Pete Meechan Blog

Brassband Willebroek's 30 Anniversary Celebrations

2009-09-17T15:52:00.001+01:00

On Saturday 26th of September Brassband Willebroek will celebrate their 30th birthday in Antwerp (www.desingel.be) in front of a sold-out audience. The concert will be broadcasted on Klara (Belgian equivalent of BBC Radio 3) and BBW’s program will include Lament from Macbeth and a rendition of Innuendo where they’ll be joined by the trumpet section of the Brussels Jazz Orchestra.

Performance of Elegie by Jason Ham

2009-09-10T23:39:00.001+01:00

I have received this email from my friend, and fantastic euphonium solost, Jason Ham.

This coming Sunday, I've got a recital at West Point that you might be interested in.

I've titled the performance "NOW: Music of the Euphonium's Golden Age", and all the music is from 2002 or later. If this sounds odd, it should. Most people think of a golden age as being something in the past. However, I think of the euphonium's golden age as being now and the future. We're HEADED towards our golden age. The fact is, simply, that the euphonium is having more music written for it now than at any time in its history.

I normally don't get all that excited about recitals, but I am really happy about this opportunity. Let me tell you why, according to each piece on the program:

DOMINIQUE ROGGEN: CONCERTO FOR EUPHONIUM IN Bb MAJOR

Listen to this piece, and you'd swear it was written in the 1600's or 1700's. Completely Baroque. Written in 2006!

JIRO CENSHU: THE WINDOW OPENS TOWARD THE OCEAN

An unbelievably beautiful euphonium duet that I get to play with the great Barry Morrison, my partner in crime...whoops...I meant in hooah...in the euphonium section at West Point

THOMAS DOSS: SIR "EU"

A freakin' hard piece, but with an unbelievably great brass section of 11 brass and 2 percussion. Lieutenant Dae Kim, one of the best young conductor's I've ever seen, will be conducting

PETER MEECHAN: ELEGIE

Pete Meechan is a freakin' genius. He's written more good stuff for euphonium in the last 5 years than just about any composer I can think of has written for the euphonium in their lifetime...yes, this includes Philip Sparke. The brass quintet performing with me on this piece is just superb.

JOE TURRIN: CONCERT PIECE NO. 1

Joe's work from 2004 has gotten a lot of publicity in the euphonium world, and it should. It's a tour-de-force for the euphonium player, and will give the end of this concert a swift kick in the pants! (that is...if the lips hold up!)

Add some great music to an unbelievably beautiful space overlooking the Hudson River on a beautiful day (it's supposed to be sunny and 78 degrees!), and you can't go wrong.

Hope to see you here! Download the attachement for directions to the Jewish Chapel at West Point. It will be a drive worth making!

Jason Ham

DVD release

2009-09-07T16:46:00.003+01:00

Brass Band Willebroek's performance of "Lament from Macbeth" has been released on DVD. It was recorded at the farewell concert of the 2009 European Brass Band Championships.

More details can be found by clicking the link below: http://www.worldofbrass.com/acatalog/26058.html

News - September

2009-09-07T13:04:00.004+01:00

Welcome to my blog...It has been a few months since I last blogged, but I will be on here blogging more from here on in!

There have been several pieces newly released on CD. Sellers International Youth Band is a brass band that I have had the pleasure of writing four pieces for, and they have recorded three of them on their first CD release. The "pastiche" work Curtain Call,Fanfare for a Festival and, the title track of the CD, Apex (Soloist Joe Murray) are all featured by the band, and their MD (And my good friend), Mark Bousie.

All three works featured on the disc are available from Peter Meechan Music.

Several of my pieces for brass or wind band have been expertly transcribed for fanfare band by Belgian Luc Vertommen. They are published by Band Press VOF who have recently produced a CD, entitled Sirocco. The ten tracks on the CD are performed by the fantasticKoninklijke Fanfare Kempenbloei, and they feature two of my works; Hymn for Africa, andElegie (With a moving performance from soloist Renato Meli). More details can be found about this CD, and the publications, by clicking here.

