Latest News
'Meditation No.2', for violin and piano, is now available for download from on the sheet music page. Price £1.99
'Romance No.1' is now available in a tab version from the sheet music page. Price £1.99
John has a new piece, 'Romance No.2' on Craig Ogden's new CD 'The Guitarist'. The Pavão String Quartet are performing with Craig and the release also features them on an updated version of 'Romance No.1'. Click here if you wish to purchase the CD or download any tracks.
The Band of the Parachute Regiment have recorded a new song, 'When Poppies Fall', that will be the title track of a CD of remembrance music they are releasing in the autumn. All proceeds will go to services charities. The recording session was featured on BBC television as well as on forces radio and in the press. See full details here.
World-famous vocal group The King's Singers have now recorded my Pie Jesu, and I'm thrilled with the result. It is featured on their new EP, 'From the Heart'. You can buy it here: http://3.ly/PieJesu and the sheet music for this arrangement is available from the sheet music page.
My new choral work, 'Amazing Day', was given its first performance at the Bradbourne School in Sevenoaks on 3rd July 2009 as part of the Sevenoaks Festival. Anthony Dawson conducted, and with the Amazing Singers and the Bradbourne Minstrels brought the work to life in the way I had always imagined it. You can see photographs of the concert here.
Rebecca Lundberg recently scored 'Pie Jesu' for Brass Band and her arrangement was heard on 'Listen to the Band' on Radio 2 on 10th July.
My new guitar piece, 'Sahara', inspired by my recent trek to the Sahara for the ClassicFM charity Music Makers (see photos here) has been recorded by Craig Ogden and is featured on the No.1 Classical chart-topping album 'Summer Guitar'. This CD can be purchased here.
'Come Una Pregheira' (Eternal Prayer) has been recorded by Jon Christos and will be featured on his album 'Artist' to be released later this year.
Artists that have recorded my work include All Angels (Pie Jesu),
Roisin O' Reilly (Christmas Gift of Love),
Jon Christos (Come Una Preghiera) and Craig Ogden (Romance No.1 & Romance No.2)
I am currently presenting Classic fm's evening show live from 5-8pm Monday to Friday.
Welcome to JohnBrunning.com.
Many people know my name and voice from listening to Classic FM, but fewer are aware of my work as a musician and composer; which predates my radio presentation by many years.
However, even when I was playing lead guitar in professional rock bands, including a spell with seventies’ chart-toppers “Mungo Jerry”, I was always enthusiastic about so-called “classical music”; I say so-called because I instinctively dislike pigeonholing music.
One of the first records I bought as an eight-year-old boy was a recording of the Brahms Violin Concerto, followed swiftly by Frankie Lane singing “Rawhide” – eclectic, to say the least! If a piece has strong melodies and unfolds in an interesting way, there’s every chance it will appeal, whether it be a song, symphony or concerto.
I have been a presenter with Classic FM since the station went on air in September 1992, and I feel sure that the huge variety of music I have been exposed to must be reflected in my own compositions.
Had someone told me thirty years ago that I would spend two years composing a choral work, I would have thought them crazy; but that’s precisely what I have been doing, and thoroughly enjoying every step of the process.
