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Episodes and Echoes - Peter Meechan
Episodes and Echoes is a concerto in three movements for tuba. The title of the work relates directly to the way the composer approached writing the piece."Although the work is scored with piano and wind band accompaniments, Episodes and Echoes was originally written for tuba and brass band. I had several problems to overcome - the brass band contains 4 tubas, and 2 euphoniums, all of which could obscure the solo line, so I decided to write for the soloist in a manner that meant they were either playing alone, in episodes, or repeating/echoing phrases."In addition to this, the composer combined the characteristics of the tuba with other instruments: in the second movement the tuba is similar to a singer performing an aria and a recitative, and third movement a bass guitar.Episodes and Echoes was commissioned by, and dedicated to, Les Neish who premiered the work in 2005, accompanied by the Beaumaris Brass Band, conducted by Gwyn Evans.The concerto has received many performances throughout the UK, as well as the rest of Europe.
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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Epitaph (for Hillsborough) - Peter Meechan
Epitaph (for Hillsborough) was written on the 20th anniversary of the Hillsborough stadium disaster, April 15 1989, in memory of the 96 victims. All of the victims were fans of Liverpool Football Club, the club I have supported since I was a young child.The disaster unfolded in front of the BBC television cameras, and due to the importance of the match (FA Cup semi final), millions, including myself, witnessed it first hand, leaving a lasting impression in the public psyche.Several features of the piece were determined by the tragedy. The length of the piece, 6 and a half minutes, represents the minutes of the game that were played that day (The match was abandoned after 6 minutes), and the final thirty seconds of the work, where the band gently applaud, is a reference to the first match played after the tragedy, a European Cup semi final between AC Milan and Real Madrid.After 6 minutes, the referee blew his whistle and all the players stood still where they were, both sets of fans applauded in memory of the perished, and the fans of AC Milan began singing You'll Never Walk Alone, the anthem of Liverpool Football Club.The work also features 96 strikes of the tubular bells, in memory of each person who lost their life.Epitaph is dedicated to the 96 people who died that day, and to their families whose fight for justice is an inspiration to all.
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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Fenix Blue - Peter Meechan
Fenix Blue is a solo work for alto saxophone and wind ensemble, commissioned by and written for British saxophonist, Tim Watson.A wild blues inspired opening for unaccompanied saxophone gives way for a slow, dirty blues! More blues elements appear in the following slow funk section, driven by the percussion section and drum kit.Slow reflective music follows before a return to the slow funk - this time with plenty of the original blues music interjected around the band and from the soloist, leading to a loud conclusion!The title makes reference to the large blues influence in the piece, but the Fenix referred to in the title is a dedication to the Phoenix 2 capsule that rescued the 33 Chilean minors who were trapped underground for 69 days last year, the last of whom was brought to the surface in the capsule as I was finishing this piece.
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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Fields of Destruction - Peter Meechan
Fields of Destruction is a collection of three songs for euphonium and wind ensemble. These aren't songs in the classical music sense, nor are they representative of "pop" songs or those from a musical. The three songs take more from the folk tradition of story telling and protest songs, transparent in nature, plain in delivery, and also heartfelt.The subject matter is war, and more specifically, the wars which we (The UK and the US) are involved in.Whilst the piece was in its gestation period, it occurred to me that there was a really strange irony. Flanders Fields are covered in poppies, now a symbol of remembrance, and of peace, yet the huge plantations of the same flower in Afghanistan fund the terrorist attacks on out nations, as well as fund the organisations that plan such attacks, and fight wars with our troops in Afghanistan.
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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Fire in the Sky - Peter Meechan
Fire in the Sky takes its inspiration from the stunning town of Montreux in Switzerland. I was commissioned to write the work 5 days before I visited this Montreux and was at work forming ideas for the piece as I arrived on the shore of Lake Geneva and its amazing views of the Alps.Whilst the scenery is without doubt some of the most incredible views I have ever witnessed, it was the history of the town that set Fire in the Sky in motion. Whilst there, it occurred to me that many of my musical heroes had lived or performed there, and three of them in particular had a strong connection with the town. Miles Davis, Igor Stravinsky and Freddie Mercury graced Montreux - the large convention centre, where the famous summer jazz festival is held, named its two halls after Davis and Stravinsky, and there is a quite breathtaking statue of Mercury in the town too.Each musician also commemorates an anniversary in 2011, the year of the premiere of Fire in the Sky; it is 40 years since the death of Stravinsky and both Miles Davis and Freddie Mercury died in 1991, making it 20 years since their deaths. So it seemed fitting to write a piece that in some way acknowledges them, and is a kind of personal "thanks" for all they have given, and continue to give, me.The title comes from the famous Deep Purple song, Smoke on the Water - whose second line is "Fire in the Sky" and is a reference to the night the town's casino was set alight by a Frank Zappa fan. The piece tries to recreate the atmosphere of that night, paint a picture of fire in the sky (and smoke on the water) and also uses small "nuggets" of the music of my three greatest musical heroes, Miles Davis, Freddie Mercury and Igor Stravinsky.
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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Forgotten Children - Peter Meechan
Forgotten Children is a short work for wind orchestra and electronic accompaniment. Adapted from it's original form (for brass quartet and CD, Forgotten Children was written for The Desert Winds and their conductor Chuck Maguire, to whom the piece is dedicated.Whilst conceiving the piece, the subject of the war in Syria dominated news headlines, specifically the refusal by Western nations to intervene. There were, of course, political reasons at the heart of the decision, complicated by a situation that no one understood in a country no one understands. The harrowing images of chemical weapons being used on children was seemingly not enough to persuade the West that their help was needed, but those silent voices fell on even deafer ears. They were, and still are, the Forgotten Children.Please download the electronic accompaniment below.