Other compositions that have been recorded and are currently in post-production include the premiere recording ofEpisodes and Echoes (Concerto for tuba) by good friend, tuba player extraordinaire (And a fellow Liverpool fan!)Les Neish. I wrote the piece for Les 4 years ago, and am delighted that he has recorded it for his forthcoming release.

American euphonium soloist Aaron Tindall commissioned a set of three unaccompanied pieces for euphonium, titled ...a night devoid of stars and gave the world premiere at the Conservatoire National de Region in Perpignan, France on May 16. He has also recorded the set of three pieces for his debut solo recording.

Another American euphoniumist, Pat Stuckemeyer has recently sent me the first edits of the premiere recording ofFields of Destruction - and the combination of band, soloist and conductor (As well as a CD full of new repertoire!) is going to make this a disc to not miss! Pat commissioned the work specifically for the recording, and Fields of Destruction will receive its "live" premiere by Manchester University Wind Ensemble (Conducted by Phil Robinson) with soloist Mark Bousie at the RNCM/BASBWE Wind Festival in October.

September sees the publication of ...a night devoid of stars and Fields of Destruction, as well as the piano reduction of Apophenia (With optional percussion part), a new work for tenor horn and piano titled Introduction and Toccata - which, this summer, received its premiere, performed by Owen Farr. All these titles are available fromPeter Meechan Music, where you can now also download selected titles, at a saving of at least 25%

I am trying to keep my blog up to date, so please have a quick look at it - www.petemeechan.blogspot.com. I will be posting some of my random, and some of my not so random thoughts there.

Take care,

Pete

Apophenia broadcast

2009-03-04T11:16:00.003Z

The world premiere of Apophenia, a concerto for trumpet and band, was broadcast on BBC Radio 3 yesterday (3/3/09). You can hear it for the next 6 days by follwing this link:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00hwxk5

The concert was recorded at the RNCM Festival of Brass in Manchester, and was performed by Rex Richardson (Trumpet, flugel and picc) and the Fodens Band, conducted by Garry Cutt.

Webcast of Requiem Paraphrases

2009-02-05T02:13:00.000Z

I have just recieved this from Jason Ham:

Hello All, and Greetings from Lubbock, Texas!

I just wanted to invite you to two performances this coming Thursday and Friday that you may want to catch.

The first, on Thursday, will be a global webcast of a recital I am performing here at Texas Tech at 8pm (9pm eastern). To access the recital, follow the following directions:

1. Access the Texas Tech website: www.ttu.edu.
2. On the left side of the TTU home page, click on "Academics".
3. Under Academic Information, click on "Academic Departments".
4. On the right side of the screen, you will see "Music".
5. Under music on the next page, click on "Visit the School of Music Website".
6. On the left side of the School of Music website, click "Calendar".
7. Scroll down to Thursday, February 5th, at 8pm. Beside my name, you will see a little red box labeled "Web". Click on this link at 9pm to hear this recital live.

The program is as follows: (Susan Wass, Piano, Jason Ham, Euphonium)

1. Vivaldi - Basson Concerto in e minor
2. Turrin - Concert Piece No. 1
3. Giordani - Caro Mio Ben
4. Gillingham - Diversive Elements (with Kevin Wass, Tuba)
5. Meechan - Requiem Paraphrases
6. Anderson - Refulgence
7. Sparke - Harlequin

News - Jan 2009

2009-01-25T03:22:00.001Z

Welcome to my newly updated website...the design has changed a bit (Although the Liverpool red still remains!), including program notes for all pieces, and links to the publishers websites for further details, including sound clip, sample scores and purchase information.

At the end of January, American trumpet soloist Rex Richardson will give the world premiere of Apophenia, a concerto for trumpet and band. He will perform this with the Fodens Band at the Royal Northern College of Music Festival of Brass. The work was commissioned by, and is dedicated to, Rex and features the soloist on Bb trumpet, flugel and piccolo trumpet. Rex will also premiere the piece in America in April with wind band at VCU.

Several pieces have been recorded recently. Jon Pippen has recorded a new scoring of Elegie for 10 piece brass ensemble and the same work has also been recorded byKoninklijke Fanfare Kempenbloei, a fanfare band from Belgium. They also recorded Hymn for Africa for the same CD. Both works have been arranged for fanfare band by Luc Vertommen, and are available from Band Press VOF.

