulfilled one of my many musical ambitions.
It is a remarkable auditorium'85 a fantastic acoustic, so simplistic in design and full of history. The performance was made extra special for me as I was accompanied by the Cory band and conducted by my father Robert. It was also his first time to perform in the Concertgebouw, and to see him walk down the famous Maestro'92s staircase onto the stage was a very proud moment for me.
The Concertgebouw Amsterdam
Following the concert I'92d have normally headed to the airport for a quick flight home to the UK, but as my wife was pregnant and unable to fly we returned home the same way we arrived, by train! It felt like a '91Top Gear'92 challenge trying to get from Amsterdam to Cardiff without flying, but it was actually quite relaxing and the company was great!
Just a week after the Concertgebouw performance I found myself on the stage of Symphony Hall Birmingham, again with the Cory band, this time performing Philip Wilby'92s '91Red Priest'92 at the British Open Championships. All the big bands were there too; Black Dyke, Fodens, Grimethorpe, Brighouse & Rastrick etc. However, Cory were judged to give the winning performance beating all the other bands to become British Open Champions once again.
The icing on the cake was giving a concert in Symphony Hall the following day when Cory & Black Dyke joined forces to form a 60 strong band with my father and uncle taking it in turns to conduct! What a sound'85
During Cory'92s winning performance of Wilby's '91Red Priest'92
David celebrates with his section + The combined euphonium sections of Black Dyke and Cory.
After concerts at the Wales Millennium Centre, Cheltenham Race Course, and a trip to Paris it was time for something a little different! My father was out of the country so in his absence I was asked if I'92d conduct the Cory Band in concert! I'92d conducted Cory before in rehearsals and the odd piece or two in concert, but I'92d never been asked to present and conduct an entire show!
Excited (and a little anxious) about the whole thing I prepared thoroughly and we delivered a superb new concert programme including works by Strauss, Rimsky-Korsakov, Smetana, Karl Jenkins and Bernstein to name a few! The audience went away happy and so did I. Here'92s a clip of Smetana'92s Bartered Bride Overture from the concert.
Cory band perform Smetana'92s Bartered Bride Overture
Directly after the concert the baton went away and the euphonium was back out and on its way to the airport. Our destination was Malta to give the Maltese premiere of the Karl Jenkins Concerto with Wind Orchestra under the direction of Maestro Hermann Frantz.
I'92d never been to Malta before and as I was only in the country for less than 24 hours I didn'92t get to see much of it at all. However, I did spend some quality time with the orchestra'92s musicians. We had a great concert and shared a few drinks together before I headed back to the hotel and marked the occasion with an appropriate midnight snack!
My Maltese snack + the view from my hotel.
After a fairly local guest soloist concert in the Forest of Dean and a soundtrack recording with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales it was '91next stop'92 Royal Albert Hall. The main event here was the 100th National Brass Band Championships of Great Britain; however Cory were also giving the Gala Concert.
We were placed 3rd out of twenty bands in the competition which was less than ideal in many respects, but still a good result in what has always been a very subjective business. Following the disappointment of the competition the Gala Concert was a huge thrill for me; once again I had been programmed to perform the Karl Jenkins Concerto.
It went as well as it could have and to top it off Karl and his wife Carol had made the journey from Wales to hear the performance. After a day of highs and lows it was great to spend the evening with Karl and my family, before heading out to one of Kensington'92s casinos with a couple of friends where my luck took a change for the better!
Karl & I on stage with Cory & my Dad following the Concerto performance.
I'92d made sure to keep my diary free of any engagements too far away from home following the Royal Albert Hall meaning I had quite a bit of '91free'92 time towards the end of October and beginning of November to be there for my wife Joanne in the latter stages of her pregnancy.
I spent some of my time turning our guest bedroom into a 'Winnie the Pooh' nursery, assembling a variety of baby related furniture, I learned how to operate a travel system (pram/ pushchair/ car seat combo!), and generally began to panic as the birth of our first child drew nearer!
After a fair bit of drama Joanne finally gave birth to our beautiful son Benjamin Robert Childs on November 8th (a week early) and made me the happiest man on the planet.
Benjamin minutes after he'92d been born + Having a rest at 3 weeks old.
Getting things ready! The 'Pooh Bear' wardrobes took me much longer than they should have!
Everyone told me becoming a Dad would be '91life changing'92, and they were not wrong! '91Life enhancing'92 is probably nearer the mark though'85 it really is a very special feeling. Benjamin is a beautiful boy - he clearly takes after his mum!
