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£134.99Absolute Crossover - Otto M. Schwarz
This composition is made up of three themes, which feature all thefacets of the instrumentation of a concert band as well as that ofa big band. The symphonic passages, reminiscent of film music,enable the full tone and colour of the concert band to be heard,whilst the big band sound is represented in the rock segments andslow swing sections. The musical journey travels along practicallyall styles, ending with an impressive tutti, in which the shufflerhythm of the big band melts together with the grand, classic filmmusic sound of the concert band.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£368.00Prludes - Claude Debussy
Debussy's Preludes for Piano is a masterpiece of impressionist music. The arranger wanted to translate this colourful universe into the symphonic concert band scope. He explores the wide palette of resources that a wind band offers and the possibilities of each single instrumentalist; instead of a big sound mass he designed it as a big ensemble. He used the specific combinations of the concert band forces in order to achieve a real band sound without changing anything to the original.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£84.99Trumpet Fiesta - André Waignein
Trumpet Fiesta spotlights four trumpet soloists. From the opening bars the music expresses a feeling of happiness. This swift and lively piece begins with a series of dynamic staccato passages from the soloists. The central section, in the minor key, contrasts with the beginning of the work and during this transition period there are only two solo trumpet parts. The first theme then quickly reappears before moving on to a peaceful and more melodic trio in which long and flowing melody lines allow the soloists to let the beautiful sound of the trumpet fully reveal itself. The sound pyramid then formed by the whole band leads this spectacular piece to a powerful finale.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£59.95Gothic Cathedral - Joseph Compello
This modal piece has a dark, other worldly sound that students love to play. It's as if it is from the past but also very much of the present-the type of music found in movies and video games. As a former band director, Joseph Compello has a knack for writing pieces that students clamor to rehearse. It is great for teaching about modes and will make your students sound their best.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£159.99
Fantasia Per La Vita E La Morte - Bert Appermont
The mystique surrounding life and death formed the starting point of this composition. I wanted to write a work without a story, mixed up in a kind of musical quest for a new world of sound, original rhythm sequences, melodies filled with suspenseand distinct orchestral tones.The indirect cause was the birth of my first child which took place during this time, followed by the death of a close family member. At such a moment you experience just how close life and death are to each other, anddespite one being the antithesis of the other, they are incredibly similar. Both radical events are passages into new worlds and have great emotional impact. Moreover, the work was commissioned by "New Life", an orchestra that lost one of itsmusician in a plane crash, which also led me to believe that this approach would be appropriate.I would prefer not to comment on which passages in the composition concern life (birth) and which refer to death. It seems to me that it is moreinteresting to question traditional conceptions and leave it open for the listener. If you think that a passage is about birth, and this idea then shifts, it is this that raises fascinating questions, on both a musical and metaphysical level.Music isin an indirect but incredibly persuasive way in which to express the endless striving and seeking of mankind. Music can even touch eternity, as it were, and give us the feeling that we can transcend death. This endless search (and also longing) canbe heard throughout the work; as much in the sound fields and accent shifts in the first part as in the enormous tension curves and compelling themes of the second part. The semi-tone functions in this way as a guide or something to hold on to,running through the whole work and upon which much of the musical material is based. Traces of profound love resound with quiet simplicity in the slow section's melodious solos, after which the work contemplates life and death one last time, musesupon joy and sadness, on the possibilities and limitations of people and on the why of all things.I would like to dedicate this work to my dearest daughter Paulientje, to Meterke and to Johan de Jong of the "New Life" orchestra. May it fare themwell, here or in another dimension...
