The Medieval Manuscript the 'Chronicles of Mann and Sudreys' mentions various locations, including the Isle of Man, Wales, Scotland, Ireland and even places as far away as Norway and Brittany.
Russell Gilmour (trumpet) and David Kilgallon (organ) use melodies from these countries and they merge and fuse these ideas together with their own to create unique compositions for trumpet and organ. The idea behind their musical collaboration is to explore traditional music from these countries and to adapt the music, interpret it and explore it. Chronicles' musical format is slightly unusual in that it combines trumpet and organ - not the instruments you may initially associate with folk music - but it is an approach that has sparked a lot of interest.
Their limited edition EP "Prologue" is a sample of things to come, as the production of a full album is underway. The full album will be Chronicles' musical impression of the Isle of Man's influences and rich history - as documented in the Chronicles of Mann.
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writing on music, photography, travel and life as a freelance professional musician.
Mendelssohn & Prokofiev - Aurora Orchestra - Bradford on Avon, Snape, Saffron Walden, London & Nottingham
%PM, %Europe/London %b %2025, %RIt was wonderful to perform at Wiltshire Music Centre (21 November 2025), Snape Maltings (22 November), Saffron Hall (23 November), Highgate Wood School (24 November), and the Royal Concert Hall in Nottingham (25 November) with the Aurora Orchestra; we performed Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2 with Chloë Hanslip and Mendelssohn’s 4th Symphony from memory under the baton of Nicholas Collon. It was great to revisit Mendelssohn’s ‘Italian’ symphony, which many of us memorised for performances alongside Berlioz’s Harold in Italy at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in June 2025.
It was great to perform Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2 with Chloë Hanslip, who was presumably playing her 1737 Guarneri violin. She was amazing! I played second trumpet; playing the modern trumpet with an orchestra is something of a rarity for me these days but I really enjoyed it. It was great to play this complex piece with such a fine orchestra. Sam Kinrade played first modern trumpet and we swapped around for the Mendelssohn and earlier works.
What else is there to say really? This is a very happy orchestra, a jovial social environment, and a life-enhancing musical experience for players and listeners alike. I’ve done a fair amount of Mendelssohn with the Aurora Orchestra: when I first played with this orchestra we played Mendelssohn’s Hebrides Overture, as well as his Symphony No. 1, and the Andante from his Clarinet Sonata. In 2021, we also performed Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto with Nicola Benedetti in Nottingham, Snape, and London.
Aurora Orchestra, Modern Trumpet, Natural Trumpet
It was great to perform Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2 with Chloë Hanslip, who was presumably playing her 1737 Guarneri violin. She was amazing! I played second trumpet; playing the modern trumpet with an orchestra is something of a rarity for me these days but I really enjoyed it. It was great to play this complex piece with such a fine orchestra. Sam Kinrade played first modern trumpet and we swapped around for the Mendelssohn and earlier works.
Nicholas Collon gave a brief presentation about the Mendelssohn ‘Italian’ Symphony. In Nottingham, in place of the presentation, we performed Mozart’s Overture from the Marriage of Figaro and the strings also performed Elgar’s Introduction and Allegro. In Wiltshire, Snape, and Saffron Walden the orchestra performed Caroline Shaw’s ‘Entr'acte’, a short presentation, and Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 4.
We also performed a somewhat condensed workshop version of the symphony for the students of Highgate Wood School on 24 November 2025: an enriching experience that was received with enthusiasm.
What else is there to say really? This is a very happy orchestra, a jovial social environment, and a life-enhancing musical experience for players and listeners alike. I’ve done a fair amount of Mendelssohn with the Aurora Orchestra: when I first played with this orchestra we played Mendelssohn’s Hebrides Overture, as well as his Symphony No. 1, and the Andante from his Clarinet Sonata. In 2021, we also performed Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto with Nicola Benedetti in Nottingham, Snape, and London.
