This is a collection of superb and tuneful marches together with other music connected with the Royal Swedish Navy, beautifully performed by the Royal Swedish Navy Band, conducted by Andreas Hanson and recorded in the lovely acoustic of the  Church of Ulrica Pia in Karlskrona, Sweden with Tony Faulkner as recording engineer.

'Excellent playing, choice of music, recording and packaging. What more do you want?'  Major Gordon Turner MBE reviewing in Band International

David Denton, David’s Review Corner

 ‘I guess that military bands in the States around the turn of the (19th) century would have sounded just like the excellent musicians of The Royal Swedish Navy Band........an ensemble whose sound harks back to the days when Sousa’s band would have taken the world by storm’

A most unusual collection - mainly of marches - reflecting the development of German military music from 1815 to 1915. This excellent recording contains lesser known marches as well as favourites, a number certainly not recorded in the current digital age, if at all. The single CD comes in a double jewel case as the package contains s a massive 48 page booklet which includes comprehensive and fascinating notes about the music and its historical context by the military music historian Tony Dean.

'All in all, this must rank as one of the finest military band recordings ever' 

Major Gordon Turner MBE reviewing in Band International

The Royal Norwegian Navy Band's own superb soloists perform a most enjoyable programme of rarely heard works - Rimsky-Korsakov's Concertos for Clarinet and for Trombone plus his Variations on a Theme of Glinka for Oboe and Military Band; we also present Glière's rarely heard Concerto for Trumpet (originally his Concerto for Coloratura Soprano and Orchestra), Lebedev's Concerto no. 1 for Bass Trombone and Arutiunian's Tuba Concerto. Whereas the Rimsky-Korsakov works were all originally scored for military band, the latter three works are all re-scored for different sizes of wind orchestra. This is a tuneful, exciting and beautifully played album, conducted by Leif Arne Tangen Pedersen, the outstanding Principal Clarinet of the Oslo Philharmonic.

We are very pleased to announce a new recording from MPR of music for string orchestra entitled 'Palace Premieres', with the Countess of Wessex's String Orchestra. The playlist consists of hitherto unrecorded music performed during Royal Investitures (where honours are bestowed by Her Majesty the Queen or by one of her close family) and includes works such as Suite: 'In Rural England' by Thomas Dunhill, 'Shepherd's Delight' by Alec Rowley, 'Pastoral Scene' by Frederic Curzon, 'Fragment for Strings' by Bertram Walton O'Donnell, 'Nocturne' by WH Speer, Gavotte 'In Georgian Days' by Roger Quilter, 'Rivers of Devon Suite' by Ernest Markham Lee and a number of beautiful light music arrangements for strings of folk songs. We have also included as a 'bonus' a suite of Seven Pieces by Giles Farnaby, arranged by Bantock. We recorded the latter only to discover that in fact it has already been recorded but only once to our knowledge and we decided that as it is such good material we just had to include it.

The Countess of Wessex's String Orchestra is very sensitively directed by Major David Hammond, a truly fine musician. The orchestra consists of the best string players in the Army who are very fine and highly trained musicians. The quality of playing is really excellent and the performances musicianly and committed. The CD was recorded in the sumptuous acoustic of the Guards Chapel in London and the recording engineer is the legendary Tony Faulkner. Mike Purton was producer and editor and we recommend this recording to anyone who loves British music of a certain period (see above). Lee's 'Rivers of Devon' Suite is very Elgarian, Speer's little 'Nocturne' brings to mind Wagner’s 'Siegfried Idyll' and you can see from many of the titles that spirit of Rural England  is frequently invoked. This recording has been made in collaboration with the Corps of Army Music Trust.

PLEASE NOTE: STILL AVAILABLE, BUT TO BUY A COPY PLEASE CALL The Band of the Irish Guards on 020 7414 3253

This recording was made in the sumptuous and historic location of the Guards Chapel, Wellington Barracks, where the five Foot Guards Bands are based. The recording is a collaboration between MPR and the Irish Guards Regimental Trust and was produced and edited by Mike Purton. Our recording engineer was once again Tony Faulkner, legendary amongst classical sound recordists, so you are guaranteed absolute top of the range recording values. With around 78 minutes of music, the tracklist contains more than twenty marches (old and new) and includes some real rarities. We also have a superb selection of Irish folk tunes - both foot-tapping and reflective - in the guise of 'At Kitty O'Shea's' by the superb Dutch wind band composer Johan de Meij. As well as other contrasting items such as the haunting 'Carrickfergus' we have the Irish Guards Regimental Call, Last Post and Rouse (all sounded by BSM WO2 Ralph Brill) and several numbers featuring not only the Drums and Pipes of the Irish Guards but also the Corps of Drums. This new CD is a must for any lover of military band music, or Irish music.

This brand new CD is a wonderful collection of arrangements for 10 piece brass ensemble with percussion, performed by the incredible Symphonic Brass of London, under the direction of Professor Eric Crees, former Principal Trombone at the Royal Opera House, Co-Principal Trombone of the LSO and Professor at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London. Professor Crees is also internationally renowned as a composer and arranger and in this delightful collection orchestrated from the original piano pieces we hear how Ragtime (brilliantly realised in the music of Scott Joplin) and then Jazz influenced French composers such as Debussy, Auric, Milhaud and Satie. Recorded by MPR in the world famous acoustic of Henry Wood Hall, London, these sensitive and thrilling performances, with 12 of London’s finest brass players and percussionists will mesmerise you with their musicianship and amazing technical skill. Tony Faulkner’s beautiful recorded sound makes this recording a must for all lovers of fine recorded music, but of course especially for brass enthusiasts! MPR is delighted to be associated with what shall surely be an iconic brass recording.