Steampunk Brass

Celebrated brass pioneers The Wallace Collection bring a bold, resonant close to Saturday’s festival programming with a late-night concert of reimagined Haydn.

Using rare period instruments – saxotrombas, serpent, saxhorns, ophicleide, and early cornets – this intimate yet powerful performance offers a fresh perspective on Haydn’s string quartets, reworked for 19th-century brass by Julien Tollot and transcribed/reconstructed by leading scholars and performers.

Launched by John Wallace in 1986 at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, the ensemble has built a global reputation for exploring the full spectrum of brass music. From avant-garde premieres to rediscovered gems, they have appeared at major international festivals and reached the top of the US Billboard crossover charts. Their mission is to inspire, innovate, and educate, with a passionate focus on young musicians and historical performance.

Programme:
Joseph Haydn – March for the Prince of Wales (1792)
(Transcribed by John Miller)
*Haydn Quartet in G minor, op.74 no.3 ‘The Rider’
(Tollot transcription, reconstructed by Sandy Coffin)
*Haydn Quartet in F minor, op.55 no.5 ‘The Dream’
(Tollot transcription)
*Haydn Quartet in C major, op.33 no.3 ‘The Bird’
(Tollot transcription)

Performers:
John Miller – cornets & trumpets
Al Douglas – cornets & flugelhorn
Fergus Kerr – alto saxotromba
Paul Stone – tenor saxotromba
Tony George – saxhorn basse, serpent & ophicleide