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£116.40Three Pictures for Band - Oliver Waespi
This composition consists of three sound pictures. When writing this work Oliver Waespi did not have any concrete image such as a scenery or a specific form in mind, but rather some typical visual movements. Hence the successive titles of the different parts: Procession, Dialogue and Waves. Numerous associations mutually link those parts as far as motifs and harmony are concerned. The motif of the ascending and descending fourth plays an important role in many a theme. There are many fourth chords by means of which Waespi tries to put a harmonic and unifying stamp on the compostition as a whole. Moreover there are similar or identical, though varied, motifs in the successive parts.The first part, Cortge (Procession), describes the dignified majestic procession by means of simple precise rhythms. At first the music is scarcely audible, as if coming from a distance; it gradually comes nearer until it reaches its climax in large chords, before fading away again. At each quarter note one could imagine a step. The second part, Dialogue, consists of broad outlines of dialogues between the different orchestral groups. Some instruments are asking questions, others are giving answers. After a rather sad passage, the music turns into a climax followed by a second passage that brings comfort and leads to a quiet ending. In the third part, there is a sudden movement coming up in the shape of waves. The principle of the wave, successively swelling and decreasing, dominates the entire musical structure of this part, even in the separate motifs.As far as the instrumentation is concerned there are the following notes: in the brass band version Oliver Waespi has a definite (orchestral) brass band strength in mind. If some parts (e.g. euphonium and flugelhorn) are played by several musicians, the conductor should feel free either to double or to thin those parts, providing the musical contents are not damaged. The same goes for the fanfare band in which the conductor can feel even more free as to the band's orchestral strenght. Anyway, a convincing overall sound is determining and that is to be realised by any kind of wind band.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£171.00Passacaglia and Fugue in C-minor BWV 582 - Johann Sebastian Bach
The Passacaglia is a set of instrumental variations based on an ostinato bass. Bach's Passacaglia and Fugue in C-minor for organ represents the pinnacle of what had been achieved in this compositional form at that time. In Franco Cesarini's arrangement for large wind orchestra, the particularly careful interpretation of the original piece enables him to exploit all the sound colors at his disposal, and in this sumptuous guise Bach's work also takes on a grandiose dimension, albeit tinged with late-Romanticism. The exposition of the beautiful theme begins in the bass part, immediately creating a solemn and serious atmosphere which is accentuated by the intensely pathetic character of the first variations. Up to the tenth variation it remains confined to the bass, but in subsequent ones it also passes to the soprano and alto register. The integrity of the theme is also embellished with elegant arpeggios, in whose lower and higher extensions the theme can be distinguished. Towards the end it returns to the bass in an impressive thickening of the polyphonic texture that swiftly re-establishes the key of C-minor. The "Thema fugatum" which follows immediately does not constitute a Fugue in its own right, rather it is nothing but the twenty-first and most extensive variation of the Passacaglia. This time Bach uses only the first half of the theme, superimposing a rhythmic countersubject that considerably enlivens the entire development of the composition. The polyphonic discourse becomes increasingly dense, until the building tension peaks in a powerful "Neapolitan sixth" chord, followed by a sudden pause. This culminating moment then leads to the coda and final cadence on a bright C-major chord.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£204.99
Credentium - Jan Van der Roost
A spectacular dive via an extended chromatic scale immediately submerges us in a charged and somewhat archaic-feeling atmosphere. Trumpets, horns and trombones resound in rhythmic patterns, buttressed by restless motifs in the percussion. A second theme, in the woodwinds, begins much calmer but is quickly pushed aside by that same brass offensive. This introduction is the musical expression of the sometimes tumultuous early history of the town of Peer in Belgium. It closes with a D scale played over two octaves and repeated three times, symbolizing the church steeples that dominate the townscape. Peer has the credentials of a town, and people should know about it.There followsa rhythmic, turbulent passage: in the course of history, Peer has not been spared the ravages of war, arson, occupation, epidemic and other evils. In contrast, a slow, pastoral, lyrical part expresses the periods of peace and prosperity the town has known, as well as the