Abide with Me (arr. Paul McGhee)

Paul McGhee made this haunting arrangement of W.H. Monk’s famous hymn tune for the young Belgian star of the euphonium Glenn Van Looy, who performed it on 27 January 2013 at the Royal Northern College of Music Festival of Brass, with the Leyland Band conducted by Michael Bach. Surrounding the three verses of the solo line are wisps of texture, irregular rhythms and colours form brass and percussion, giving the music an unsettled feel. Abide with me is a favourite of Paul McGhee, who says “When watching the film 28 Days Later I thought it would make a rather striking arrangement for brass band. This was confirmed further when the hymn was used at the 2012 opening ceremony of the London Olympics. The contrast between the static, slow moving melody and the rhythmic effects of the dancers was something that I thought could be captured in an arrangement.”
Grade 4 (soloist 5)
Duration 5 mins
£35 plus postage and packing