Spectrum Ensemble London

In this concert, which marks the end of Spectrum's day of activities for the Crystal Palace Overground Festival, the octet is joined by friends and colleagues of the brass, double bass and percussion sections, to portray the power and grandeur of the symphonic works of Mahler, Shostakovich, Sibelius, Rachmaninoff and Holst. Again all arrangements have been done by Fiona Bryan and in scaling down the intrsumental forces from around 90 players to just 19, each player finds themselves very busy and playing some rather unusual roles, the piano part being given to the tuba, and the harp part to the horns and double bass for example.

Dan Gilllingwater's piece, Andante Meastoso, was very popular with audience and players alike in Spectrum's concert for the Festival in 2013 and he joins them again this year with a new arrangement for the group 'A drop in the ocean' which he originally wrote as a string serenade.

Mike Perry from The Blue Amen initiated this collaboration with Spectrum having heard their recently recorded CD. He liked the unusual sound of the octet and thought it would enhance and compliment the darker songs in their repertoire and so they have joined forces in this somewhat experimental interpretation of two blues standards.