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.
Wednesday, 21 May 2008
Monday, 12 May 2008
Review of Macbeth
4barsrest.com review of Macbeth - follow this link: http://4barsrest.com/articles/2007/art764d.asp
Thursday, 8 May 2008
Purcell Variants performance
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]
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.
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.
Saturday, 3 May 2008
What kind of day has it been?
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.
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.
Monday, 24 March 2008
Concerto performances and more
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.
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.
Sunday, 2 March 2008
At last....
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.
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.
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