LAURENCE PERKINS
orchestral and ensemble conductor
With a special commitment and enthusiasm for working with amateur musicians, Laurence Perkins has become a very popular orchestral and ensemble conductor, regularly giving concerts with many different musical groups around the UK.
As a conductor, Laurence has worked with many amateur and professional orchestras and ensembles throughout the UK, performing a wide range of music including much of the standard baroque, classical, romantic and 20th century orchestral repertoire (see list below), as well as many works in the wind chamber music repertoire. He has conducted in performances in Manchester (Bridgewater Hall), Bristol (St. George’s, Brandon Hill), Dartington International Summer School in Devon, Malvern Winds chamber music summer course in Worcestershire, and many other UK venues, as well as performances in France.
Works conducted by Laurence Perkins:
Albeniz: Tango
Alwyn, William: Flute Concerto
Arnold, Malcolm: Little Suite No.2
Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No.1
Bailey, Judith: Concerto
Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 ‘Eroica’
Beethoven: Symphony No. 5
Beethoven: Symphony No. 6 ‘Pastorale’
Beethoven: Symphony No. 7
Beethoven: Symphony No. 8
Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 “Choral”
Beethoven: Violin Concerto
Beethoven: Overture ‘Egmont’
Beethoven: Romance for Violin No.2
Berlioz: ‘Les nuits d’été’ – six songs
Bennett, Richard Rodney: Reflections on a 16th Century Tune
Bizet: Symphony in C
Bizet: L’Arlesiènne’ Suites 1 and 2
Borodin: ‘In the Steppes of Central Asia’
Brahms: Symphony No. 2
Brahms: Symphony No. 3
Brahms: Serenade No. 2 in A
Brahms: Hungarian Dances
Britten: Sinfonietta
Butterworth, George: ‘A Shropshire Lad’ Rhapsody
Butterworth, George: ‘The Banks of Green Willow’
Canteloube: “Songs of the Auvergne”
Caplet, André: Suite Persan
Chabrier: ‘Espana’
Copland: ‘Appalachian Spring’
Davis, Carl: ‘Pickwick Papers’
Debussy: ‘Petite Suite’
Delius: ‘La Calinda’ from ‘Koanga’
Dvorak: Symphony No. 8
Dvorak: Czech Suite
Dvorak: Cello Concerto
Dvorak: Slavonic Dances
Elgar: ‘Wand of Youth’ Suites 1 and 2
Enescu: Dixtour
Fauré: ‘Dolly’ Suite
Francaix: 7 Dances after the ballet ‘Les Malheurs de Sophie’
Gounod: Petite Symphonie
Grieg: Piano Concerto
Grieg: ‘Peer Gynt’ Suite No.1
Handel: 'Musick for the Royal Fireworks'
Handel: ‘Messiah’
Hummel: Trumpet Concerto
Humperdinck: ‘Hansel and Gretel’ overture
Kodaly: Dances from Galanta
Liadov: Eight Russian Folk Songs
Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody No. 14 (‘Hungarian Fantasia’)
Lord Berners: ‘L’Uomo dai baffi’’
McCabe, John: Symphony for 10 winds
Mahler: Symphony No.1
Martinu: Nonet
Mendelssohn: Overture ‘The Hebrides’
Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 3 in A minor, ‘Scottish’
Mozart: Symphony No. 38 ‘Prague’
Mozart: Symphony No. 39
Mozart: Symphony No. 40
Mozart: Symphony No. 41 ‘Jupiter’
Mozart: Overture ‘Cosi fan tutte’
Mozart: Bassoon Concerto
Mozart: Serenade in B flat, K.361 ‘Gran Partita’
Mussorgsky: ‘Night on a Bare Mountain’
Mussorgsky: ‘Khovanshchina’ prelude
Piston, Walter: Serenade
Prokofiev: ‘Romeo and Juliet’ ballet excerpts
Prokofiev: Symphony No.1 ‘Classical’
Rachmaninov: Symphony No.2
Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No.2
Raff, Joachim: Sinfonietta
Ravel: Bolero
Ravel: Valses Nobles et Sentimentales
Ravel: Pavane pour une infante défunte
Respighi: ‘The Fountains of Rome’
Rimsky-Korsakov: ‘Scheherazade’