There are also two exciting recordings happening over the next few weeks; I have rescored Requiem Paraphrases for wind band at the request of American euphonium soloist, Jason Ham, who will record, as well as premiere, the work with the West Point Military Band. The second recording also features an American euphoniumist, Pat Stuckemeyer, who commissioned a new work from me for euphonium solo with wind band. The resulting work, Fields of Destruction, is being recorded by Pat and will be released on CD at a later date.

Hymn for Africa to be used as test piece in Norway

2008-10-13T23:16:00.003+01:00

Hymn for Africa has been chosen as the 3rd division set test piece for the Grenland International Band Festival, held in Grenland, Norway. More details can be found here:

http://www.grenlandbrass.com/Engelsk/testpiece.htm

Concert and CD release

2008-09-30T15:58:00.002+01:00

A new recording that has recently released is the premiere recording of Elegie, by trombonist Jacques Mauger who is accompanied by the Stombor Brass Quintet. More details about this recording can be found by visiting Strombor's website - http://www.strombor.com/ . Jacques and the quintet are currently performing the work on their short tour of France.

My soprano saxophone concerto has been arranged for soprano sax and brass band by Luc Vertommen, and will be performed by Brass Band Buizingen, conducted by Luc Vertommen, who will be accompaning the guest soloist - Björn Verschoore.

Red Flame released on CD

2008-09-17T23:36:00.002+01:00

The euphonium solo, Red Flame, has been recorded by LCpl Andrew Porter and the British Army Brass Band.

The CD received the following review in the British Bandsman:

LCpl. Andrew Porter is the tasteful euphonium soloist in Peter Meechan’s Red Flame, a new work inspired by an evening out during Queen’s Night in the Netherlands. Like the evening itself, a tranquil opening gives way to an energetic and colourful adventure later in the work, and the soloist handles its numerous challenges with apparent ease. Top brass indeed!

Kenneth Crookston British Bandsman, Saturday 30th August 2008

Belgian Meechan Festival.

2008-05-21T14:37:00.000+01:00

Press release from Brass Band Buizingen, Belgium

As part of this final exam at the Royal Conservatory of Ghent – Belgium’s Brass Band Buizingen principal euphonium player choose to feature his beloved band and Pete Meechan’s music during a concert next Saturday at his home town – Beerse.

Although not that old (!) to receive a complete brass band programme of its own music Pete Meechan is regarded as one of the most original voices in contemporary brass band music.
The concert will open with B of the Bang commissioned by Brass Band Buizingen and their conductor Luc Vertommen in 2005 and already receiving word wide performances in either the brass band or the later composed wind band version. B of the Band refers to the famous quote by the British Olympic Gold medal winning sprinter, Linford Christie who always used to say that he left his blocks ‘on the B of the Bang’.

Next in the programme will be two established solo works, the first written for David Thornton and based on Paganini’s theme – Devil’s Duel, and the beautiful Elegie for trombone.

The final piece, and the ‘tour de force’ of the evening, will be the 20 minute concerto for soprano sax and band.

This piece in three movements was composed between 2001 and 2002, and was premiered in April 2002, performed by the Rob Buckland and the RNCM Symphony Orchestra - conducted by Clark Rundell.

The version for soprano saxophone and brass band was made by Brass Band Buizingen’s conductor Luc Vertommen especially for the occasion and was made in close cooperation with the composer. This huge work asks for four percussion players, electric guitar, bass guitar and piano – besides of the difficult accompaniment work for the band.

Guest soloist in this unique combination for soprano saxophone and band will be Björn Verschoore.

Review of Macbeth

2008-05-12T20:51:00.000+01:00

4barsrest.com review of Macbeth - follow this link: http://4barsrest.com/articles/2007/art764d.asp

Purcell Variants performance

2008-05-08T11:45:00.003+01:00

Singapore Wind Symphony Youth Winds are to give the Singapore premiere of Purcell Variants later in the month, conducted by Muhamad Yusri. Please visit http://swsyw.blogspot.com/ for more details.

