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Athabasca - Peter Meechan
The stunning Athabasca Glacier, in the Columbia Icefield in the Canadian Rockies, provided the inspiration for this work. After having visited the Glacier in 2016, I knew that it would find a place in my music - the sheer magnitude of it was stunning, the visual was breath-taking, and the rate at which it is receding (5 meters per year) completely devastating.Now sadly collapsed, beneath the Glacier there were great, expansive ice caves - thankfully they were photographed by explorers, and it is these photos that provided the inspiration for the work; an imaginary walk through these fragile, beautiful structures; what music would sound like in them, what talking would sound like in them; and what moments of listening would sound like in them.When writing the piece I also wanted to try and acknowledge the diminishing nature of the Glacier. Whilst not being something you can visibly notice by simply observing for a short time, it is still happening in front of very eyes. This is represented by the tempos in the piece - almost doubling from the original tempo to the fastest tempo of the work (around 2/3rds of the way through), and - hopefully - almost imperceptibly.When commissioned by Ray Baril and the Edmonton Winds to write a new work for them, the Alberta connection between the group and the Glacier was impossible to resist.Peter Meechan 2018
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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£55.00Merry-Go-Round - Tim Paton
Programme notes from the composer, Tim Paton:I heard a recording of a fairground organ playing a fabulous concert waltz from the early 20th century. It struck me that this music was in the same league as another popular concert waltz, "Nights of Gladness". I aurally transcribed it, and set about creating an exciting piece, aiming to capture the 'fun of the fair'.
In stock: Estimated delivery 1-3 days
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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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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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The Pohutukawa Stands - Peter Meechan
The earthquake that hit Christchurch in February 2011 took the lives of 181 people. Being asked to write this work in their memory was an honour, but I didn't want it to simply be performed as a memorial. I wanted to compose a work that conveyed the sadness and grief for those lost - a work of remembrance - but also a piece of music that represented peace, hope and strength.The title and dedication come direct from the commissioners of the work, Woolston Brass Band. The Pohutukawa Trees stay standing and secure, defiant of the earthquake, in Christchurch's 'Garden City', and the Pohutukawa tree also has special significance beyond their physical appearance.According to Maori mythology, the spirits of the dead travel to Cape Reinga on their journey to the afterlife to leap off the headland and climb the roots of the 800 year old Pohutukawa tree and descend to the underworld to return to their traditional homeland of Hawaiiki-a-nui, using the Te Ara Wairua, the 'Spirits' pathway'.The Pohutukawa Stands is dedicated to the lives lost in the Christchurch earthquake.The wind orchestra scoring was completed in 2013.
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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£125.00
Danceries (Set II) - Kenneth Hesketh
Danceries Set II was commissioned by Keith Allen and Birmingham Symphonic Winds, supported by PRS for Music Foundation and the RVW Trust. The world premire of this work was given by Birmingham Symphonic Winds, conducted by Keith Allen, at the CBSO Centre, Birmingham in 2011. This second set of Danceries continues the format established in Danceries (Set I), namely in using material taken from Playford's Dancing Master, a collection of folk and popular tunes published in the seventeenth century, to form the basis of an extended dance suite. In this set, the melodies have been more abstracted and project only a distant echo of their original forms, but as before, each movement is self-contained, colourful and direct, with its own distinct mood.The outer movements - Jennie's Bawbee and Peascod's Galliarda - share a use of driving percussion writing with a military air. Tom Tinker's Toye and Heart's Ease (movements two and three) are both settings of original melodies. All movements are more extended than in the first set, with a freer use and approach to the material; melodies now occur in various keys and are supported by a greater variety of harmonic colouring. The result is a richer, even more exhilarating set of dances. Danceries has come of age!
In stock: Estimated delivery 1-3 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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Soul Divine - Peter Meechan
From the Gelinas family:"David Gelinas was a grade 10 student at Dr. Martin LeBoldus Catholic High School in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. On May 2, 1992, he was tragically killed in a car accident. David was an accomplishedtenor saxophone playerand member of the LeBoldus Concert Band, multiple Jazz Bands and the Regina Lions Junior Band. He dreamt of a future in music at McGill University.In the 25 years since his death, David's family and friends have embraced life, the importance of family, and a love of music. This piece is dedicated to the memory our son, brother, uncle, student, and friend, David Gelinas. Always in our hearts and minds, David's love of music plays on."Chad Huel, Director of Bands at LeBoldus Catholic High School, Regina, Saskatchewan, approached me to write a new work for the school's symphonic band in memory of his friend, David Gelinas. Chad spoke of his friend's love of music and life, the time they spent together, his skills as a tenor saxophonist, and how his life was cut so tragically short.Before writing this piece, I was reading the William Blake poem Auguries of Innocence. Contained in that poem were the following words, which seemed so beautifully poignant and appropriate, and hopefully encapsulates something about grief, as well as celebration of life."Joy & Woe are woven fineA Clothing for the soul divineUnder every grief & pineRuns a joy with silken twine"Soul Divine is dedicated to Chad Huel and the Gelinas family, in memory of David Gelinas.
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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2nd Epitaph - Across the Water - Peter Meechan
This piece, as the title suggests, is the second Epitaph I have written, the first being Epitaph (for Hillsborough). '2nd Epitaph - Across the Water' was written for the Fountain City Brass Band, who are from the USA, to perform on D-Day landing beaches in Normandy, France.The title has a double reference point - the water between the UK and France, across which many troops (from the UK and the USA amongst others) travelled in the Normandy invasions, and also the water between the UK (the home of the composer) and the USA (the home of the band).
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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