Rossini: Overture ‘The Italian Girl in Algiers’
Saint-Saens: Symphony No. 3 ‘Organ’
Schmitt, Florent: Lied et Scherzo
Schoenberg: ‘Verklärte Nacht’
Schubert: Symphony No. 5
Schubert: Symphony No.8 ‘Unfinished’
Schubert: Overture ‘Rosamunde’
Sibelius: Violin Concerto
Sibelius: ‘Finlandia’
Sibelius: “Karelia” Suite
Strauss, Johann: ‘Tales from the Vienna Woods’
Strauss, Johann: ‘The Blue Danube’
Strauss, Johann: “Roses from the South”
Strauss, Josef: ‘The Dragonfly’
Strauss, Richard: Serenade, Op.7
Strauss, Richard: Suite, Op.4
Strauss, Richard: Sonatine “From an Invalid’s Workshop”
Stravinsky: Octet
Stravinsky: ‘The Soldier’s Tale’ (complete)
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4 in F minor
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 in E minor
Tchaikovsky: ‘Romeo and Juliet’ fantasy-overture
Tchaikovsky: ‘Nutcracker’ ballet act II
Telemann: Viola Concerto
Vaughan-Williams: ‘The Lark Ascending’
Vaughan-Williams: Fantasia on a theme by Thomas Tallis
Vaughan-Williams: Overture ‘The Wasps’
Verdi: Overture ”La Forza del Destino” (“The Force of Destiny”)
Wagner: Siegfried Idyll
Warlock, Peter: ‘Capriol’ Suite
Weber: Bassoon Concerto
Woolfenden, Guy: Suite Francaise
Woolfenden, Guy: 'Serenade for Sophie'
Audio samples of performances conducted by Laurence Perkins
Beethoven: Symphony No.7 in A major, Op.92, 3rd movement - Scherzo (excerpt)
An exciting and challenging work for any amateur orchestra, with a huge range of expressive contrasts - this energetic Scherzo is a fine example.
Copland: Appalachian Spring (excerpt)
This is the original small-ensemble version by Copland, considered by many to be the best version - it is beautifully scored with excellent parts for every player.
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No.5 (excerpt)
One of the greatest of all Romantic symphonies, combining lyricism with energy, passion and drama.
Wagner: Siegfried Idyll (excerpt)
Originally written for performance by a small ensemble, this beautiful music works equally well as an orchestral or large chamber piece.
Stravinsky: 'The Soldier's Tale' (excerpt)
This exciting work is a huge challenge for any ensemble, requiring great virtuosity and rhythmic skills.
Respighi: 'The Fountains of Rome' (excerpt)
Requiring a large orchestra, these wonderful images in music are hugely satisfying to play, challenging but well worth the effort!
Dvorak: Serenade for winds, cello and bass Op.44 (excerpt)
This is undoubtedly one of Dvorak's finest compositions, a large-ensemble chamber work with fine parts for every player.
Richard Rodney Bennett: Reflections on a 16th century Tune (excerpt)
This evocative music began life as a work for string orchestra, but the composer himself rearranged it for a 10-piece wind ensemble.
Jean Francaix: Sept Danses aprés 'Les Malheurs de Sophie' (excerpt)
Written in 1935 an an orchestral ballet score, this wind ensemble version was made later in life by Francaix - its colourful animated writing reveals the composer's great empathy for wind music.
Martinu: Nonet, for five winds and four strings (excerpt)
This is Martinu's last work dating from 1959, the year of his death. It's a beautifully expressive, autumnal work - the individual parts are challenging but very satisfying to play.
Handel: 'Musick for the Royal Fireworks' (excerpt)
This is the original wind-only version by Handel for a large ensemble of oboes, bassoons, contrabassoons, trumpets, horns, timpani and percussion - the ultimate in celebratory music!