Results
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£593.99Symphony No. 2 - Views of Edo - Franco Cesarini
Edo is the ancient name for the city of Tokyo. Inspired by a series of woodcuts by the artist Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858) entitled 'One Hundred Famous Views of Edo', Cesarini's symphony is based upon a few traditional Japanese melodies. The composition is divided into five movements in arch form: a structure in which the individual sections are arranged symmetrically around a centre. Each movement takes its title from a print from the 'One Hundred Views'.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£85.00Sir Roger de Coverley - Frank Bridge
Frank Bridge (1879 - 1941) was one of the leading English composers of his time. In October 1922 he adapted his popular string quartet Sir Roger de Coverley for full symphony orchestra and Sir Henry Wood agreed, at the last minute, to include it in the last night of the Queen's Hall Promenade Concerts at the end of that month.This elaborate and colourful orchestral version has never been widely performed, but has now been brilliantly transcribed by Alastair Wheeler to provide a miniature dance poem for grade 5 level concert band.Bridge's lively treatment of one of England's most famous traditional dance melodies willmake a fitting end to any concert, with the strains of Auld Lang Syne introduced by Bridge as a nod towards Sir Roger de Coverley's traditional function as the final dance of a Christmas Ball, as it was in Old Mr. Fezziwig's party in Dickens' A Christmas Carol.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£84.99Apollo 11 - Otto M. Schwarz
Who doesn't know the iconic words "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind", spoken by the famous astronaut Neil Armstrong - the man that took the first step on the moon. This inspiring work from Otto M. Schwarz lets you re-experience this event step by step, starting from the countdown until the actual landing on the moon. A stunning musical flashback to the historical event of 1969, which will make you feel as if you are in the space shuttle Apollo 11 yourself!
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£149.99
Trois Rag-Caprices - Darius Milhaud
The French composer Darius Milhaud (1892-1974) was a member of the 'Groupe des Six'. This group of six composers gathering Honegger, Poulence, Auric, Durey, Tailleferre and Milhaud, imitated Erik Satie by revolting against the deeply rooted traditional conventions of that time. They reacted against impressionism (Debussy) and romanticism (Wagner, Mahler) and felt very strongly about the music of Satie and Strawinsky. Milhaud's most popular work is undoubtedly the ballet 'La Cration du Monde', one of the most striking examples of jazz influences in classical music. The premire at the 'Th?tre des Champs Elyses' in October 1923 caused a real scandal with the Paris public.The 'Trois Rag-Caprices' for piano were composed one year earlier, in the summer of 1922, and could be considered as a kind of preliminary sketch for 'La Cration du monde'. There are indeed clear similarities between both compositions as to the rhythmical and harmonic aspects. The 'Trois Rag-Caprices' were orchestrated for symphony orchestra by Milhaud himself some time later. The same happened to 'Saudades do Brasil' (1920), a piano composition punctuated with Latin-American influences, which was written after his stay in Rio de Janeiro (1917-18) exactly as his ballet 'Le Boeuf sur le Toit'. Johan de Meij's orchestration of 'Trois Rag-Caprices' for symphonic band is a most welcome addition next to the original band works of Milhaud, such as 'Suite Fran?aise' (1945) and 'West Point Suite' (1951).
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£174.99
Toccata Festiva - Jan Van der Roost
'Toccata Festiva' was commissioned in 1994 by the Dutch Brass Band Championships. The wind band version was made a year later by the composer himself. Historically speaking, the toccata is considered to be one of the first independent instrumental forms for keyboard instruments. Originally the toccata was typically more or less improvised, later this musical form was given a more regulated structure. Both elements are used in the 'Toccata Festiva': on the one hand the different themes are developed freely, on the other, the piece has an orderly structure. It is in a three part form (quick-slow-quick) and includes both strong rhythmical figures and broad melodic lines. Partof the composition is written in a more or less archaic tone idiom, referring to the period from which the toccata form originates (16th century).
