‘Never Say Goodbye’  is being  officially released by Schott’s in February, 2007.  This album features some of the leading brass players in the country  including  the Apollo Saxophone Quartet, who were working locally while we were in the middle of recording, came over to dinner, and were press-ganged into playing.

The Three Quartets album featuring the Apollo Saxophone Quartet playing my quartets specially written for them,  came out in May 2006 on the Celestial Harmonies label, and printed music is available.

Rob Buckland from the Apollo Saxophone Quartet is releasing a trio album featuring himself on saxes, percussionist Simone Rebello, and piano, playing my suite Rhythms of the Gods, originally  performed  and recorded by myself on saxes, Evelyn Glennie, and Philip Smith.

Earlier this year, I was asked by Jeremy Polmear,a wonderful oboe player, to arrange my composition ‘Green’ for his trio with bassoon and Diana Ambache on grand piano with a view to  recording it for his CD  “Melodic Lines” due to be released shortly.  He describes it as:

Track 6, Barbara Thompson, Green (2006)

This piece has its origins in Barbara Thompson's second Saxophone Quartet, written in 2003 for the Apollo Saxophone Quartet and recorded by them in December, 2003. The movement Green soon took on a life of its own. "I heard it played at the Freiberg Festival by a saxophone orchestra and it sounded marvellous," said Barbara Thompson. I said I thought the combination of oboe, bassoon and piano sounded very natural in the piece. "Yes, those instruments have a slightly 'waily' sound - lyrical, but centred. It wouldn't work on the clarinet." I asked Barbara what the colour green meant to her. "It's an abstract piece," she replied, "I think of green as a source of unspoilt, still, beauty - there's a poignant aspect to it."

The opening piano figure comes out of nothing, and I mentioned to Barbara that it reminded me of the opening of Handel's Zadok the Priest. "I'm not conscious of that," she replied, "but I went to music college, and it may have rubbed off on me." But the melody, when it eventually arrives, is anything but Handelian, not least because it appears to be in a different tempo. "It should sound as if you're playing it without counting," said Barbara, "you can't be wrong." We found, however, that in practice it was vital to stay with the piano - once you got lost there was no going back - and nods from the resting player at crucial points proved invaluable.

But where did that characterful, mesmeric, highly original melody come from? "It wrote itself," said Barbara. "I remember writing the background, and the melody just popped up on top of it. Then I wrote the middle section [from 2:17] on a train. Everbody starts together, and then oboe and bassoon come adrift, with everybody following everybody else. I like that effect, and I also like the sound of the bassoon in its high register.

Colosseum is touring in the Spring of 2007, playing two concerts in Japan mid Feb. ,then  touring in Germany, Austria and Italy.  Unfortunately no concerts are planned for the UK.

Jon is as busy as ever, producing and recording.  I have written a flute concerto ‘Quantum Leaps’ for flute & strings as well as a clarinet concerto for clarinet and piano, and he will be supervising the recording of my next album featuring these and other concertos. We are both looking forward to getting back on the road.

On a personal note, our son Marcus got married in Hamburg. We have spent so much time working there, that it seemed quite a natural process for Marcus to marry this lovely German girl,.  In the last year I have been there many times spending weeks at a time, with the NDR Big Band, as well as playing concerts at venues such as the Fabrik.

As many of you may know, I was diagnosed with Parkinson  Disease 11 years ago.  I have been so lucky with the medication that has enabled me to continue with my musical career, playing as well as composing.  Sometimes things are difficult, but with good management, anything is possible.  The cure is not yet here, but I firmly believe that it will be, and many of these long term neurological conditions will be cured.  We must none of us give up hope.

Barbara  Thompson Oct. 2006

Click for list of Barbara Thompson's works for performance in 2006