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Septura
Matthew Lloyd
About

Artistic Directors: Simon Cox & Matthew Knight

Septura’s members are the leading players of the new generation of British brass musicians, holding principal positions in the London Symphony, Royal Philharmonic, London Philharmonic, BBC Symphony, Philharmonia, City of Birmingham Symphony, Basel Symphony and Aurora orchestras.

Septura brings together London’s leading players to redefine brass chamber music through the uniquely expressive sound of the brass septet.

By creating a canon of transcriptions, arrangements and new commissions for this brand new classical configuration, Septura aims to re-cast the brass ensemble as a serious artistic medium.

Currently Ensemble in Residence at the Royal Academy of Music, London, the group is recording a series of 10 discs for Naxos Records, each focused on a particular period, genre and set of composers, creating a ‘counter-factual history’ of brass chamber music.

The first six discs have received critical acclaim, described variously as “irresistible” (Fiona Maddocks, The Observer), “dazzlingly polished” (Anna Picard, BBC Music Magazine) and “brass playing at its most exalted” (Robert Markow, Fanfare). In addition, Christmas with Septura was released in 2016, and Septura’s unique version of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker narrated by Sir Derek Jacobi was released in 2019.

Weaving this ever-increasing repertoire into captivating live events, Septura is gaining a reputation for engaging audiences with innovative and imaginative programming. In 2019-20 the group performed all over the world from New Zealand and Japan to the USA. Forthcoming UK highlights will include a return to London’s prestigious Wigmore Hall.

 

Posted: Aug-23-2021
Latest Acclaim

"Virtuoso playing: glossy, brilliantly articulated, audaciously coloured, technically flawless."

 

— BBC Magazine
Posted: Aug-23-2021
Latest Recording

 

This sixth album from Septura features arrangements for brass septet of orchestral and vocal works by four of the greatest British composers of the first half of the 20th century, a period when the brass band movement flourished as seldom before.

Posted: Jun-1-2018
Latest Video
Posted: Nov-10-2023