Canite Tuba: Music for Advent and Christmas Onyx Brass

• C.Monteverdi (1567-1643)
• 1Vespro della Beata Vergine, 'composti sopra canti fermi': Deus in adiutorium meum intende (arr. for brass quintet)01:54
• G. da Palestrina (1525-1594)
• 2Motets for 5-8 Voices: Book 2 for 5, 6 and 8 Voices: Canite tuba (arr. for brass quintet)02:10
• A.Corelli (1653-1713)
• 3Concerto Grosso in G minor, Op. 6, No. 8, 'Christmas Concerto' (arr. for brass quintet)06:26
• H.Schutz (1585-1672)
• 4Die Geburt unsers Herren Jesu Christi, SWV 435: Intermedium VI: Herodes (arr. for brass quintet)02:00
• J.S.Bach (1685-1750)
• 5Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248: Part VI: Herr, wenn die stolzen Feinde schnauben (arr. for brass quintet)04:22
• G.Holst (1874-1934)
• 6No. 1. A Babe is Born01:55
• G.Holst (1874-1934)
• 7No. 2. Now Let us Sing02:47
• G.Holst (1874-1934)
• 8No. 3. Jesu, Thou the Virgin-born02:51
• G.Holst (1874-1934)
• 9No. 4. The Saviour of the World is Born01:36
• (arr. D. Bannister)
• 10Wexford Carol03:30
• R.Parsons (1535-1572)
• 11Ave Maria (arr. for brass quintet)04:47
• T.Tallis (1505-1585)
• 12O nata lux de lumine (arr. for brass quintet)01:37
• P.Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
• 1316 Songs for Children, Op. 54: No. 5. Legenda (Legend) (arr. for brass quintet)01:51
• J.S.Bach (1685-1750)
• 1418 Chorales, BWV 651-668, 'Leipziger Chorale': Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, BWV 659 (arr. for brass quintet)04:04
• P.Cornelius (1824-1874)
• 15Weihnachtslieder, Op. 8: No. 3. Die Konige (arr. for brass quintet)02:11
• G. da Palestrina (1525-1594)
• 16Masses, Book 4: Missa O Magnum Mysterium: Kyrie (arr. for brass quintet)02:33
• H.Berlioz (1803-1869)
• 17L'enfance du Christ, Op. 25: Part II, 'La fuite en Egypte': L'adieu des bergers a la Sainte Famille (arr. for brass quintet)04:29
• J.Handl (1550-1591)
• 18Omnes de Saba venient (arr. for brass quintet)01:33
• J.S.Bach (1685-1750)
• 19Das Orgelbuchlein, BWV 599-644: In dulci jubilo, BWV 608 (arr. for brass quintet)01:13
• J.S.Bach (1685-1750)
• 20In dulci jubilo, BWV 729 (arr. for brass quintet)02:35
• Total Runtime56:24

Info for Canite Tuba: Music for Advent and Christmas

Music written to celebrate Advent and the festival of Christmas spans many centuries with composers from all periods of western music penning works to mark this time of both preparation and joy at the mystical events surrounding the birth of Christ.

Acclaimed quintet Onyx Brass present a programme of well and lesser-known works both written for, and associated with, Advent and Christmas.

'Easily the classiest brass ensemble in Britain.....With its scrupulous attention to balance, timbre and nuance of phrasing, it is reminiscent of the Philip Jones quintet in its prime, where total integration of five musical personalities becomes an ensemble that is much more than the sum of its parts....five stars.' (BBC Music Magazine)

'Onyx Brass come alive as responsive individuals ... supremely virtuoso, resplendent and dramatic, questing and deft...all delivered with a liberated and characterful imagination… some of the most thrilling chamber brass-playing of its kind.' (Gramophone Magazine)

David Gordon-Shute, Tuba
Andre Sutton, French Horn
Brian Thomson, Trumpet
Niall Keatley, Trumpet
Amos Miller, Trombone

Producer & Engineer: Alexander Van Ingen

Since 1993 Onyx Brass has been dominating the international brass chamber music world. Dubbed "easily the classiest brass ensemble in Britain " by BBC Music magazine, it has performed at festivals all over Europe and the USA to huge critical acclaim. The group was conceived by way of filling the huge gap in the market for a serious yet approachable brass chamber ensemble.

Of particular importance to Onyx is the commissioning of new music and, to this end, they have performed and recorded world premieres of music by Jonathan Dove, Bob Chilcott, John Tavener, John McCabe, Judith Bingham, Joe Duddell and Michael Nyman.

Individual members of the group hold permanent, principal positions in The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestra of English National Opera, the English Chamber Orchestra, and the Royal Ballet Sinfonia. The quintet performs regularly on BBC Radios 2 and 3. In its history, the ensemble has won numerous grants, competitions and scholarships as well as having played for The Queen and Prime Ministers Tony Blair and, before him, John Major.

Onyx Brass are also very active and experienced in the field of music education, having conducted workshops and master classes for a huge range of people. They have directed educational days at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. In the USA, they have carried out masterclasses at the Juilliard School in New York and the Boston Conservatory. In addition, the group returned to its roots at the National Youth Orchestra for a day and coached the talented young brass students for a cooperative concert held that evening. Onyx Brass have just been appointed ensemble-in-residence at both Westminster Abbey Choir School and Imperial College, University of London.

During 2000-01 they took part in a Making Music (formerly the National Federation of Music Societies) New Horizons educational tour around Britain , with specially commissioned music by Bob Chilcott called 'A Sporting Chance' for brass quintet, school choir, actors and dancers. In 2002, with the assistance of ING Barings and Hackney Music Services, they took a similar project into schools within the London Borough of Hackney. Between the Summers of 2004 and 2005, Onyx, again, took 'A Sporting Chance' to various festivals and societies around the UK , thanks to a grant from the Arts Council of Great Britain. The group intends to rejuvenate this project in the run-up to the London Olympics in 2012. br>
Work with choirs now also forms a vital part of Onyx’s work. In recent times the group has worked with the BBC Singers, the Brighton Festival Chorus, the Choir of St Brides, Fleet Street as well as superb amateur choirs including the choir of Selwyn College,Cambridge. The John Armitage Memorial trust forms the backbone of this work and, also, provides a platform for composers to submit works for inclusion in to each years series of concerts.

Onyx have recorded several discs, including Fugue a recording of fugues by Bach and Shostakovich (Chandos Records) and two titles for Meridian Records - Pavans Fantasias Variations and Time to Time.

Booklet for Canite Tuba: Music for Advent and Christmas