Regimental Band of the Grenadier Guards under the direction of Captain Andrew Porter
Nigel’s BRUEG[H]EL – symphony for piccolo/flute to be recorded this September by Jennifer M. Gunn (piccolo/flute) and the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Neil Thomson. BRUEG[H]EL was composed specifically for Jennifer M. Gunn, who was appointed flute and piccolo of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra by Daniel Barenboim in 2005.
`Winter Landscape and Bird Trap’ – Photograph with thanks to The Royal Museums of Fine Arts Belgium
Here is a selection of photographs documenting last week’s concert at the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium. The event featured Peter Sheppard Skaerved who performed solo violin and viola works in the museum’s Bruegel Room, surrounded by paintings from Pieter Bruegel the Elder and Pieter Brueghel the Younger. Peter played eight of Nigel’s solo violin and viola miniatures from Book One of ‘BRUEG[H]EL’S BRUSH’, alongside music composed during the Bruegel family’s era.
In May and June Peter Sheppard Skaerved will record both Book 1 and 2 of ‘BRUEG[H]EL’S BRUSH’ on the Devine Arts record label and will be released in Autumn of this year.
A heartfelt thank you to Christine Ayoub, Sabine van Sprang and the wonderful staff at the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium for making this event possible.
Peter Sheppard Skaerved (violin) performing at the Royal Museums of Fine Arts Belgium
Nigel Clarke introducing Brueg[h]el’s Brush at the Royal Museums of Fine Arts Belgium
Sabine van Sprang (RMFAB) introducing the works for Pieter Bruegel the Elder and Pieter Brueghel at the Royal Museums of Fine Arts Belgium.
Extract from Nigel Clarke’s Brueg[h]el’s Brush
Here below is the winning performance of my ‘Diary of a Madman’ at the French National Brass Band Championships in 2023 by Hautes-de-Hauts-de-France Brass Band under the baton of Luc Vertommen. `DIARY OF A MADMAN’ depicts Ukrainian resistance against the unjust despotism of Putin’s Russian invasion of 24th February 2022.
Treatro Municipal, Santa Fe, Argentina
OUTRAGEOUS FORTUNE (symphony for trombone soloist, actor and symphony orchestra) – PREMIERE
In 2025, Clarke re-imagined his symphony OUTRAGEOUS FORTUNE from wind orchestra to symphony orchestra. OUTRAGEOUS FORTUNE‘s premiere was given at the Trombonaza Festival in Santa Fe, Argentina, with trombone soloist Brett Baker and the Orquesta Sinfónica Provincial de Santa Fe under the baton of maestro Silvio Viega – Nigel took on the actor’s role for this performance. The premiere was given to a capacity audience in the beautiful Santa Fe’s Opera theatre on the 8 August 2025.
OUTRAGEOUS FORTUNE is a melancholic drama, bleak and sardonic in style. It follows programmatically the story of Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet. The score is prefaced with the bard’s despairing words: “Thus bad begins, and worse remains behind”.
Hamlet is a tale of conspiracy, betrayal, suicide, revenge and murder, and also a ghost story. Both the trombone soloist and the actor take on the role of the Prince of Denmark, Hamlet. OUTRAGEOUS FORTUNE reflects the protagonist’s despair, his self-doubt and self-loathing and his advance towards mental breakdown. Hamlet’s character is full of bitterness, but alongside this he shows profound wisdom beyond his years. Nigel set two of Hamlet’s soliloquys to music: “O that this too too sullied flesh would melt” and “To be, or not to be, – that is the question”.
OUTRAGEOUS FORTUNE was originally written and dedicated to Brett Baker, Natalie Grady, Reed Thomas and the Middle Tennessee State University Wind Ensemble (MTSU).
Poster outside the Teatro Municpal, Santa Fe
Rehearsal for `Outrageous Fortune’
Rehearsing `Outrageous Fortune’ Silvio Viegas (conductor), Brett Baker (Trombone), Nigel Clarke (composer) and the Orquesta Sinfónica Provincial de Santa Fe
`Outrageous Fortune’ premiere at the Teatro Municpal, Santa Fe 8 August
Brett Baker with Silvio Viegas, Nigel Clarke and the Orquesta Sinfónica Provincial de Santa Fe
Nigel with maestro Silvio Viegas after the concert
Ruben Carighi (Trombonist and Trombonanza Artistic Director), Nigel Clarke (Composer), Silvio Viegas (Conductor), Brett Baker (Trombone Soloist) and James Gourlay (Tuba Soloist in the Concert)
Nigel Clarke attended a double-recital at the Tremenheere Sculture Gardens in Penzance given by the violinist Peter Sheppard Skaerved. The first concert (in the unique and extraordinary James Turrell Skyspace) saw Peter perform Nigel’s Loulan and Epitaph for Edith Cavell. The second concert was performed in the Tremenheere Gallery included music by Georg Philipp Telemann and a new work by Jim Aitchison entitled Apertures. Nigel’s River Landscape & The Wine of Saint Martin’s Day Kermis received their UK premieres – both short pieces were inspired by Brueg[h]el family paintings housed in the Royal Museums of Fine Arts Belgium. The Tremenheere Sculture Gardens is located in a very special spot in west Cornwall, in a sheltered valley, overlooking St Michael’s Mount, (with woods, stream and sculptures). Both Peter Sheppard Skaerved’s recitals were performed on a Girolamo Amati violin made in 1629.
