Illuminations, Dances & Poems Illumina Duo, Ellie Lovegrove, Richard Moore

• Dan Locklair (b. 1949):
• 1 Phoenix Processional (Version for Trumpet & Organ) 09:19
• Paul Burke (b. 1962): 5 Poems:
• 2 5 Poems: No. 1, Sick Autumn 05:36
• 3 5 Poems: No. 2, Dance in the Sepulchre 04:23
• 4 5 Poems: No. 3, The Lighted City Is Dark 07:20
• 5 5 Poems: No. 4, Anyone Lived in a Pretty How Town 05:53
• 6 5 Poems: No. 5, 50cc 07:27
• Torbjörn Hultmark (b. 1957): Triptyk:
• 7 Triptyk: I. — 05:27
• 8 Triptyk: II. — 05:42
• 9 Triptyk: III. — 08:32
• Solfa Carlile (b. 1986):
• 10 Silver Tree Fanfare 04:58
• Dan Locklair: Trumpets of Light:
• 11 Trumpets of Light: I. Proclamation 02:20
• 12 Trumpets of Light: II. Illumination 05:06
• 13 Trumpets of Light: III. Procession 04:30
• 14 Trumpets of Light: IV. Exultation 04:00
• Total Runtime 01:20:33

Info for Illuminations, Dances & Poems

The illuminating dance of poetry, the poetic dance of illumination, and the dancing illumination of poetry are the heartbeat of the music on this recording.

In the lofty architecture of Dan Locklair’s music, the intense character pieces of Paul Burke and Solfa Carlisle, and in the harrowing journey towards consolation which is Torbjörn Hultmark’s Triptyk, rhythm, harmony, and the trumpet and the organ combine to tell the unending story of life through dance, poetry, and illumination.

In all the works, the music of the organ coalesces out of the air into a landscape in which the trumpet sings the song of a soul. As the listener follows the paths through the landscapes, the changes in the landscapes themselves are as clear as the changes the soul undergoes; as the music is transformed, so are we.

A pæan in praise of the Phoenix, Dan Locklair’s Phoenix Processional tells of the quietly powerful, awesome qualities of the mythological bird at the end of its life, its ‘burning day’, and rebirth. The organ underscores the nobility of the wondrous creature in its statuesque accompaniment of the Phoenix’s story spun out above in the trumpet’s song. A harmonic shift places us firmly in the midst of the death and rebirth of the bird, emphasised through the canon between Trumpet and Organ, the landscape exchanging power with the immortal being, before a re-energised recapitulation, the next life of the Phoenix begun. As the noble bird flies into the ether, its triumphant cry rings out, bold and high, a token of thanks to the land, the cycle of rebirth completed for now. ...

Illumina Duo:
Ellie Lovegrove, trumpet
Richard Moore, organ

Illumina Duo
Attracted to the vast sound world for trumpet and organ, Ellie Lovegrove and Richard Moore decided to form a musical partnership as Illumina Duo in 2012. Their debut recording is a culmination of five years’ music-making in the rich aural landscape created by the fusion of the two instruments, which has included commissioning music from emerging British composers Paul Burke and Solfa Carlile.

Ellie Lovegrove enjoys a freelance career in London, performing with a large variety of orchestras and small ensembles, for sessions, shows, and solo engagements. She has undertaken work with orchestras including the BBC Concert Orchestra, Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and Britten Sinfonia, and on period instrument with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. As a chamber musician, she has performed for the London Handel Festival, and can be heard regularly with brass quintet Chaconne Brass in recitals and recordings. She also frequently performs for West End show ‘Les Miserables’, and with the Royal Shakespeare Company.

In addition to Illumina Duo, solo engagements have included Shostakovich Concerto No. 1 at St John’s, Smith Square, and fanfares for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. She has delivered masterclasses at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Singapore, which also included contemporary music recitals. Ellie studied at the Royal College of Music, London, where she won the Brass Ensemble Prize and Brass Concerto Competition. Her professors included Paul Benniston and Michael Laird.

Richard Moore read Music at Oxford, before taking up a place at the Royal College of Music, studying repertoire with David Graham and improvisation with Sophie-Véronique Cauchefer-Choplin, graduating from the MMus degree with distinction, and attaining the Walford Davies prize in organ performance. Alongside these studies, he was the organ scholar of St Paul’s Cathedral, where he played at a number of important occasions, including the funeral of Baroness Thatcher.

After leaving St Paul’s, he spent a year as Acting Assistant Organist of St Martin-in-the-Fields, a particular highlight of which was a service to commemorate the 70th anniversary of VJ Day, in the presence of HM Queen Elizabeth II and other members of the royal family, and broadcast on BBC television. Richard continues his studies with David Graham and Bine Katrine Bryndorf, and is Sub Organist of Guildford Cathedral.

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