Apart from not having any sleep for a couple of weeks after he was born, and learning how to secure a nappy the hard way, all is going well with parenthood. At this stage we have no idea whether he'92ll take to music '96 the choice will be his. I am however certain he will be a Manchester United Supporter!
Benjamin models his Man Utd away kit!
The Scottish Open was my first outing of any distance following the arrival of Benjamin, and it wasn'92t a disappointing trip. The Perth Concert Hall has a reputation as one of the best in the UK and I was there together with trumpet legend John Wallace and cornet virtuoso Ian Porthouse to adjudicate some of Scotland'92s finest youth bands.
It was a pleasure to hear so much fine music making from the young musicians and witness their enjoyment in performing for an audience. In my view Scotland really is leading the way when it comes to youth brass development in the UK and long may their good work continue.
With fellow adjudicator Ian Porthouse at the Perth Concert Hall
Playing solos with bands, wind bands and orchestras is a huge thrill and always a special experience, but there is something about playing with piano which I enjoy now more than ever before. I think it'92s partly because I don'92t do it so frequently these days, but also the freedom the duo relationship gives a performer.
Interpretations can be flexible in the knowledge only one other person has to be in sync with you, dynamic subtleties are not diluted in any way, and there's no limit to the repertoire you can perform with a good pianist. I'92m lucky enough to work with some extremely fine pianists including John Wilson and in December John and I gave an evening recital at Mellor Church (near Marple), followed by a recital across the pennines at St Paul'92s Hall Huddersfield.
With programmes comprising of original compositions and classical transcriptions we had great fun and both concerts were well received. St Paul'92s was particularly enjoyable; the Huddersfield University brass department were in attendance and I had the pleasure of hearing some of them perform during my masterclass following the recital.
The idyllic setting of Mellor Church & the interior of St Paul'92s Huddersfield
After the St Paul'92s recital it was time for something a little different '96 a Concerto performance with Brass Band Fribourg in Switzerland. I recorded the new Jean-Francois Michel Euphonium Concerto with Fribourg earlier in the year, but this was the first public performance, the world premiere!
The concert proved a successful launch for the CD and the work itself which I'92m sure will become popular amongst all euphonium players in time. The performance also gave me the opportunity to '91road test'92 a new mute I'92ve been working on with the respected Austrian manufacturer '91Schlipf'92.
BBF'92s new CD available from www.brassbandfribourg.ch
From Switzerland it was back to Huddersfield for Cory'92s final concert of the year '96 a Christmas extravaganza! It'92s always a great atmosphere in the Town Hall and this year was no different.
I think I took a few people by surprise when I managed to include quotes from 11 different Christmas carols in my cadenza, but not as big a surprise as the coach driver gave the band on their way home to Wales! I travelled by car, but from what I was told he could have done with borrowing one of Benjamin'92s nappies!
Cory share the stage with Honley Male Voice Choir in Huddersfield.
As Christmas drew nearer Benjamin heard his first '91live'92 brass music when a group of us gathered to play for the '91switching on'92 of our village Christmas lights, and he attended his first concert when we took him to St David'92s Hall to hear his grandmother (my mother) sing. It was a festive affair and lovely to have the opportunity to enjoy listening to a concert rather than playing in one!
I began to '91warm down'92 for Christmas by playing at my local Church'92s Carol Service (where Joanne and I were married), also by playing to raise some money for charity with a group of friends at my local pub (Tredegar Arms), and finally with a local guest soloist appearance for the newly founded Ebbw Valley band '96 a band based in the area where my Dad grew up. It was a special way to finish the year, particularly as I persuaded my Dad to join me for a duet which received a standing ovation.
As you might expect with the arrival of a new baby, Christmas was a real family affair at our house '96 aunts, uncles and grandparents galore! I think we had half of the '91Babies R Us'92 catalogue under our tree, and as Benjamin was only 6 weeks and 5 days old on Christmas Day I don'92t think he fully appreciated all of his gifts! I enjoyed opening them for him though!
As a new year starts I'92m looking forward to the challenges ahead. Concerts, tours, recordings, bringing up a son'85 there'92s a lot of exciting projects on the schedule! And this year I'92ll do my best to keep you informed about them on a more regular basis!
Have a great 2012!
Cheers! David
Having the opportunity to select my own instrument is a privilege I don'92t take for granted, but to be honest it was really difficult! All the instruments were superb so it was hard deciding which one I liked the best. In the end I tossed a coin and have ended up with a beautiful instrument.
Just one wall of Besson's August euphonium production.
