Music / News
Four fanfares for our fair city
It’s 8.15am and torrential rain hammers the pavement outside the Engine Shed next to Temple Meads. A gaggle of soggy-looking photographers and assorted journalists begins to form in front of the building, huddling around a small stage that promises there will be something worth waiting for.
At 8.30am, right on queue, the clouds part, the rain stops and trumpets sound.
This musical miracle happened to be the first public performance of Bristol’s very own fanfare, At the Top of the Tide.
We’re the first city in the UK to have our own fanfare. Commissioned by the Bristol Proms to mark the beginning of a weeklong celebration of classical music at the Old Vic, the four-minute piece composed by competition winner David Mitcham was inspired by Bristol’s maritime and industrial past.
The fanfare was gifted to the mayor and the city of Bristol
The trio of trumpeters, who go by the name of Arc Brass, performed the fanfare at four major landmarks across the city on Monday – much to the bemusement of a few onlookers.
The second performance of the day took place on a balcony at the Watershed, where the musicians were heard but not necessarily seen by passers-by below.
“Where on earth is that coming from?” one dumbfounded shopper asked. “Doesn’t that mean the Queen is here?”
The trio take to the Watershed balcony
Fanfare number three took the musicians to even higher heights at the Wills Memorial Building.
After trudging up the endless staircase that leads to the top of the bell tower, the trumpeters still managed a flawless performance surrounded by impressive views, this time in front of the composer himself.
There were few to enjoy it 68m above Park Street but the seagulls, and so the piece was performed a second time inside the entrance to the building, where a small crowd had gathered.
The musicians seemed pleased to finally have a substantial audience – one small boy enjoyed it so much he even added a few dance moves.
At the top of the bell tower, high above Park Street
The final performance of the Bristol fanfare took place at Bristol Old Vic, which will be home to the Bristol Proms until August 1.
Playing to what was by far the largest audience of the day, the musicians were treated to a rousing (and well-deserved) applause as they took their final bow above the King Street cobbles.
As the crowd dispersed, murmurs of appreciation could be heard from every angle.
The fanfare proved to be a hit with all who experienced it – a perfect representation of the city it celebrates.
Bristol Proms runs from Monday, July 27 to Saturday, August 1. Find full listings at www.bristololdvic.org.uk/proms2015.html.