Drayton / Abbey Brass November Journeys CD

Abbey Brass presents a varied program exploring a range of rarely heard British music for brass ensembles of various sizes. These range from the usual quintet of two trumpets, French horn, trombone and tuba, to the very unusual thirteen-piece ensemble called for in George Lloyd's Symphony No. 10, subtitled November Journeys. This expansive and virtuosic work is presented here in it's first recording for some 30 years. Abbey Brass was formed in 1983 by trombonists John Powell (of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra) and James Fulkerson (t he eminent American composer and soloist). Then, as now, it combined players based in the West Country with others based in London and ot her musical "hubs" (the original line-up usually included performers from the BBC Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra and Royal Ballet Orchestra) in a variety of ensemble sizes and instrumentations, to perform concerts and lecture recitals, at weddings and in conjunction with choral societies, the length and breadth of Great Britain and in France.