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£61.00Highschool Dixie - John Philip Sousa
In 1890 'The High School Cadets', a popular drill team attached to the very first high school in Washington D.C., asked John Philip Sousa to write a march for the group. They requested a 'better' march than the one Sousa had written for their rivals 'The National Fencibles'. Indeed, The High School Cadets became one of the most popular of Sousa's 136 marches. Pi Scheffer wrote this fine arrangement with Dixieland combo, which was made extremely popular by the recording made by the famous Dutch Swing College Band.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£35.50Triglav - Julius Fucik
Julius Fuc k (1872-1916) appreciated life in Sarajevo. First compositions were written, which soon made him become one of the leading representatives of his profession in Austria-Hungary. Among those works also figured his elaborate piece "Austria's Glory and Honor", which unfortunately remains kind of ill-fated up to now. Yet another area of activities, where Fu k was able to demonstrate his talents was to stage the symphony concerts introduced by him in Sarajevo. Late in fall of the year 1900 Fuc k's time had come, when the regiment deployed from Sarajevo to Budapest. He lived in that metropolis on the Danube for the next some ten years, and during that period most of hisworks were composed. At that time his popularity also grew from day to day. The first performances of his works met with general interest, and not only numerous officers most of them were friends of Fuc k attended these events, they rather were attractions for all ranks of the society. It should also not be overlooked that music publishers were anxious to secure almost each one of his works for their publishing company, and most of them were printed immediately after their premieres. In 1899 the "Laban March" was written as his Opus 44. It was dedicated to Major General Rudolf Laban of Vralje, commander of the 3d Mountain Brigade which was stationed in Nevesinje. The title of the march then changed to "Eiserne Brigade" ("Iron Brigade") until it finally became known as "Danubia". It was first printed as late as 1933 by Bohuslav Leopold (Edition Continental). Leopold was a musician in Fuc k's regimental band, and later a successful publisher. He succeeded in securing the best of Fuc k's works for his company. Sketches of "Triglav" date back to 1903. The title alludes to the highest mountain of the province of Slovenia, and this was probably an apt means in the eyes of the composer to demonstrate his "Slavonic patriotism".
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£137.99Odyssee - Jan Bosveld
The Odyssee tells the story of Odysseus, the undaunted hero. In times long ago the blind poet Homer wrote this famous epic. The "Odyssey" follows the "Iliad", the story of the bloody war between the Greek and the Trojans. This battle endsafter ten years thanks to the Odysseys famous trick. the Trojan Horse. The Odyssey is not a war epic, but a story about perseverance, loyalty, adventure, and the survival instinct of its ingenious hero. In The Odyssey, Homer describes howOdysseus, the king of Ithaca, had to endure another ten years of affliction after the ten years of war in Troy before he could finally return to his home land. During those years, his wife, Penelope, had to try and keep her many admirers away.These men not only wanted het hand but also the kingship. To prove her husbands worth, she played a trick: "As soon as I have finished weaving this shroud for my father-in-law, Laertes, I will choose one of you to become my husband", she promisedthem. But during the night, she secretly loosened what she had woven during the day, prolonging the time until Odysseus would finally return. After twenty long years, when he finally stood at the door, she wondered: Is this really my husband? Ishe an imposter? Cunningly, she asked him to move the bed, because only she and her husband know that the bed was immovable and was build around an old three trunk! Odysseus was deeply moved: this really was his wife, his Penelope! Nearly threethousands years later, the loyalty and strength of this character, and all the dangerous adventures that Odysseus survived thanks to courage and intelligence, still moves us today. Odyssee by Jan Bosveld is not just an adventure story, butrather a characteristic piece in which memories of Homers story can be heard. The composition opens with a firm, stirring theme describing our hero, Odysseus, in detail: This man is not to be taken lightly. The further development of thisshort introduction completes this character sketch: trustworthy, perseverant, and a genius. After that we can picture Odysseus on the lonely beach of Ogygia. Do the trumpets depict his memories of the war of Troy? Does he think of his wife, as werecognise the weaving loom of Penelope in the murmuring eighth? In the solemn, plaintive part that follows, we can imagine Penelope feeling lonely, sitting in the womens room with her servants.One of the girls plays the harp, but that does notclear the sombre atmosphere. Then we can imagine seeing the sorceress Circe, who changed Odysseus men into swine. After she gives a simple magic sign something follows that reminds us of the sound of pigs grunting. Then the Odysseus theme resounds:the hero comes to savi his comrades. Assisted by Hermes, he forces Circe to lift the spell. The piece ends the same way as it began, with an animated theme: Odysseus is still the same, undefeated and not to be taken lighty!
