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!
10 years ago I conducted a new recording of John Jeffreys’ Violin Concerto (1951) with Zsolt-Tihamér Visontay and the Philharmonia Orchestra but the composer died two weeks before the recording and it was never released. It is now on YouTube and it includes a short video introduction by myself. It’s a very profoundly moving and beautiful piece. Please click this link: https://youtu.be/XDtel61odBw
During lockdown Daniel Hope has so far presented 60 episodes of [email protected], now [email protected] 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. [email protected] 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 Daniel Hope’s ‘[email protected]’ series I was asked to arrange this for violin, cello, flute, percussion and piano. The performance can be heard on the Arte TV channel. The arrangement is not published but can be hired for public performance directly from me.
This arrangement is one of 73 written during a year of lockdown for Daniel Hope!
Another concert with the legend that is José Carreras, perfectly accompanied by the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra in Al Ula, Saudi Arabia. The setting (a World Heritage site) was extraordinary – and a new concert hall completely faced with mirrors to reflect the surrounding desert.
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.