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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Fragile Oasis - Peter Meechan
Fragile Oasis is the name of a collective who describe themselves as "...a grass-roots participatory initiative that connects the shared perspective of astronauts from different countries and cultures with people on Earth, encouraging all to work together so that our planet is not only visibly beautiful, but beautiful for all".Many involved in the project are astronauts on the International Space Station (I.S.S.), who post, on their website (http://www.fragileoasis.org) many different details of their experiments, photos from space, and some incredible video footage of our Earth.One such time lapse video (a video made up many still images) was posted on their website by astronaut Ron Garan (http://www.fragileoasis.org/blog/2011/11/coming-back-down-to-our-fragile-oasis-2/) in 2011. It is made up of images taken from the I.S.S. of what Garan described as "...a couple of laps around our Fragile Oasis before coming back down [to Earth]" and features all kinds of amazing views from space.Each of the five sections of this work relate to an aspect of the video - either something literal or something more metaphorical. The opening section, i: The lights from Above, is a musical description of the view of the Aurora Australis from above the lights. The second section, ii: The Storm from Above (part i), is also a musical portrayal of portions of the video clip - in this case the many lightning storms we see from above. The storms that are so powerful on Earth appear as small bolts of electricity dancing through the clouds.The third section, iii: Freya, has its roots in personal family tragedy. The name Freya derives from a Norse goddess who was associated with both beauty and love, and in this central section I wanted to write music that not only acknowledged how fragile life itself is, but that every day of it counts and should be celebrated.iv: The Storm from Above (part ii) is a again a reference to the lightning storms, but also to the huge hurricanes we see in the video. It leads us to the final section, v: The Oasis from Above - a description of the size and grandeur of Earth, our Fragile Oasis.Fragile Oasis is dedicated to Natalie Youson, in friendship.The original wind orchestra scoring was completed in 2014, and was revised in 2017 with the editorial advice of Robert Ambrose whose support of this work I am eternally grateful for.This wind orchestra scoring was completed in 2014 and was commissioned by a consortium of the following bands:Agrupacin Msico-Cultural "Las Musas" de Guadalupe (Murcia) - Dr. Jos Ibez Barrachina - SpainBand of the Coldstream Guards - Major Darren Wolfendale - UKBorge Musikkorps - Sverre Stakston Olsrud - NorwayThe Brooklyn Wind Symphony - Jeff W. Ball, Artistic Director - USADunshan Symphonic Wind Orchestra - Adrian Schneider - ChinaKoninklijke harmonie Ste. Cecilia Zele - Bart Picqueur - BelgiumMusikgesellschaft Emmen - Manuel Imhof - SwitzerlandUniversity of Saskatchewan Wind Orchestra - Dr. Darrin Oehlerking - Canada
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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Hougoumont - Peter Meechan
Commissioned by the Band of the Coldstream Guards to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Coldstream Guards Association, Hougoumont is a work for band and narrator that tells the story of the battle at Hougoumont Farm, a battle which the Duke of Wellington himself said was the single battle that led to victory in the battle of Waterloo.Hougoumont opens with a saxophone solo, a lone soldier, having wearily made their way to Quatre Bras, in desperate need of rest and sleep. Instead, the order comes through to move on to Hougoumont Farm.The battle at Hougoumont follows, with musket fire heard in shock notes through the band. The final, sombre, passage reflects on the victory (the chorale in the brass) before reflecting on the 1500 casualties suffered in the battle.The Band of the Coldstream Guards, conducted by their Director of Music Darren Wolfendale, gave the world premire of Hougoumont, the first work written for them as their "composer in residence" on 14 February 2013, Cadogan Hall, London.
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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ISS Flyover - Peter Meechan
I.S.S Flyover was written in August 2012, when the International Space Station (I.S.S.) was visible in the sky over my home town of Manchester, UK. This is not an uncommon occurrence (www.heavens-above.com is a useful tool to help you find when the orbit of the I.S.S. passes over), but what was unique about this particular pass was that there would be astronauts carrying out repair work on the outside of the station.The idea that something that seemed to pass so quick in the skies above us juxtaposed with what must have seemed a slow, dangerous journey for the astronaut is what lead me to write this piece.The opening passage is a fast, ostinato driven section; the speed and energy that the I.S.S is perceived from earth. The middle section is desolate and sparse; the astronauts looking down on earth as they slowly orbit around the globe, the loneliness of space. The final section is a return to the original material - this time with even more momentum and drive, provided by the percussion.I.S.S. Flyover was commissioned by a Canadian consortium of: the University of Saskatchewan, Brandon University, the University of Calgary, Harmonie Laval, Memorial University of Newfoundland, the University of Prince Edward Island, the University of Toronto and Anthony Reimer, Calgary, Alberta. The work is dedicated to Darrin Oehlerking who organised the commission consortium.
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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Lament (from Macbeth) - Peter Meechan
Macbeth was commissioned by the Scottish Brass Band Association for the 2007 Scottish Open Championship, and takes its' inspiration from the Shakespeare play of the same name.The Lament is the central, emotional core to the work. Although the play tells of Macbeth not feeling the pain of his wife's death, this lament ponders not only her death, but the tale as a whole.
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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