Peter Sheppard Skaerved performing Nigel Clarke’s `Loulan’ in the `James Turrell Skyspace’ at the `Tremenheere Sculture Gardens’
Peter Sheppard Skaerved introducing Nigel Clarke’s `The Wine of Saint Martin’s Day Kermis’.
Composers Jim Aitchison, Nigel Clarke and Peter Sheppard Skaerved (violin) Photo by Malene Skaerved Sheppard
Tremenheere Sculture Gardens in Penzance. Photo: Caroline Hager
Nigel Clarke’s solo violin work `The Wine of Saint Martin’s Day Kermis’ was given it’s world premiere by Peter Sheppard Skaerved at The Royal Museum of Fine Arts Belgium (Musées royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique) on 3 June. The occasion was a fund raising dinner for the museum’s patrons. Nigel short work is inspired by the painting `The Wine of Saint Martin’s Day’ painted by a follower of Pieter Bruegel the Elder.
The Wine of Saint Martin’s Day after Pieter Bruegel the Elder (Musées royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique)
Later on in the year Peter Sheppard Skaerved will premiere Brueg[h]el’s Brush, a whole cycle solo violin & viola works by Nigel inspired by the paintings of Pieter Bruegel the Elder and Pieter Brueghel the Younger.
Maecanas Circle Fund Raising Dinner at at the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Belgium
Peter Sheppard Skaerved giving the premiere of Nigel’s The Wine of Saint Martin’s Day Kermis
Nigel Clarke’s solo violin score to `The Wine of Saint Martin’s Day Kermis’
Nigel’s The Miraculous Violin (for violin and string orchestra) was given a breath-taking performance at the University of Zagreb Academy of Music on 8 May this year. The soloist was Peter Sheppard Skaerved violin and 1st year students of the Zagreb Academy. The string orchestra was led by Prof. Anđelko Krpan who was the leader 25 years ago when Nigel’s work was premiered in Zagreb with the Zagrebački solisti. The original commission came from Peter Sheppard Skaerved and the British Council. The Miraculous Violin is recorded on Naxos and can be downloaded from iTunes or Amazon Music and streamed on Spotify, Apple Music, ArkivMusic, Youtube Music, Deeper, Tidal and qobuz. Also on available on CD.
To hear a couple of minutes from the rehearsal click on the link below:
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Nigel with the students at the University of Zagreb Academy of Music (Photo Peter Sheppard Skaerved)
The final rehearsal of The Miraculous Violin (Photo Peter Sheppard Skaerved)
Peter Sheppard Skaerved performing The Miraculous Violin with the students of the University of Zagreb Academy of Music.
Nigel worked with Peter Sheppard Skareved (violin) last Saturday (26 April) on his cycle of miniatures written for solo violin and solo viola entitled BRUEG[H]EL’S BRUSH. The work is inspired by paintings by the Northern Renaissance artists Pieter Bruegel the Elder and Pieter Brueghel the Younger. The commission is part of a partnership between Nigel, Peter Sheppard Skærved and The Royal Museums of Fine Arts Belgium. The partnership will also be built around historic instruments dating back to the period of the Bruegel family.
The collaboration has additional support from Research England, The Royal Academy of Music London and Knowledge Exchange Violin.
Nigel said: “It is always an exciting, special and unique experience to hear the notes come-off the page for the first time and become real musical-sounds, gestures and expressions. On Saturday I heard for the the first first time much of the slow material from BRUEG[H]EL’S BRUSH and look forward to hearing the remaining movements soon. Though I have collaborated on many solo violin works, string orchestra works and concertos with Peter, I never tire Peter’s musical insight, intuition and musicality”
A big shout-out goes to Christine Ayoub of The Royal Museums of Fine Arts Belgium for all her help with this project.
More information about this partnership and collaboration will follow soon!
Below the two photographs is a (low-fi) sneak preview of the ninth movement of BRUEG[H]EL’S BRUSH’ entitled `The Massacre of the Innocents’ for solo viola.
`The Massacre of the Innocents’ [Pieter Brueghel the Younger]’ Photograph courtesy The Royal Museums of Fine Arts Belgium
Peter Sheppard Skærved working with Nigel on BRUEG[H]EL’S BRUSH. The photo is taken from a screen grab by Peter during the session.
Under the direction of Laurent Daurent, Brass Band de la Musique de l’Air et se l’Espace will perform Nigel’s space epic EARTHRISE on Monday 19 May at the Sibelius Academy d’ Helsinki. Brass Band de la Musique de l’Air et se l’Espace have also recently recorded this work for CD in an all British programme of composers. More new to follow soon on this.
