Passing Open Windows: A Symphonic Tribute to Queen – UK Concert

“Hi to all you out there who, dare I say, may have put out flags of taste and appreciation by purchasing any one of the handful of my orchestral CDs. Namely, the Classic Case Series recorded during the mid 80s to the early 00s and featuring orchestral accounts of “The Flowering of the English Progressive Rock Movement,” one of which features in this post. May I ask of your time for a moment?

Since recording these CDs, I have been approached by orchestras worldwide (and on far too many occasions to mention) asking to hire the orchestral scores and instrument parts of all of the music in the series.

Regrettably, the freight costs have always dashed the hopes and budgets of even the keenest applicants.

However, last year I was able to grant the right of performance of “Passing open Windows – a Symphonic Tribute to Queen” to a group close to home: The Thames Valley Symphony Orchestra, who turned in two spirited readings of the music to sold out venues in the London area last year.

They have now lined up another performance on Saturday, 20th April – details below.

Later in the year they then intend to perform the orchestral version of Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and it just maybe somewhere near you!

Good on ‘em, say I:  KEEP MUSIC LIVE!

Give them a chance and support them if you can. I’m going to attend their upcoming gig in Dorchester together with some friends.

Have you got the night off and nothing planned? Why not join in. It’ll be fun.

Best wishes, DP x “

Don’t miss this rare chance to hear the the iconic hits of Queen played by a 65 piece symphony orchestra.

This amazing concert will take place at the magnificent Dorchester Abbey near Wallingford, Oxon, UK. Conducted by Stephen Ellery, the full orchestra will bring to life the legendary music of Freddie Mercury and his band, in a series of superb arrangements by Dee Palmer, spanning the genres, from classical to jazz to rock.

The concert will include perennial favourites such as Bicycle Race, Somebody to Love, Killer Queen, Death on Two Legs, Innuendo, We Are The Champions and many more.

The programme is the same as on the CD, Passing Open Windows: A Symhonic Tribute to Queen recorded by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in 1996 on the Sony Classical label.

You can read more about how these concerts came about, in this interview with Jasmine Huxtable-Wright in the Henley Standard.

PS To give you a taster, here are a couple of tracks from the original RPO recording that some naughty person has uploaded onto YouTube – but on this occasion we flagrantly take advantage of their misdemeanour for your benefit!