Results
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£155.90Cantina Band - John Williams
Cantina Band (or Mad About Me) was written by John Williams in 1977 for the film Star Wars (later Star Wars IV: A New Hope). Even with quite a bit of the Star Wars music being quite well known, Cantina Band is literally in a style of its own. In the Star Wars-universe this style is called jizz, Williams' take on the more well-known genre jazz. Williams was tasked by Star Wars-creator George Lucas to make music that sounded like several creatures in a future century finding some 1930's Benny Goodman swing band music ... and how they might attempt to interpret it and ended up with Cantina Band #1 and #2. Both numbers are played in the legendary scene taking place in Chalmun's Spaceport Cantina where Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi gets in a fight causing even the band to stop playing.The band, which goes by the name Figrin D'an and the Modal Nodes, comes from the planet Clak'dor VII and specializes in jizz and the nearby, slightly older style of jatz. Performers of this music often go by the name "jizz-wailers", and the Bith people from Clak'dor VII are especially well suited for jizz-wailing since they can hold every note as long as they want thanks to a unique respiratory system - something many perhaps would like to be able to do in the performance of this arrangement as well.The arrangement is relatively faithful to Williams' original version, but with a somewhat different ending. Although the woodwind section undoubtedly has the biggest technical challenges, an understanding of the musical style is the very key to making the arrangement sound good - and here all groups must work together. Playing lightly but quite articulated, and very precise, will be an absolute necessity to get the music drifting off all the way to Tatooine.In measure 113 there is a small improvised solo in either trombone or trumpet, but if you want the real authentic Cantina Band-sound this is of course done on a steel drum.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£144.99Serenata - Jan Van der Roost
While composing Serenata, Jan Van der Roost didn't focus too much on virtuosity, acrobatics or spectacle. Instead, he wanted to let the solo instrument shine as a melodic and expressive voice. And indeed: the warm sound of the euphonium touches the heart of the audience straight away in the first section with a melodious theme. Then follows a rigaudon, a noble and elegant dance from the Renaissance era. Despite the fact that some of the variations on the main theme require some technique and agility, the overall character mostly remains songful. The composition as a whole builds further on these two musical ingredients, but thanks to a clever alternation of melodic and technical passages, it offers a nice stylistic diversity to the listeners. The band is definitely not 'just accompanying' but fully participates and begins a dialogue with the soloist: both musical partners have their say. The end is more spectacular and sonorous, giving an extra boost of energy to the soloist as well as the band in a grand finale!
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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£99.99Hidden Light - Kevin Houben
Hidden Light - Loyalty Among Friends, was composed on the occasion of the 75 year membership of Mr Leo Knoben at the Royal Brass Band 'Eendracht Waubach'. (NL)From pride and admiration for this exceptional jubilee , but also out of gratitude for his many years of commitment as musician and member of the board, the association chose to have a memorable work written.That assignment resulted in the wonderful choral Hidden Light, for which composer Kevin Houben based himself on the following emotions and oppositions: small vs majestic, submissive vs royal and simplicity vs glory.The work starts in a very modest, dark atmosphere, after which the composition develops into a grand and lofty sound with broad melodies, exploring the full richness and colors of the 'symphonic' wind band.The interesting variety in orchestration - the small , intimate setting at the beginning and the following broad, majestic tutti passages - makes the work very varied, grateful to perform and to listen to.With Hidden Light Kevin Houben has again created an expressive and powerful composition that is highly reflective in nature. This emotional work is a tribute to an exceptional man who has been there for 'his' orchestra all his life, with a warm heart for 'his' musicians. Each musician will recognize the connection and the passion for music in this piece.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£224.99Lux Futura - Kevin Houben
