Cardiff County & Vale of Glamorgan Youth Wind Band - A New Dawn (2005)

The album "A New Dawn" reflects the diversity of music written for brass band.
"Men of Wales" is a traditional march, written in 1927 by Archie Ellis for the Welsh Guards.
"Moment for Morricone" is a selection of film music by Ennio Morricone, the composer of soundtracks for 1960s spaghetti westerns starring a young Clint Eastwood. The compositions "Come una sentenza," "Addio a Cheyenne," and "Once upon a time in the West" are taken from the film of the same name (Once Upon a Time in the West), while the themes "Theme" and "Ecstasy of Gold" are from "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly." The arrangement was performed by Johan de Mey.
Philip Sparks's "To A New Dawn" was commissioned by Captain Timothy J. Holtan and the Continental Army Band to celebrate the arrival of the third millennium. The composer's goal was to express anticipation of the challenges of the new century while simultaneously looking back on the one that has passed.
Frank Ticheli's "Blue Shades" contains allusions to the blues. A jazzy mood is evident throughout the piece, but it is not pure blues. Blues notes (lowered iii, vit, and vii) are used repeatedly, depicting the many "shades of blue"—from bright to dark, from dirty to searing blue. At times, the piece parodies some clichés of the big band era, but does so not as a mockery, but as a tribute. The slow, quiet middle section evokes the atmosphere of a dark, smoky jazz club; An extended clarinet solo emulates the expressive playing of Benny Goodman and leads into wailing brass chords that recreate the train whistle effect often used in that era. This recording is from the ensemble's live performance on March 12, 2005, at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, during the final of the National Concert Orchestra Festival. The narration is by Keith Turnbull, one of the two festival judges that day. To hear only the performance, set your audio system to play the left channel only.
Eric Whitaker's "October" was inspired, according to the composer, by the quiet beauty of his favorite month, with its "chilly autumn air and shifting light." The simple, pastoral melodies and harmonies are inspired by the works of Edward Elgar and Ralph Vaughan Williams. Paul Hart's "Silver Screen" is a conceptual piece imbued with the composer's memories of silent films shown on television in the 1960s, accompanied by honky-tonk piano. The music is programmatic: an entire "Chaplinesque" film unfolds before us, complete with all its main characters—the comic hero, the heroine, the wily villain, the inevitable chase, the girl tied to the tracks with a train rapidly approaching, the last-second rescue, the villain's death, the heroes' undying love, and the ending, where everyone lives happily ever after.
"A New Dawn" is the debut CD by the Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan Youth Brass Band. It is intended to celebrate the outstanding achievements of this young ensemble, which over the past three years has emerged as one of the UK's leading youth brass bands. When Sean O'Neill was appointed conductor in November 2001, he began reorganizing a group with a proud thirty-year history. Previously, under the name South Glamorgan Youth Brass Band, the group represented Wales at the Boosey and Hawkes European Brass Band Festival in Glasgow in 1990. Under Sean's leadership, the orchestra has achieved impressive success. The ensemble won three consecutive gold awards at the regional stages of the National Concert Orchestra Festival, as well as gold, silver, and bronze awards at the national finals held at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. In July 2004, the ensemble achieved its greatest recognition: the musicians were invited to represent Wales at the inaugural London International Brass Band Festival, held at the Anvil Theatre in Basingstoke. Competing against top brass bands from England, America, and Slovenia, they proudly won the gold award. In July 2005, the Youth Brass Band will perform at Birmingham Symphony Hall for the first time, taking part in the National Finals of the Music for Young People festival. However, their greatest challenge lies ahead. In March 2006, the Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan Youth Brass Band will once again represent Wales at the International Brass Band Competition, traveling to New York to perform at the world-famous Carnegie Hall.
Sean O'Neill: Conductor Sean O'Neill graduated from the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. He held the position of principal tuba in the orchestra of the Welsh National Opera for 25 years, before launching a highly successful solo and freelance career in 2002.