Stretching back from the stark Soviet soundscape of Shostakovich, through the early modernism of Prokofiev to the pre-revolutionary opulence of Scriabin and Rachmaninov, Septura redresses a lack of original music for brass by these great composers by charting a turbulent seventy years of Russian history.

Brass instruments feature prominently in these composers’ symphonic output, and Septura is a natural fit for their chamber music. The focus is piano music with one prominent exception: perhaps Septura’s most ambitious transcription to date, Shostakovich’s profound and deeply personal Eighth String Quartet.

Septura brings together Londonʼs leading players to redefine brass chamber music through the uniquely expressive sound of the brass septet. Currently Ensemble in Residence at the Royal Academy of Music in London, the group is recording a series of discs for Naxos Records, each focused on a particular period, genre and set of composers, creating a ʻcounter-factual historyʼ of brass chamber music. Weaving this ever-increasing repertoire into captivating live events, Septura is gaining a reputation for engaging audiences with innovative and imaginative programming, built around strong concepts and themes.