Lux Futura (Light of the Future) was commissioned by the Royal Wind Orchestra Delft and is inspired by the letters 'D-E-L-F-T' using the letter notation system by Bla Bartk. In this 'Delft' cell, there is referral to the 'Trinitas', the bourdon bell of the Old Church in Delft, that only tolls during a funeral of a member of the Dutch Royal Family. The Delft melody switches to the 'Agneta March', which is a reference to the history of the Royal Wind Orchestra Delft. Further on the love theme, played by the bass instruments represents the love of the inhabitants for their city throughout space and time. In the middle movement, the beauty of the city is depicted by the coranglais (English horn) solo, as an ode to the lovely city of Delft. When performed, one can choose to use sound city samples recorded in Delft to create a truly magnificent spectacle. The three samples can be downloaded from websites www.halleonardeurope.com or www.kevinhouben.be.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£92.00Mythorama - Spyros Prosoparis
"MYTHORAMA" Return to the Homeric Scheria. Composed in 2017 for the youth Band of the Corfu Philharmonic Society, is the 3rd Movement of the suite "In the mythical land of the Phaeacians". This piece brings the listener to Corfu in the time of Homer and describes the life of the Phaeacians, their love for music and the serenity of their island. The colorful range of the winds and the use of a wide variety of percussion instruments offers a sound that could well be used as a film score.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£114.99Citadel - James Barnes
Citadel was composed to commemorate the 150th anniversary of The University of Kansas (1865 to 2015.) It begins with optional offstage chimes (one or two sets [opt.]) to depict the daily ringing of the bells in KU's World War II Memorial Campanile. Trumpets introduce a fanfare-like figure that quickly evolves into the opening theme of the work. As the music settles and becomes softer, a saxophone choir introduces a slower, more pensive middle theme intended to describe the university's academic nature. A quiet moment at the end of this section hints at the famous Rock Chalk Chant in solo horn before the chimes and fanfare return to end the work in a final, dramatic outburst of sound and color.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£332.70Bengal Lights - Olav Anton Thommessen
The richness of the music of the sub-contient is an eternal inspiration, showing music to be the fusion and balance of opposites: improvisation and calculation, freedom and form, rhythm and melody.Indian musical thinking has acted through thecenturies as a model for articulating thought through sound.I have based my piece on an Indian temple dance in which a short motivic nugget generates garlands and trails of sonic colour.The raga-form is maintained, with anintruduction comprizing a presentation of the scale-material, out of which the sonic nugget is forged.The work was premiered by The Norwegian Navy Band Bergen conducted by Peter Szilvay in 2007.This newversion was edited by thecomposer in 2015.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£84.99Folksong Suite - Antal Farkas
This reworked edition of the Folksong Suite by Antal Farkas will help to widen the repertoire of youth ensembles and adult amateur orchestras. The composer's son, Tams Farkas has supplemented the score of the work, adding symphonic wind ensemble parts, and has in a number of places reworked it slightly in accordance with present-day requirements. 'I recommend this work to any orchestra active anywhere in the world. The piece provides an enjoyable experience, helps in correcting faulty intonation, in interpreting various musical styles, in fostering a homogeneous sound, in developing technique and ensemble playing, and it is certain of a favourable response from audiences. I hope every musician will find pleasure in it!' (Jzsef Csikota, president of the East European section of the World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles.)
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£84.99Hungarian Rondo - Árpád Balázs
The Hungarian Rondo by rpd Balzs is cheerful, good-humoured music, a finely formed work crafted withgreat professional skill. Its structure is clear: the double recurrence of the rondo theme results in a five-part form. The two episodes differ in character. The first consists of increasingly densely woven imitations that chase eachother playfully, the second evokes the mood of bagpipe tunes. In the latter, above the melody moving evenly in crotchets in the middle parts a pastel-tinted cloud of woodwind notes floats upwards, while the sound is extended downwards by the deep-toned brass stepping lower by semitones. A brilliant device by the composer! In thecourse of its repeats the rondo theme appears more and more richly garbed, particularly the sparkling semiquavers of the woodwind make it ever more decorative. The Hungarian Rondo is the kind of music that drives your cares away.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
