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Land of the Living Skies - Peter Meechan
From the composer:"Commissioned by tuba virtuoso Patrick Sheridan, Land of the Living Skies is inspired by the love of photography shared by both Patrick and I.After moving from the UK to Saskatchewan, Canada, there were many changes, but perhaps the most striking of all were the skyscapes that my new home produced; stunning sunsets, incredible views of the Milky Way, amazing moonlit landscapes, and - of course - the Northern Lights.This piece was the last I wrote before moving away from Saskatchewan and. given that the Province calls itself the "Land of the Living Skies", it seemed only fitting to name the work after its amazing skies that had provided a lifetime's worth of inspiration.The piece is dedicated to Patrick Sheridan, an amazing tubist, musician, educator and friend."Pete Meechan, January 2018
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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let this place - Peter Meechan
After receiving the commission from this work from Institut collgial Vincent Massey Collegiate Wind Ensemble and their conductor, Matthew Abraham, I was in the fortunate position of being able to spend time with the group talking about what music means to them, what it means to community and society, and also how they currently felt about that current community and society both from a personal perspective and a wider vision.It became clear that these grade 9 - 12 students had a deep understanding of the environment around them both locally and the world at large, and the difficulties that surround us all at this time. A sense of serious concern for the ecology of the planet was of key concern as was apparent which seemed to channel through a wider concern at the lack of humanity that we see every day in the street, in our city, in our country and in our world.let this place was written in response to those very concerns, and my anger that we have - in what feels like a very short space of time - descended in to a world where children are separated from their parents at the US border, where racism and hatred have become commonplace, where anti-Semitism has once again reared its ugly head, where gun and knife crime hardly makes the news such is its frequency, where we allow, as citizens of this planet, children to be victims of chemical weapons in Syria, destruction of human life in Yemen; the list is almost endless.We seem to have forgotten the many warnings that history has taught us, and none more so than the words of the plaque situated at Auschwitz-Birkenau:"For ever let this place be a cry of despair and a warning to humanity, where the Nazis murdered about one and a half million men, women, and children, mainly Jews from various countries of Europe.Auschwitz-Birkenau 1940 - 1945"The title of the work, let this place, is taken from the plaque and is an invitation for us all to consider those words. The first part of the work "cry" is both a reference to those that perished at the concentration camps and the sadness we should all feel that the words inscribed have been so easily forgotten.The second part "despair" is where we are now; the concerns that were raised by the students, the anger I feel, the distress that we see on a daily basis. The piece doesn't end, it merely stops; a challenge to all who play, listen and experience the piece to make a choice about the kind of world we want to live in - to cry, to despair, or to listen to the "warning to humanity".let this place was commissioned by, and dedicated to, Institut collgial Vincent Massey Collegiate Wind Ensemble and their conductor, Matthew Abraham.Peter Meechan 2019
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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Letters For Home - Peter Meechan
Letters for Home is a three movement work, commissioned by East Lancashire Concert Band with support from Arts Council England, to commemorate the start of the First World War, and the role played in the war by the 'Accrington Pals'. Before each movement a reading should be made - these may be a letter sent from The Front, WW1 poetry, thoughts and reflections recorded elsewhere, or new words, written by local poets, school children or others.Whilst specifically concerned with the First World War, each of the work's movements broadly outlines emotions that would form part of any soldiers lives during any war - and as such, performances of this work can easily be adapted to reflect other wars both modern and historical, and locally sourced words for the readings is highly encouraged.The first movement, "The Bittersweet Love Song" is the story of a soldier saying goodbye to his loved one before leaving for war. The opening passages are of the soldier, perhaps putting to the back of his mind the danger he is facing, singing a love song to his wife or girlfriend. In the following passages we hear his loved one singing "I love you", played by the flute section.We again hear the soldier singing - this time with more of a sense of what lies ahead for him, but now the response is further away as they gradually move more distant from each other. The movement ends without conclusion, but with chords for the soldier's song played hauntingly over the percussion.The second movement, "The Trench", is more self-explanatory. It combines bravado in the percussion opening with the whole band coming together as one - as a unit, before again we hear fear and trepidation in the brass, once more failing to reach a resolution. Perhaps the thoughts of the soldier are interrupted as the percussion once more calls the men to arms. The movement ends with gun shots in the percussion.The final movement, "In Memory", opens with a repetition of the love song from the opening movement, before a slow lament, again never resolving, is heard. It keeps finding a new key, a new place, intending to represent the cyclical nature of war, and again without resolution, suggesting that war is also often that way.Letters for Home is dedicated to Ian McGuinness, whose support, enthusiasm, and sheer hard work led to this work being commissioned and performed, and to the East Lancashire Concert Band, who gave the premiere on 27 September 2014, at the Town Hall, Accrington, home of the Accrington Pals, with the final revision of the work being completed in November of the same year.
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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March: insieme - Peter Meechan
March: insieme was commissioned by the Swiss charity "insieme" (www.insieme-vs.ch) in celebration of their 50th anniversary to be performed throughout the year in concerts raising money for the charity.The march is in a broad arc structure, with the fanfare heard at the opening of the work being reprised at the end of the work.
