This release continues the Royal Northern College of Music Wind Orchestra’s innovatory survey of wind music from around the world.

The CD includes premiere recordings of works by Khachaturian, Glière, Prokofiev and Shostakovich. It also features Rimsky-Korsakov’s popular Trombone Concerto, with the internationally acclaimed French trombonist Jacques Mauger as soloist.

The Royal Northern College of Music Wind Orchestra performs internationally and is recognised as one of the leading conservatory ensembles in the world. It has already released several highly enjoyable discs on Chandos, all notable for their energy and brilliance.


The Manchester Prokofiev Symposium of February 2003 included the world premiere performances of several newly discovered or newly available works by Prokofiev. For example, until very recently, only the first two marches of Marches for Military Band were available for performance. Prokofiev composed the third march for a competition but never orchestrated it, which might explain the absence of a title. On the manuscript of the piano score he wrote: ‘If the March is too long or the second trio too difficult, cut the trio out.’ The suggestion was taken up by the music publishers and the trio was only reinstated in this arrangement by Samuel Becker, which also includes the omitted fourth march, the Cavalry March, making this the first ever recording of the work as conceived by Prokofiev in 1937.

The Symposium also provided a catalyst for further research into the tradition of wind music in Russia. However, with some works by leading composers (as listed in various catalogues and dictionaries) proving impossible to find, even with visits to Moscow and St Petersburg libraries, this research has at times proved frustrating. Glière, for example, has four works for winds cited in most catalogues of his music, yet the only one to be traced so far is the Overture on this disc.

Khachaturian’s The Battle of Stalingrad is another premiere. In the mid-1970s the former music director of Marlborough College asked Boosey and Hawkes for permission to arrange Khachaturian’s ballet Gayane. The request eventually made it to Khachaturian himself, who not only granted permission but sent an autographed score of the wind orchestra setting of the suite from his score to the film The Battle of Stalingrad.

'..the performances get the thumbs up. Chandos' recording engineers have done their work with the necessary bravado.'
'Stravinsky's Circus Polka, Prokofiev's brilliantly balletic Marches for Military Band and a suite from Khachaturian's score for the film The Battle of Stalingrad complete a disc that is as enterprising in repertoire as it is spirited and polished in performance.'
'The band sound truly stunning in the best moments of the score, even through the more hard-driven sections, and on the whole the performances on this disc are highly recommendable. They possess a more transparent and flexible sound than the Stockholm band under Rozhdestvensky, and their trademark lightness (especially noteworthy in the percussion) and crisp articulation give this programme a wonderful shine. If your tolerance for marches and Socialist Realist music is high enough, this could be an enjoyable excursion after all.'
Stravinskys Circus Polka, Prokofievs brilliantly balletic Marches for Military Band and a suite from Khachaturians score for the film The Battle of Stalingrad complete a disc that is as enterprising in repertoire as it is spirited and polished in performance.
'The playing of the RNCM Wind Orchestra is of the highest quality, it's hard to imagine any group could have done it better. Another quality product on the Chandos label'
'The Chandos recording has immediacy, good dynamics, and rich Tutti band sonorities. Band music fans definitely need to check this one out.' 'The Chandos recording has immediacy, good dynamics, and rich Tutti band sonorities. Band music fans definitely need to check this one out.'
..the performances get the thumbs up. Chandos recording engineers have done their work with the necessary bravado.

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