Artist: Black Dyke Band, John Wilson
Title: Bliss: Music for Brass Band
Year Of Release: 2024
Label: Chandos
Genre: Classical
Quality: FLAC (tracks)
Total Time: 01:09:36
Total Size: 251 MB
WebSite: Album Preview

Tracklist:

1. Bliss: Welcome the Queen, F 95 (5:50)
2. Bliss: Kenilworth, F 13: I. At the Castle Gates (1:53)
3. Bliss: Kenilworth, F 13: II. Serenade on the Lake (2:03)
4. Bliss: Kenilworth, F 13: III. March: Kenilworth (4:48)
5. Bliss: Suite from Adam Zero, F 1: I. Fanfare Overture (1:41)
6. Bliss: Suite from Adam Zero, F 1: II. Dance of Spring (2:33)
7. Bliss: Suite from Adam Zero, F 1: III. Approach of Autumn (3:15)
8. Bliss: Suite from Adam Zero, F 1: IV. Dance of Summer (2:32)
9. Bliss: Suite from Adam Zero, F 1: V. Fanfare Coda (0:33)
10. Bliss: Things to Come, F131: I. Ballet for Children (3:46)
11. Bliss: Things to Come, F131: II. Machines (1:33)
12. Bliss: Things to Come, F 131: III. Reconstruction (2:23)
13. Bliss: Things to Come, F 131: IV. March (3:50)
14. Bliss: The Belmont Variations, F 10: Theme (0:58)
15. Bliss: The Belmont Variations, F 10: Variation I (1:04)
16. Bliss: The Belmont Variations, F 10: Variation II (0:35)
17. Bliss: The Belmont Variations, F 10: Variation III (1:52)
18. Bliss: The Belmont Variations, F 10: Variation IV (2:05)
19. Bliss: The Belmont Variations, F 10: Variation V (0:45)
20. Bliss: The Belmont Variations, F 10: Variation VI (1:27)
21. Bliss: The Belmont Variations, F 10: Finale (2:20)
22. Bliss: Music from The Royal Palaces, F 128: I. Queen Victoria’s Call to the Throne (1:31)
23. Bliss: Music from The Royal Palaces, F 128: II. The Ballroom in Buckingham Palace (2:29)
24. Bliss: Music from The Royal Palaces, F 128: III. Joust of the Knights in Armour (1:18)
25. Bliss: Music from The Royal Palaces, F 128: IV. Melodrama (1:54)
26. Bliss: Music from The Royal Palaces, F 128: V. The Royal Palace Theme (1:48)
27. Bliss: Four Dances from Checkmate, F 2: I. Dance of the Four Knights (3:45)
28. Bliss: Four Dances from Checkmate, F 2: II. The Red Knight’s Mazurka (2:52)
29. Bliss: Four Dances from Checkmate, F 2: III. Ceremony of the Red Bishops (2:31)
30. Bliss: Four Dances from Checkmate, F 2: IV. Finale. Checkmate (3:56)

Sir Arthur Bliss contributed two staples of the brass band repertoire - Kenilworth and The Belmont Variations , the enduring success of which inspired arrangers to turn to his other compositions, such as Eric Ball’s Four Dances from the ballet Checkmate and Phillip Littlemore’s suite from the film score for Things to Come .

Three new arrangements have been made especially for this album: Robert Childs’ s suite from the ballet Adam Zero and Michael Halstenson’s arrangements of Welcome the Queen and music from T he Royal Palaces. Collectively this programme reflects the essence of Bliss’s compositional style: the inherent drama of his scores for film, ballet, and television and his flair for the ceremonial, especially in the context of his position as Master of the Queen’s Music.

Black Dyke Band, tracing its continuous history back to 1855, is the most recorded band in the world, having produced a discography of more than 350 recordings to date. It is also the most successful contesting band in the world, having won the European Championships thirteen times, the British Open thirty times and the National Championships of Great Britain twenty - four times . In 2023, the Band appointed the conductor John Wilson as its Honorary President.