Blog Post: Reflections on 'In Gardens of Peace'

I am amazed to see the reaction that Philip Harper's brand new Euphonium Solo 'In Gardens of Peace' has received. I have had the privilege of performing 'In Gardens of Peace' on around 10 separate occasions, in various situations from summer concerts in the park to just plain normal band concerts and following each performance, stories of lost relatives and visits to the battlefields have been related to me, 'In Gardens of Peace' touches on a part of history which is still fresh in the minds of many people, especially since the start of the centenary of World War One.

A year on and 'In Gardens of Peace' has featured on 2 CD's the first featuring Glyn Williams on 'Elemental' with the Cory Band and an unreleased CD featuring Steven Mead with Brass Band Buizingen. Other notable performances have included Daniel Thomas for the BBC2 Radio Young Brass Musicians Award and Derick Kane with the Croydon Citadel Salvation Army Band.

Although 'In Gardens of Peace' is a purely musical work, the historical message behind its commissioning has found its way into some of the various First World War historical associations articles and magazines including The Western Front Association and The Commonwealth War Graves Commission. These articles have really promoted the true message behind the music.

It is amazing to see the impact that performances of 'In Gardens of Peace' has had on audiences members. I would never have believed that a five minute piece of music, which has only been in existence for over a year, could promote such a powerful message. This collaboration has crossed both the historical and musical boundaries, joining a universal message together, a collaboration that seems to be very rare within music.

As the sheet music is nearly available for release, my thoughts turn to the excitement of hearing 'In Gardens of Peace' played by other Euphonium players as they receive access to such an incredibly powerful piece of music.