News May 2008 [From www.petemeechan.com]

2008-05-08T11:41:00.002+01:00

News - May 2008

Over the last few days, two new works for smaller brass groups have been premiered in Switzerland and Japan. Commissioned by the Swiss National Committee, Manchester Sketches was the set test for the top section of the 2008 National Brass Quartet competition. It is around 8 and a half minutes in length, and in three movements. Each of the movements depicts a different aspect of life in my home city, Manchester.

The second work, Hexagon Grooves, is for brass sextet - 2 trumpets, horn, trombone, euphonium and tuba - commissioned by Brass Hexagon, a professional Japanese sextet. They gave two performances at the beginning of May in Japan.

March saw performances of two of my concerto's for low brass. Euphonium soloist Thomas Ruedi performed Three Stories - Three Worlds with the Swiss band, Brass Band Burgermusik Luzern, who were conducted by Ludwig Wicki. And my tuba concerto, Episodes and Echoes, has received 2 performances, from two different soloists. Les Neish, who the concerto was written for performed the concerto in Malta, accompanied by the University of Sheffield Wind Orchestra, conducted by Tony Houghton. Paul Dormand, a tuba student at the RNCM, also gave a great rendition of the work, with the University of Manchester. MUWO's conductor, Phil Robinson, also programmed Bang 2 and Hymn for Africa in the same concert, where they were joined by Stockport School Wind Band.

Episodes and Echoes will also be performed at the ITEC in Cincinnati this summer, by the tuba virtuoso, Velvet Brown. Ken Kroesche will be performing Requiem Paraphrases at the same conference, where the work is in the final of the Harvey G. Philips Award for composition.

Curtain Call, Fanfare for a Festival and Apex were all featured as part of Sellers International Youth Band's program for the National Youth Finals, conducted by Mark Bousie. All three works were commissioned by Mark and the band, and their performance gained them a 3rd placing at the contest.

What kind of day has it been?

2008-05-03T02:12:00.004+01:00

That the Tories can win in the way that they have today speaks volumes - the truth is that the British public aren't mad for the Blue idiots, but that they are fed up with the Labour party.

But who can blame them? In the last 2/3 years Labour have taken us to wars to which we do not belong, they have made us payer higher as a tax payer, and the have cocked up thier amazing progress with the NHS.

But please - no matter what the mistakes, no matter what the problems, no matter the level of leadership, how can the people of London, our capital city, elect an idiot like Boris?

Mayor Livingtone is an amazing man, a man who has true and just left wing ideals. A man who I, and others, can really identify with. But becuase of Sly News and other right wing or centre media, the candiadates were forced to head to their flanks or to the parties' centre.

The truth is simple. The election results are nothing to do with the Tory policies (In fact, me lending the plural to me thoughts here is a little optimisistic!), nothing to do with their idiot leader, and nothing to do with what they stand for. THE RESULTS ARE A REFLECTION OF WORSENING ECONOMIC CONDITIONS.

So why elect a Mayor who is racist, sexist, and homophobic. Surley the good people of London deserve better. He is a buffoon, a plonker. Simple.

Concerto performances and more

2008-03-24T00:56:00.003Z

The last few weeks have seen performances of two of my concerto's for low brass. Euphonium soloist Thomas Ruedi performed Three Stories - Three Worlds with the Swiss band, Brass Band Burgermusik Luzern, who were conducted by Ludwig Wicki.

And the tuba concerto, Episodes and Echoes, has recieved 2 performances, from two different soloists. Les Neish, who the concerto was written for performed the concerto in Malta, accompanied by the University of Sheffield Wind Orchestra, conducted by Tony Houghton. Paul Dormand, a tuba student at the RNCM, also gave a great rendition of the work, with the University of Manchester.

MUWO's conductor, Phil Robinson, also programmed Bang 2 and Hymn for Africa in the same concert, where they were joined by Stockport School Wind Band.

At last....

2008-03-02T20:25:00.003Z

At last, I have finished a work for solo euphonium and wind ensemble, called Fields of Destruction. I say "at last", because I have worked on it for a long time, and at various points have laid it down, rewritten large sections, put it on the back burner etc., but finally it is finished, and I am happy with it!!!

It was commissioned by Pat Stuckermeyer for a new CD he is recording, featuring completely new euphonium repertoire.