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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Origins - Peter Meechan
Origins is in three movements, with each movement having a different subject matter, all linked by the idea of origins: the first movement refers to musical origins; the second to the origins of life; and the final movement to the space exploration - the research of all origins.The first movement is based on a short motif, heard in the first three notes the soloist plays. These three notes cover the interval of a minor third (an interval that often plays a crucial role in my music) on which the whole concerto is built. The soloist and accompaniment interplay freely throughout the opening section, before an ostinato accompaniment appears in the woodwinds - over which the soloist sounds a long legato melody. A short cadenza follows and a return to the opening material leads the movement to an end.The second movement, titled Harry's Song, is - as tradition dictates - a slow movement. Happy and reflective in nature, the main melody was written on the evening that my closest friend, Mark Bousie (a fine euphoniumist himself), and his wife Jayne, had their first child - Harry Bousie. It seemed only fitting that this song should be written for Harry in celebration.The final movement brings me back to a lifelong fascination with space, and in this particular movement, the Space Shuttle Discovery. Having completed 39 missions (including flying the Hubble telescope in to orbit), and spent a total of 365 days in space, SS Discovery made its final voyage in 2011 and was taken to the Smithsonian in Washington D.C. in April 2012. This final movement, titled Discovery, pays tribute to the great shuttle whose missions inspired millions across the generations.Origins was commissioned by Marco Schneider, Adrian Schneider and the Dunshan Symphonic Wind Orchestra, Beijing, China.
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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Perpetua - Peter Meechan
When I write music I feel a need to comment on the world around us - which, right now, is not always a happy society. But I also want to write music about the world I want to live in - about the joy, beauty, hope, and love I see in our communities.In writing Perpetua I wanted to compose a piece of perpetual motion, that is challenging, exciting, and fun - all brought together through a sense of joy.Perpetua was commissioned by Foothills Concert Band (Calgary, AB, Canada) and their conductor Anthony Reimer.
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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Requiem Paraphrases - Peter Meechan
Requiem Paraphrases uses the opening bars of Mozart's Requiem as its musical material for the whole piece. An aggressive opening is followed by a sounding of Mozart's original theme, in a setting for low brass and solo euphonium. Percussion and woodwind then enter, as the soloist begins to elaborate. A brief return to the opening is followed by a new, percussion driven, section.The euphonium and various soloists in the ensemble interact, exchanging ideas over an ostinato in the marimba. As this section continues towards the cadenza, the ensemble gradually takes on more of an accompanying role, leaving the soloist to again break free, with flourishes and gestures leading to the cadenza.Following this, there is a short recapitulation, before the euphonium brings us to a dramatic conclusion!Requiem Paraphrases was commissioned by, and dedicated to Steven Mead.
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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Shine - Peter Meechan
Shine is my second large scale work for solo tuba, following on from my concerto Episodes and Echoes. Like the concerto, Shine was commissioned and premiered (with the Grimethorpe Band, conducted by Howard Evans) by Les Neish - the title being an anagram of the soloist surname.Although in one movement, Shine has 3 broad sections, each requiring virtuosic skill and dexterity from the soloist. The opening section features lots of bright, metallic sounds - especially in the percussion section - providing the accompaniment to soloist as they demonstrate the range and flexibility of the tuba.The second section gives the soloist the opportunity to demonstrate the considerable lyricism that the tuba is capable of. The solo line weaves in and out of textures in the accompaniment, exchanging snippets of melody with other players in the ensemble.After a short unaccompanied passage, the final section emerges juxtaposing new solo lines and material from the opening section. This builds in momentum - and difficulty for the soloist - as the piece reaches its climatic ending.Shine is dedicated to my good friend, fellow Liverpool supporter, and amazing musician, Les Neish.Peter Meechan, 2011
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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Soliloquies From A Quiet Place - Peter Meechan
soliloquyn."An act of speaking one's thoughts aloud when by oneself or regardless of any hearers"During summer 2018 I took a vacation at a family cabin on the banks of Buffalo Pound Lake in Saskatchewan, Canada. It is a beautifully isolated location, which provides for a near perfect view of the night skies. Gradually, as your eyes adjust to the dark, more and more stars reveal themselves to you. Time seems to stop, and you can't help reflecting in every way possible. As insignificant as viewing the heavens like this can make you feel, you also know your fleeting view is a unique moment, a moment you will never see end.One night, having sat outside until the sun began to rise, I went back inside and wrote a short chorale at the piano. It didn't have a place in any piece I was writing at that time but knew those few measures of reflection would find their place in a composition in the future - and it is from those few measures that Soliloquies From A Quiet Place grew.Told through the two trumpet soloists, these are my reflections and thoughts from that night and many others sat gazing in to the heavens.Soliloquies From A Quiet Place was written for soloists Ryan Anthony and Jens Lindemann, conductor Jerry Junkin, and The University of Texas Wind Ensemble. It is dedicated, with enormous gratitude, to Dr. Brian Berryman.Peter Meechan 2019
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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Song of Hope (band version) - Peter Meechan
Song of Hope is dedicated to my good friend Ryan Anthony (principal trumpet with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra) and his charity, Cancer Blows - a foundation set up to raise awareness and money to further the research that has helped give their family a hope for a future following Ryan's diagnosis of Multiple MyelomaUpon hearing the middle movement (simply titled "Song") of my cornet concerto, Milestone, Ryan asked me if I could change the end from its current reflective ending to something more uplifting, and to title it Song of Hope, giving it much more meaning than I could have ever imagined.As well as a wind band scoring without soloist, Song of Hope exists with 1, 2 or 3 soloists, accompanied by either wind band, brass band, brass ensemble or symphony orchestra.For my friend Ryan.
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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