As a performer there are venues you dream about performing in; the likes of the Royal Albert Hall, Carnegie Hall and Sydney Opera House. However, near the top of my list has always been Amsterdam'92s Concertgebouw '96 home to the world renowned Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. On August 28th I had the honor of performing the Karl Jenkins'92 Concerto in the Concertgebouw as part of the Holland Brass Festival, and in doing so fulfilled one of my many musical ambitions.
It is a remarkable auditorium'85 a fantastic acoustic, so simplistic in design and full of history. The performance was made extra special for me as I was accompanied by the Cory band and conducted by my father Robert. It was also his first time to perform in the Concertgebouw, and to see him walk down the famous Maestro'92s staircase onto the stage was a very proud moment for me.
The Concertgebouw Amsterdam
Following the concert I'92d have normally headed to the airport for a quick flight home to the UK, but as my wife was pregnant and unable to fly we returned home the same way we arrived, by train! It felt like a '91Top Gear'92 challenge trying to get from Amsterdam to Cardiff without flying, but it was actually quite relaxing and the company was great!
Just a week after the Concertgebouw performance I found myself on the stage of Symphony Hall Birmingham, again with the Cory band, this time performing Philip Wilby'92s '91Red Priest'92 at the British Open Championships. All the big bands were there too; Black Dyke, Fodens, Grimethorpe, Brighouse & Rastrick etc. However, Cory were judged to give the winning performance beating all the other bands to become British Open Champions once again.
The icing on the cake was giving a concert in Symphony Hall the following day when Cory & Black Dyke joined forces to form a 60 strong band with my father and uncle taking it in turns to conduct! What a sound'85
During Cory'92s winning performance of Wilby's '91Red Priest'92
David celebrates with his section + The combined euphonium sections of Black Dyke and Cory.
After concerts at the Wales Millennium Centre, Cheltenham Race Course, and a trip to Paris it was time for something a little different! My father was out of the country so in his absence I was asked if I'92d conduct the Cory Band in concert! I'92d conducted Cory before in rehearsals and the odd piece or two in concert, but I'92d never been asked to present and conduct an entire show!
Excited (and a little anxious) about the whole thing I prepared thoroughly and we delivered a superb new concert programme including works by Strauss, Rimsky-Korsakov, Smetana, Karl Jenkins and Bernstein to name a few! The audience went away happy and so did I. Here'92s a clip of Smetana'92s Bartered Bride Overture from the concert.
Cory band perform Smetana'92s Bartered Bride Overture
Directly after the concert the baton went away and the euphonium was back out and on its way to the airport. Our destination was Malta to give the Maltese premiere of the Karl Jenkins Concerto with Wind Orchestra under the direction of Maestro Hermann Frantz.
I'92d never been to Malta before and as I was only in the country for less than 24 hours I didn'92t get to see much of it at all. However, I did spend some quality time with the orchestra'92s musicians. We had a great concert and shared a few drinks together before I headed back to the hotel and marked the occasion with an appropriate midnight snack!
My Maltese snack + the view from my hotel.
After a fairly local guest soloist concert in the Forest of Dean and a soundtrack recording with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales it was '91next stop'92 Royal Albert Hall. The main event here was the 100th National Brass Band Championships of Great Britain; however Cory were also giving the Gala Concert.
We were placed 3rd out of twenty bands in the competition which was less than ideal in many respects, but still a good result in what has always been a very subjective business. Following the disappointment of the competition the Gala Concert was a huge thrill for me; once again I had been programmed to perform the Karl Jenkins Concerto.
It went as well as it could have and to top it off Karl and his wife Carol had made the journey from Wales to hear the performance. After a day of highs and lows it was great to spend the evening with Karl and my family, before heading out to one of Kensington'92s casinos with a couple of friends where my luck took a change for the better!
Karl & I on stage with Cory & my Dad following the Concerto performance.
I'92d made sure to keep my diary free of any engagements too far away from home following the Royal Albert Hall meaning I had quite a bit of '91free'92 time towards the end of October and beginning of November to be there for my wife Joanne in the latter stages of her pregnancy.
I spent some of my time turning our guest bedroom into a 'Winnie the Pooh' nursery, assembling a variety of baby related furniture, I learned how to operate a travel system (pram/ pushchair/ car seat combo!), and generally began to panic as the birth of our first child drew nearer!
After a fair bit of drama Joanne finally gave birth to our beautiful son Benjamin Robert Childs on November 8th (a week early) and made me the happiest man on the planet.
Benjamin minutes after he'92d been born + Having a rest at 3 weeks old.
