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Our Lockdown Look Back

Whilst we’ve been unable to play in the concert hall, our players have been busy recording a range of content from their homes for you to enjoy!

We’ve been sharing full orchestra montages and smaller ensemble pieces to celebrate occasions such as Welsh Heroes Day, Bastille Day and the Summer Solstice. We’ve also been finding out how well they really know other in their section in “The Me and You Review”, getting a sneak peek into their gig bags and learning from the many tips they’ve shared in our “Tip Tuesday” series.

BBC NOW’s Lockdown Performances

You might have thought being unable to play together in person would’ve stopped an orchestra from performing, but that wasn’t the case for BBC NOW! Below are some of our favourites and you can find more at the bottom of the page.

Celebrating Bastille Day - BBC NOW and ONB Perform Berlioz

To celebrate Bastille Day BBC NOW teamed up with players from the Orchestre National de Bretagne in this spectacular performance of Berlioz's 'March to the Scaffold'.
Sir Bryn Terfel Duets with BBC NOW

Sir Bryn Terfel sings a version of Men of Harlech to words by Welsh poet Meredid Hopwood, accompanied by BBC NOW with a delightful arrangement by Lenny Sayers - all recorded from home!
BBC NOW and Doctor Who - A Lockdown Performance

Back in 2006 BBC NOW recorded the theme tune for Doctor Who, so we thought it was about time we did it again! All recorded by our talented musicians from home.

BBC NOW's joyful rendition of 'Simple Gifts'

Arranged by our violist Peter Taylor and introduced by Ryan Bancroft, our Principal Conductor Designate, enjoy this https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p08m58csrendition of the Shaker song ‘Simple Gifts’.
Sumer is Icumen in

To celebrate the summer solstice, four talented RWCMD students James, Nia, Curtis, and Meredith our musicians with a reading of 'Sumer is Icumen in', followed by a verdant medieval round, arranged by our very own Peter Taylor.
Villa-Lobos - Cello Section

Enjoy this clip of the BBC NOW cello section performing Heitor Villa-Lobos's Bachianas Brasileiras No 1, Mvt 2

Y Gelynnen (The Holly Tree) - Performed by BBC NOW from home

Y Gelynnen (The Holly Tree) is a traditional Welsh song rejoicing the bright and jolly holly tree. Listen as the spritely tune is ed around the Orchestra in this special arrangement by Gareth Glyn.
David Stark and Gwenllian Hâf MacDonald – Por Una Cabeza

Section Principal Alice Neary created a stunning and subtle arrangement of Mozart's "Ave Verum Corpus" for cello octet during lockdown and we loved it!
Mil Harddach Wyt - A Welsh Lullaby in Lockdown

Enjoy our lockdown performance of this traditional Welsh folk-song, a lullaby sung to babies telling of all the things ‘You are a thousand times more beautiful’ than.

What’s in My Gig Bag?

A musician’s gig bag is filled with all kinds of interesting trinkets and tools – this lockdown series took audiences behind the scenes to go where no one has gone before!

What's in Gwen MacDonald's gig bag?

In this first episode, our fantastic and hilarious violinist Gwenllian Hâf MacDonald shows us what’s in her gig bag.
What's in Neil Shewan's gig bag?

In our next episode of ‘What’s in my bag?’ we asked Neil Shewan, French Horn BBC NOW, to reveal what he keeps in his bag...
What's in Claire Whitson's gig bag?

A bit of bling, a sprinkle of sparkle and even pyjamas!? But what else does BBC NOW double bassist Claire Whitson keep in her gig bag?

What's in David Stark's gig bag?

Our Section Principal Double Bass David Stark doesn’t have a gig bag, as he has a massive double bass case. Just what does he keep in there?
What's in Lenny Sayers's gig bag?

Our Principal Bass Clarinet Lenny cycles to work, so packs his essential concert items in his Sustrans pack. What’s in there?
What's in Andy Everton's gig bag?

BBC NOW Trumpeter and self-proclaimed bag lover Andy shows us what’s in his (many!) bags...

The Me and You Review

They play concerts together all the time… but how well do BBC NOW musicians know each other?

During our time in lockdown, we wanted to help our fantastic audiences get to know our musicians a little better and what better with a bit of tongue in cheek quizzing.

The Me and You Review – Gwen & Martin, First Violins

They play concerts together all the time… but how well do BBC NOW musicians know each other? We decided to find out in our quiz show, The Me and You Review! First up, Gwenllian Hâf MacDonald and Martin Gwilym-Jones from our First Violins!
The Me and You Review – Brass Section

In our next episode of The Me and You Review, Darren Smith, Dan Trodden and Donal Bannister test their knowledge!
The Me and You Review - Jess & Sandy, Cello

In this episode of ‘The Me and You Review’ quiz, we catch up with BBC NOW cellists, Jessica Feaver and Sandy Bartai.

