
A note from DP:
“It is now forty years since I began the Classic Case series of recordings with a selection of the music of Jethro Tull, arranged for and played by The London Symphony Orchestra.
The album was very well received and gained high chart positions in most countries.
The music of Genesis, Pink Floyd, Yes, Queen and The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band was to follow, produced in much the same vein.
Symphony Orchestras worldwide have enquired how they could hire the scores and orchestral parts for inclusion in their concert schedules. Regrettably, the sheer cost of shipping and insuring such a volume of music proved, on every occasion, to be an expense way beyond their means.
However, The Thames Valley Symphony Orchestra have managed to circumvent the problems faced by other orchestras and, on September 14th of this year, will be performing in the Great Hall of Reading University a programme of the music of Queen together with the inimitable songs of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band.
The orchestra have already played concerts of the music of Queen at an arts festival in London and in the celebrated Dorchester Abbey in Dorchester on Thames.
Both concerts were sold out and, deservedly, received the most favourable critiques from the local press.
I attended the Dorchester Abbey concert on April 20th and can assure you that I was mightily impressed with their performance – all in good time and in tune.
May I say that, coming from someone who was a member of one of the tightest rock groups in the world, that’s no faint praise!
Go see ‘em perform. You won’t be disappointed.
Best wishes, DP x “

Great Hall
University of Reading
Berkshire
RG1 5AQ
Saturday, September 14th 2024
Concert time: 19:30
Tickets £25
Don’t miss this rare chance to hear the the iconic hits of Queen and The Beatles played by a 65 piece symphony orchestra.
This amazing concert will take place at the Great Hall in Reading University. Conducted by Stephen Ellery, the full orchestra will bring to life both the legendary music of Freddie Mercury and his band, and the Fab Four 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 With A Little Help from my Friends, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, When I’m 64, Lovely Rita, Bicycle Race, Innuendo, We Are The Champions and many more.
The programme is taken from the CDs, Passing Open Windows: A Symhonic Tribute to Queen recorded by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in 1996 on the Sony Classical label and Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Heart Club Band recorded by The Royal Academy of Music Symphony Orchestra in 1994.
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!

