Film music concert with City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra in Symphony Hall, Birmingham.
Performances of my new arrangements for the New Century Chamber orchestra in San Francisco, directed by Daniel Hope. Music by Schubert, Lili Boulanger, Debussy and Humperdink.
Performances of arrangements for Nils Landgren, Daniel Hope and the Zurich Chamber Orchestra.
Performance of ‘Berlin 1938’ arrangement at the Verbier Festival following this year’s successful performances in San Francisco.
When arranging I have my screens rotated to ‘portrait’ so that I can get a complete page of an orchestra score on the screen.
I recently discovered an overture by my maternal grandfather Herbert T Child (1894-1963). Note his beautifully hand written score in ink which contained light pencil markings to suggest which instruments of the orchestra should be used. He clearly intended to orchestrate it and as far as we know he never did. I have therefore done so. It can be heard on my YouTube channel (Paul Bateman channel) or copy this link – https://youtu.be/MoDws6-Rh8U
Here below are some pictures of him and the title page of the original ink score. I was nine when he died but remember sitting next to him in an orchestra pit when he conducted an operetta. It’s nice to know where the musical genes came from!
During lockdown Daniel Hope has so far presented 60 episodes of Hope@Home, now Hope@Home On Tour for the ARTE Channel. He regularly commissions new arrangements plus a reduction of The Carnival of the Animals for five players for social distancing. He is also recording a new album with the Zurich Chamber Orchestra that features many of my arrangements.
November 2020 – lockdown 2. Hope@home returned with a new series. “The Next Generation”. Arrangements for this series:
Some Enchanted Evening, You’ll Never Walk Alone, Edelweiss, It Might As Well Be Spring, A Fellow Needs a Girl
For Daniel with Max Mutzke and Marialy Pacheco – You, Unsere Nacht and Gitanerias and for the Airlettes, Stille Nacht and Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.
With Tam Ward – Fly Me To The Moon, My Way, It Was A Very Good Year and Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.
With Thomas Hampson – Panis Angelicus and White Christmas.
With the New Century Chamber Orchestra in San Francisco – Scène d’Amour from Vertigo (Bernard Herrmann), I Left My Heart in San Francisco. Reductions from full strings to Quintet: Five Copland Songs, Dvorak – Humoreske, Elgar – Salut d’Amour, Weill – September Song.
French Songs – La Mer, Chanson l’Auvergnat and Göttingen.
New arrangement of Elgar’s Nimrod for Daniel to record with Amarcord.
Christmas Songs fro violin and string quintet – Adeste Fideles, White Christmas, Maybe This Christmas, A Child is Born, Chestnuts Roasting.
For series – Europe@Home:
Austria – Wien di Stadt meiner Traüme
Bulgaria – folk song, Hubava si maya goro
Cyprus – Τέσσερα και τέσσερα, Τηλλυρκώτισσα, Το γιασεμί στην πόρτα σου, Ψηντρή βασιλικιά μου
Czech Republik – Dvorak Zigeunermelodien 3&4, Peter Eben – from Šestero Piesní Milostnych – Noci milá, Summer is come & Unter dem Linden.
France – La Vie en Rose
Greece – My Red Apple
Italy – Addio mio dolce amor, L’invito, La Ricordanza
Latvia – Fisches Grün, Put Vëjini
Malta – Il-Kebbies tal-Fanali
Portugal – Sabor a Norte, Maria Lisboa, Naufragio, Página esquesida
Slovakia – Cervene jablicko, Dobru noc, Żeby ja bedela, Paslo dievca pavy
As last year I celebrate Christmas music with the Royal Philharmonic and the London Community Gospel Choir in BT’s annual concert at the Royal Albert Hall. I’m also there on the 14th with the same choir and orchestra.
Today sees the first performance of my new West Side Story Suite for solo violin and strings that I have arranged for Daniel Hope. He performed it with the New Century Chamber Orchestra (pictured here) in San Francisco and it is now in Boosey and Hawkes catalogue.
Sunday May 12th at Wyvern Theatre, Swindon. Capriccio Italienne, Violin Concerto with soloist Jonian Ilias Kadesha, Romeo and Juliet Overture and Swan Lake Suite.
Mid February saw a return to Abbey Road to conduct the RPO in a new recording of music by Oliver Davis, called ‘Arcadia’. Soloists were Kerenza Peacock, Huw Watkins and Ben Baker.
This is my 4th album of Oliver’s wonderful music. It went really well; the soloists and the orchestra were magnificent.
I had the great honour of conducting the Czech Philharmonic at the Dvorak Hall of the Rudolfinum in Prague and the Royal Philharmonic at Abbey Road for Sir Bryn’s new album – to be released on October 19th. In addition to many glorious solos it also has several duets with great artists of our day from many fields – Katherine Jenkins, Joseph Calleja, Alfie Boe, Danielle de Niese, Rob Brydon and Emma Thompson. The photo is from Abbey Road.
I had the great pleasure of assisting the legendary Michel Legrand in a concert of his music. Sadly this has turned out to be his last London appearance as he died on January 26th 2019 in Paris.
The Windmills of Your Mind, Summer of 42, The Thomas Crown Affair and many more of his classic film scores. For some pieces he played the piano whilst I conducted. During one round of applause he shook my hand and said “you just saved my life!” A concert I will never forget and I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity work meet and work with such a great artist.