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£214.80Skies - Oliver Waespi
Program notes by Oliver Waespi on his composition Skies:Skies is the plural of Sky. We may wonder are there several skies? Is the sky we all long for not the same for everybody? While travelling on foot and "in the open air" I have observed the firmament often in quite different shapes, so that I can say I have indeed experienced the sky in different ways. Years ago I already wanted to portray "my sky" in music; I finally have been able to realise this long-cherished dream.This composition deals with the sky, more precisely with my sensual and emotional experience of the sky in all its aspects. Two point of views are combined in this composition: one showing the sky as it presents itself to me, the other showing the sky as I observe it. The music was bom simultaneously by intemal and extemal inspiration: it describes nature but also the emotional and spiritual experience of nature. To me, the experience of nature is not abstract, but it is connected with concrete ages, places or people from my neighbourhood. This is why I have combined several parts of this composition with certain landscapes.The sky presents itself in different landscapes in the most varied ways: for the sensual experience, there is no sky as such. The indications of places spread all over the score, are primarily clues for myself; they represent certain atmospheres, which I have experienced especially in England and Scotland. They can however also be useful to the musicians and the audience, providing they know those landscapes and the celestial atmospheres linked to them.The music is independent from the atmospheres described in the subtitles, as those are rather connected to a tragic nature, and so the music is not based on any program. Musically spoken, the composition has a symphonic structure, which means that the complete musical material is derived from three contrasting main themes. In the first part, the description of a noctumal sky ("Night") two themes are developed in an organic way; the first, rather "dusky", is to be found with the horns, the second, "in bright daylight", with the oboe and flute, the third, "more quiet" , with the brass instruments. In the next part, we have clouds and rain over the Isle of Skye (one of the Hebrides islands in Scotland) and here several elements of the first theme are still more developed. Then we get an increasingly dark mood, which is released, in heavy chords. Then suddenly, the sun breaks through and the music gets a majestic character. We have a new shape of the initial theme, first with the French horns and then with the trombones. The music gets a quicker tempo and flows into a quick movement describing the winds and waves at sea ("Wind and Waves"). Three themes are gathering and some variations are developed. The music gets more and more energetic and, after a climax, calms down again. Then we have a kind of "summer pastoral" which suggests summer at the South coast of Cornwall ("South Coast of Penwith Peninsuia in Summer"). This is certainly not the hotte st summer in Europe, but still it is beautiful in this country that is blessed with so much rain. In the "pastoral" , the sea is already sketched in broad outlines in the French horn solo. The magnificence of an aftemoon at the seaside is developed at the end of the composition ("Noon at Treen Cliff', a rock protruding in the sea next to Porthcumo at the South Coast of Cornwall); here the music gets stronger and stronger and after a majestic climax it vanishes completely.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£69.00
Goldene Kameraden - James Barnes
"Goldene Kameraden" was commissioned to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Musikverlag RUNDEL. The title of the piece is a combination of the golden anniversary of the company and all my friends who work there - but it is also a humorous pun on one of my favorite German marches: "Alte Kameraden". Although marches are rather out of favor in the U.S. these days - unless they are by John Philip Sousa - I love to write them. And so I was happy to have the opportunity to compose this for Thomas Rundel, his family and the team at Musikverlag RUNDEL. The strict form of marches and the necessary march-like clichs required may seem restricting to other composers, but I perceive this as a musical challenge. It is like completing a crossword puzzle: one must go by all the traditional rules" but still produce something creative.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
