Aurelia is a beautiful hymn that mostly moves by step, resulting in a melody that sits well on the ear. In the moments that the melody moves by leap, the effect is wanting in emotive power.
In this brass band arrangement of Aurelia, James McFadyen has painted the band colours in a mellow and understated fashion, and unusually, there is no dynamic louder than mezzo-forte. This produces one of those rare brass band moments where hymn arrangements don't rise to a roaring finale. The effect is actually quite magical.
