Wednesday 13 January 2010

Maurice Murphy MBE




A great concert by the LSO yesterday evening, Elektra with Gergiev (you can find my review here). Something interesting caught my eye in the programme: Maurice Murphy, the orchestra’s former principle trumpeter has been awarded an MBE in the New Year Honours.
Last year I was doing some research on brass bands in the late 1950s, and looking though back issues of British Bandsman from the time, I repeatedly found photographs and articles about the new star signing by the Black Dyke Mills Band, a very young Maurice Murphy on solo cornet.
Fast forward to the late 1970s, and to the title sequence of Star Wars. That’s Maurice Murphy at the top of the brass section through all those riveting fanfare sequences. He deserves his MBE for that session alone in my opinion. Congratulations Maurice!
You can listen to an interview with Maurice, produced by the LSO for his retirement in 2007 here.

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