Getting things ready! The 'Pooh Bear' wardrobes took me much longer than they should have!
Everyone told me becoming a Dad would be '91life changing'92, and they were not wrong! '91Life enhancing'92 is probably nearer the mark though'85 it really is a very special feeling. Benjamin is a beautiful boy - he clearly takes after his mum!
Apart from not having any sleep for a couple of weeks after he was born, and learning how to secure a nappy the hard way, all is going well with parenthood. At this stage we have no idea whether he'92ll take to music '96 the choice will be his. I am however certain he will be a Manchester United Supporter!
Benjamin models his Man Utd away kit!
The Scottish Open was my first outing of any distance following the arrival of Benjamin, and it wasn'92t a disappointing trip. The Perth Concert Hall has a reputation as one of the best in the UK and I was there together with trumpet legend John Wallace and cornet virtuoso Ian Porthouse to adjudicate some of Scotland'92s finest youth bands.
It was a pleasure to hear so much fine music making from the young musicians and witness their enjoyment in performing for an audience. In my view Scotland really is leading the way when it comes to youth brass development in the UK and long may their good work continue.
With fellow adjudicator Ian Porthouse at the Perth Concert Hall
Playing solos with bands, wind bands and orchestras is a huge thrill and always a special experience, but there is something about playing with piano which I enjoy now more than ever before. I think it'92s partly because I don'92t do it so frequently these days, but also the freedom the duo relationship gives a performer.
Interpretations can be flexible in the knowledge only one other person has to be in sync with you, dynamic subtleties are not diluted in any way, and there's no limit to the repertoire you can perform with a good pianist. I'92m lucky enough to work with some extremely fine pianists including John Wilson and in December John and I gave an evening recital at Mellor Church (near Marple), followed by a recital across the pennines at St Paul'92s Hall Huddersfield.
With programmes comprising of original compositions and classical transcriptions we had great fun and both concerts were well received. St Paul'92s was particularly enjoyable; the Huddersfield University brass department were in attendance and I had the pleasure of hearing some of them perform during my masterclass following the recital.
The idyllic setting of Mellor Church & the interior of St Paul'92s Huddersfield
After the St Paul'92s recital it was time for something a little different '96 a Concerto performance with Brass Band Fribourg in Switzerland. I recorded the new Jean-Francois Michel Euphonium Concerto with Fribourg earlier in the year, but this was the first public performance, the world premiere!
The concert proved a successful launch for the CD and the work itself which I'92m sure will become popular amongst all euphonium players in time. The performance also gave me the opportunity to '91road test'92 a new mute I'92ve been working on with the respected Austrian manufacturer '91Schlipf'92.
BBF'92s new CD available from www.brassbandfribourg.ch
From Switzerland it was back to Huddersfield for Cory'92s final concert of the year '96 a Christmas extravaganza! It'92s always a great atmosphere in the Town Hall and this year was no different.
I think I took a few people by surprise when I managed to include quotes from 11 different Christmas carols in my cadenza, but not as big a surprise as the coach driver gave the band on their way home to Wales! I travelled by car, but from what I was told he could have done with borrowing one of Benjamin'92s nappies!
Cory share the stage with Honley Male Voice Choir in Huddersfield.
As Christmas drew nearer Benjamin heard his first '91live'92 brass music when a group of us gathered to play for the '91switching on'92 of our village Christmas lights, and he attended his first concert when we took him to St David'92s Hall to hear his grandmother (my mother) sing. It was a festive affair and lovely to have the opportunity to enjoy listening to a concert rather than playing in one!
I began to '91warm down'92 for Christmas by playing at my local Church'92s Carol Service (where Joanne and I were married), also by playing to raise some money for charity with a group of friends at my local pub (Tredegar Arms), and finally with a local guest soloist appearance for the newly founded Ebbw Valley band '96 a band based in the area where my Dad grew up. It was a special way to finish the year, particularly as I persuaded my Dad to join me for a duet which received a standing ovation.
As you might expect with the arrival of a new baby, Christmas was a real family affair at our house '96 aunts, uncles and grandparents galore! I think we had half of the '91Babies R Us'92 catalogue under our tree, and as Benjamin was only 6 weeks and 5 days old on Christmas Day I don'92t think he fully appreciated all of his gifts! I enjoyed opening them for him though!
As a new year starts I'92m looking forward to the challenges ahead. Concerts, tours, recordings, bringing up a son'85 there'92s a lot of exciting projects on the schedule! And this year I'92ll do my best to keep you informed about them on a more regular basis!
Have a great 2012!
Cheers! David