The Me and You Review – Double Bass Section

Who likes ice cubes in their coffee? Who’s the section comedian? Who’s the most organised? Find out in this episode of The Me & You Review with David Stark, Claire Whitson & Chris Wescott from our Double Bass section!

Tip Tuesday

Here are just a few of our favourite Tip Tuesdays, a series that featured our talented musicians sharing the valuable lessons they’ve learnt over the years.

Neil Shewan’s tips for taking care of your lips

Our Principal Horn shares his top tips to help wind instrument players look after their lips.
Nick Whiting’s Tip for Playing in an Ensemble

If you play in an ensemble, Associate Leader Nick Whiting has got an important tip for you!
Valerie Aldrich-Smith's "Baguette Theory"...

Combining her love of music and food, our Principal Harp Valerie Aldrich-Smith shares some practice tips for all musicians.

Lenny Sayers’ advice on performing and self-belief

Principal Bass Clarinet Lenny Sayers shares some valuable tips to help you feel more confident when performing in front of others
Laura Sinnerton on practising difficult ages

BBC NOW Violia player Laura Sinnerton has some really worthwhile tips to make your practice time more effective.
Chris Stock's top tips for percussionists

Our Section Principal Percussionist has some great tips to help you with phrasing and musicality.

The Solo Slot

Welcome to The Solo Slot, our series showcasing our musicians as soloists and giving you the chance to hear the individual sounds that make up our wonderful Orchestra!

Donal Bannister - Daniel Speer’s Sonata for Trombones

First up is principal trombonist Donal Bannister with a sonata by Daniel Speer.
Jessica Feaver - Bourées Nos. 1 & 2 from Bach’s Cello Suite No. 3

We hope you love this recording of Bourée’s Nos. 1 & 2 from Bach’s Cello Suite No. 3 by Jessica Feaver.
Robert Plane - Allegro Vivace from Crussel’s Duo in C

This week taking #TheSoloSlot is Principal Clarinettist Robert Plane with a recording of the Allegro Vivace from Crussel’s Duo in C. Enjoy!

Instrumental Insights

There’s a lot more to BBC NOW Musicians than meets the eye! In our Instrumental Insights series, we’ve found out about our musicians’ careers, their most memorable musical moments and what they’ve been up to during lockdown.

Jarosław Augustyniak, Bassoon

From picking up the bassoon at just 12 years of age, to his love for climbing mountains and even an ongoing bet that he has with the rest of the BBC NOW woodwind section…there’s a lot to discover about our Bassoon Section Principal, Jarosław Augustyniak!
Beverley Wescott, Violin

From trying out the clarinet as a child to playing in the Eurovision Song Contest, BBC NOW violinist Beverley Wescott has enjoyed an exciting career so far. Read more about her favourite moments and her array of interesting hobbies in this week’s article.
Darren Smith, Principal Bass Trombone

From starting in music by playing the cornet in a youth brass band to contributing to some of the world’s best-known film scores, Darren Smith has had an incredible career so far.

Rebecca Jones, Section Principal Viola

This week in Instrumental Insights, we caught up with Section Principal Viola, Rebecca Jones, who's had a glittering career so far.
Sandy Bartai, Cello

We discovered how music runs in Sandy’s family, why he loves the social aspects of being a musician and how he enjoys creating art with homemade inks…
Carmel Barber, Violin

Carmel has played with BBC NOW for nearly 25 years and comes from a musical family. But what does she most love about playing her violin and what is her most memorable moment so far?

Instrumental Insights: Ryan Bancroft, Principal Conductor

Ahead of our BBC Proms performance on 8 September, we caught up with our new Principal Conductor, Ryan Bancroft, to find out more about his own musical journey.
Instrumental Insights: Valerie Aldrich-Smith, Harp

Valerie Aldrich-Smith is Principal Harp for BBC NOW and is well-known and loved by our audiences, but what has playing it brought to her life?
Instrumental Insights: Robert Samuel, Trumpet

We spoke to Robert to find out more about him and how he started playing. We discovered that being a musician has given Rob memorable moments, including how he once performed in medieval dress and how music has even led to love…

More Lockdown Performances

If the performances at the top of the page haven’t quenched your musical thirst, here’s some more for you to enjoy!

Mozart's "Ave Verum Corpus" - Arranged by Alice Neary for Cello

Section Principal Alice Neary created a stunning and subtle arrangement of Mozart's "Ave Verum Corpus" for cello octet during lockdown and we loved it!
‘At home’ version of Sosban Fach (klezmer style) by Lenny Sayers

Nothing can stop our musicians from performing! Brilliant ‘at home’ version of Sosban Fach (klezmer style) by Lenny Sayers, our Principal Bass Clarinet at BBC NOW.
Alice Neary and Jessica Feaver - The Swan

Performed beautifully by Alice Neary and Jessica Feaver, here is a home-recorded version of Saint-Saëns' The Swan, arranged by Sebastian Comberti.

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