serene geographic setting that still characterizes the place. Various instruments in groups are developed in solo style while the accompaniment displays vast, painterly images of sound. Now and then an exotic intonation is heard: a variety of peoples and cultures have left their mark on the town.This episode of tranquility and peacefulness comes to a sudden end when, via a surprising, almost chaotic transitional passage, we are in effect transported back to our own time. A hopeful, festive march expresses the confidence in the future that the Royal Concert Band of Peer exudes. This confidence is wholly justified: under the direction of conductor Willy Fransen, the 95 members of the concert band have experienced an extended period of good fortune, and the 75 musicians of the youth band - and the 45 little musicians of the mini-band - are involved in thriving operations.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£179.99Outback - Thomas Doss
This work was commissioned by the "-sterreichische Blasmusikjugend" (Austrian Brass Band Association - Young Musicians).The Aboriginal indigenous people of Australia are among the oldest surviving human cultures. The arrival of the Europeans markedtheir decline and endangered their existence. The many secrets the Aborigines hold served as inspiration for this work. Aboriginal SpiritOver many centuries, the Aboriginal people have cultivated a unique ability to live in harmony with theworld around them. Maintaining the delicate balance between their trinity - nature, man, and creation - is an important factor for bliss and happiness.Primeval Sound and Dreamtime The tens of thousands-year-old stories from the era calledDreamtime - the Aborigines' creation myth - play an important role in not only their beliefs, but their everyday lives and laws as well. Ancestral worship and various other rituals and ceremonies are still held in high regard to this veryday.Running HunterThe Aborigines are extremely skilful hunters and are able to run for extended periods of time when chasing their prey. Hunting weapons, such as the boomerang, exemplify their abilities.Uluru (Red Rock)Uluru, also knownas Ayers Rock, is a natural sandstone "inselberg" rising 348m above Australia's plains, and is one of the country's most recognisable icons. Uluru is also a sacred place for the local Aborigines. Its history stretches back to Dreamtime, although itdid not exist in its current state at that time.Encounter with the White MenUnfortunately, the "White Men" did not realize the significance and importance of the Aborigines and their culture until the end of the 20th century. Before then, theywere unaware that the Aborigines were quite possibly one of the oldest known cultures on earth, with a seamless history stretching back to creation itself; Dreamtime. BushfireFire has been present on the Australian continent for millions ofyears. Many of the indigenous flora and fauna have needed to adapt to fire, and evolution has led to unique solutions for survival. Over time, a complex symbiotic relationship has grown between life and the continually returning bushfire.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£140.80Decennium - Eric Swiggers
'Decennium' was composed in 2003 as a commission by the municipality of Berheze for its tenth anniversary. The composition describes the history of this town in the Province of Brabant, consisting of 6 different villages: Heesch, Heeswijk, Dinther, Nistelrode, Loosbroek and Vorstenbosch. The composition starts with a slow introduction, Adagio Misterioso, suggesting the atmosphere in long-ago days when the area consisted mainly of swamps, meres and low woods. (The word 'Bern' is a synonym of 'Born' meaning source or water, whereas 'Hese' is derived from 'Haisjo' meaning brushwood ). Above the dark sounds we hear far away trumpet signals announcing the Middle Ages. After a piercing crescendo, we hear the full sound of festive trumpets. A medieval dance, as was to be heard in the Heeswijk castle, follows. This dance gets a more and more stirring character and finally turns into a merry popular dance ending with a burst of laughter reproduced by descending scales with the muted trombones and trumpets. A slow transition with a quotation from a Gregorian plainsong (Domine Deus) and church bell ringing, referring to the Abbey of Berne, brings us to a romantic Larghetto. This part describes the quiet rural life in a beautiful natural surrounding. The last dying note contrasts with the threatening ostinato, referring to the rise of the industrialization, which provoked quite some resistance with the local people. Once more we hear the 'Domine Deus' but much more powerful this time. When the resistance calms down, the work concludes with an Alla Marcia. The first notes of the main theme could be heard all through the composition and now we hear the complete main theme again. The new town is born. A festive conclusion refers both to the tenth anniversary and the optimism and confidence as to the future.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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