I have written a lot of music for the euphonium, ever since I was at college, and have written a lot of technically demanding works for soloist and accompaniment. This time I wanted to write something a little more simple, that many more soloists would be able to play, and that many more bands could play too!

Fields of Destruction is a set of 3 songs without words, and each of the three deal with my feelings, which I no doubt share with a great many people, on the various wars that we, the UK, and the USA, are fighting around the world. We really shouldn't be in Iraq.

Whilst the piece was in it's gestation period, it occurred to me that there was a really strange irony. Flanders Fields are covered in poppies, now a symbol of remembrance, and of peace, yet the huge plantations of the same flower in Afghanistan fund the Taliban, and Al Qaeda, to fight, and kill, our troops. The Afghan's, who know no other way to make money and know no other way to use their fertile land, use the poppies to create heroin and other opiates, which is then sold on at great profit.

Of course, Flanders Fields found their place in history in the First World War - I could never understand why they called it the Great War - it seems nonsensical that any war could be "great". I know what it means, but still...

However, I decided that this was what I wanted to write about. It wasn't the first time that I had been moved to write about the war - but went back to this first time I ever wrote about the war for my musical starting point.

Absolute Reality was a work I wrote directly after 9/11, again for euphonium, but this time with piano accompaniment. As this is where the 2 wars originated from, I decided to take the musical material of Absolute Reality, and use it to create three songs. The first movement resonates some of the phrases from Absolute, looking back, whilst appreciating the huge impact and effect it has had on our lives ever since. However, all three movements deal with the conflicting ideas of war, peace, life, death, happiness, sadness - the list is endless really.

Maybe the role of the composer, poet, writer, artist, actor, etc., has never been more important than now - a time where the people who have an audience, no matter what size, should be telling the truths that exist.

News - February 2008 [From http://www.petemeechan.com/]

2008-02-14T12:13:00.001Z

[From http://www.petemeechan.com/]
News - February 2008

At the end of January, the Royal Northern College of Music held their annual Festival of Brass, where I received two performances of large scale works. On the Saturday morning the RNCM Brass Band accompanied Dave Thornton performing Requiem Paraphrases, and in the evening Brighouse and Rastrick Band, conducted by Alan Morrison, performed Macbeth.

I really enjoyed both performances and would like to thank Dave Thornton, Alan Morrison, B&R and RNCM Brass Bands, as well as the Festival Director, Paul Hindmarsh.

Two pieces of mine have been given their premiere recordings, and have both recently been released. These Mist Covered Mountains is a solo for soprano cornet and brass band, which was commissioned by Keith Johnson/KMJ Recordings especially for Glossop Band's CD, Anything Goes. For further information about the CD, please click here.

The second release is featured on a CD called Baritones to the Fore!, which has been put together through a tremendous amount of effort from Pat Herak. Pat commissioned a work for his wife, Diana, for their 10th wedding anniversary, and it is Diana who has recorded the piece, Alu, on the CD. Further information on this CD can be found here.

Both recordings are really enjoyable to listen to, and I would like to pass on my sincerest thanks to all involved in the projects, but especially to Keith Johnson, Mandy Crowther, and Pat and Diana Herak. Both Alu and These Mists Covered Mountains are available from http://www.petermeechanmusic.co.uk/.

I have recently completed a brass quartet, titled Manchester Sketches, which was kindly commissioned by the Swiss National Committee for the 2008 National Brass Quartet Competition. It is around 8 and a half minutes in length, and in three movements. Each of the movements depicts a different aspect of life in my home city, Manchester.

Manchester Sketches is only available to competing quartets at the moment, but will be on general release through Peter Meechan Music at the start of May.

Curtain Call is a short work written for and commissioned by Mark Bousie and the Sellers International Youth Band, who premiered the piece at the Action Research contest in Blackpool,
and they came an excellent 3rd overall - congratualtions to Mark and to the band.

Take care,

Pete

My first post!

2008-02-12T01:23:00.000Z

Welcome to my new blog!

I am a composer based in Manchester, UK, and this is my random, and some not so random, thoughts, as well as information about performances, and also releases of new music through my own publishing company, Peter Meechan Music.

Take care

Pete