The innovative Aedelfrith Brass Quintet has been in performance action today as they prepare for their forthcoming appearance at St John's Smith Square, Westminster on 3rd December.

In Tune

The ensemble visited the BBC Radio 3 studios to give a live performance on 'In Tune' with Sean Rafferty.

Aedelfrith has quickly gained critical recognition for its creative combinations and for performing new arrangements and compositions with inventive presentation on repertoire that focuses on combining music from Anglo, Celtic and Nordic backgrounds.

Lurs

The upcoming St John's concert will see the appearance of two Scandinavian styled 'lurs', an ancient predecessor of modern brass instruments, which will be featured in a piece written especially by group leader Nick Walkley called 'Jorvikekkoer'.

The brass quintet will also be joined by a harp duo, combining for a new commission from composer Simon Dobson entitled 'St Michael: Le Mime', which was originally featured in Stavanger Band's winning Siddis programme from 2014. Matthew Lewis will be the trombone soloist in this reconfiguration for chamber ensemble.

Exciting

Nick Walkley told 4BR: "This will be one of our most exciting programmes, featuring new original works and outstanding soloists.

The combination of brass and harps has a unique magical quality, which we are exploring with a melody rich programme that we are sure will capture the imagination."

Also featuring harps will be Nick's arrangement of 'Mirrorball', adapted from Elbow's moon-gazing hit song, which was featured on their Radio 3 appearance alongside the new version of Jacob Gade's famous Danish tango 'Jalousie', arranged especially for the group by tuba player Ian Shepherd.

The combination of brass and harps has a unique magical quality, which we are exploring with a melody rich programme that we are sure will capture the imaginationNick Walkley

HRH Harpist

Harpist Anne Denholme will also perform as a soloist in Britten's 'Interlude from a Ceremony of Carols', adding a seasonal touch to the event. Anne has recently been appointed the official harpist to HRH The Prince of Wales and is a recent graduate of the Royal Academy of Music, where the group was formed nearly 3 years ago.

Time and place

The concert will take place at St John Smith Square, Westminster, London, on 3rd December at 1.05pm as part of the regular Thursday lunchtime concert series.