"An improbable triumph" The Arts Desk. An expertly and beautifully crafted rendition of Mike Oldfield's highly influential prog masterpiece. Whilst firmly rooted in the brass tradition and featuring some of the UK's finest players, Tubular Brass aims to bring brass band music to a new audience, by creating extraordinary projects. The players are drawn from both the brass band and orchestral fields, and are helmed by the award winning horn player, arranger and professor Sandy Smith, who had the following to say on the project: "I can easily remember when Tubular Bells hit the charts, and I listened, utterly amazed, as it stayed there far longer than any instrumental album had any right doing. It was an album which captured my imagination and remains a pillar of my musical explorations. The re-working uses elements of the original version, the orchestral arrangement made by David Bedford and Oldfield's 2003 re-recording - all re-imagined in a brass landscape. It is pointless trying to re-create the sounds of the original. My thoughts were always to create a version which sounds as if it was conceived for the instruments now being used. The size and flexibility of the ensemble allows us to hear ¶ubular Bells' in a new light." Features a guest cameo by acclaimed solo artist Hannah Peel, who contributes an improvised synthesizer solo.
