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£24.95
Sinfonietta - Score only - Rob Wiffin
Program NotesSinfonietta is a challenging, extended work for symphonic wind band. It is in three movements: Dance with the Devil, A Glimpse of Paradise and Reyes Magos. The first two movements are a transition from dark to light; Dance with the Devil is aggressive and occasionally macabre whereas A Glimpse of Paradise is serene. The first and final parts of the second movement were originally written for a sequence in the Royal Military Tattoo 2000, played under the John Magee poem High Flight – ‘Oh I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth...Put out my hand, and touched the face of God’ - with videos of eagle owls in flight dramatically projected onto the buildings of Horse Guards in Whitehall, London.The last movement, Reyes Magos, is the joyous fiesta of the Three Kings. I wrote Sinfonietta while living in Spain and there January 6th, rather than Christmas Day, is the main day of present-giving, marking the Epiphany, the arrival of the Kings from the Orient at the Nativity.Sinfonietta is technically and expressively demanding but is written within the realms of tonal language.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£59.95
Where Eagles Sing - Paul Lovatt-Cooper
The inspiration for this piece came when the composer visited Florida and the Bird Sanctuary in Walt Disney World's Animal Kingdom. He was in the audience to see the rare bird's show where he witnessed some fabulous looking and endangered birds that were trained to perform different tricks that wowed the audience. The highlight for him was the conclusion of the show where the most awesome sight greeted us as an American Bald Eagle soared over the audience. That particular breed of Eagle has been a very rare bird of late. With so few in numbers, it nearly became a member of the sad group of animals that are extinct.The host of the show took great delight in informing the audience that the fantastic creature is now officially safe and no longer classed as endangered. This made a great impact on the composer as the Eagle is an amazing bird, huge in size and power and yet so graceful in flight. This piece is everything associated with the Eagle; bold, powerful and graceful and now free to soar and sing in the American homelands.Where Eagles Sing has been hugely successful as a curtain-raiser (or finale) with brass bands around the world and it is hoped that this version for wind band will be just as popular.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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A Short Blast - Peter Meechan
When Joseph Resendes and I were first discussing the piece and the concert it was to be premiered in (a concert celebrating the 50th anniversary of the McMaster University Concert Band), I mentioned to him that it all sounded like it would "be a blast!".The word blast seemed perfect for a piece of music for wind band - the definitions of the word lend themselves to a work celebrating the anniversary of a concert band, as well as the impact that it has made in the community during its 50 years of existence:A Short Blast takes ideas that are usually associated with more traditional repertoire (eg fanfares, hymns/chorales, and marches) and reframes them in a new setting full of energy, drive, and momentum - an explosive wave of air, making a loud noise!A Short Blast was commissioned by Joseph Resendes and McMaster University Concert Band to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the ensemble.Peter Meechan 2024Commissioned by Joseph Resendes and McMaster University Concert BandAnd the following commissioning consortium members (organization/conductor):Arizona State University - Jason CaslorFort Richmond Collegiate - Cheryl FergusonMount Allison University Symphonic Band - James KalynRouge River Winds - Pratik GandhiSchulich School of Music - McGill University - Jonathan DagenaisSherwood Repertoire Band - Ryan BakerToronto Youth Wind Orchestra - Beryl Macleod/Colin ClarkeUniversity of Saskatchewan - Darrin OehlerkingUniversity of Toronto - Gillian MackayVincent Massey Collegiate - Matthew AbrahamWestmount Secondary School Wind Orchestra - Chad Benning
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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Burn - Peter Meechan
Written for British clarinetist Linda Merrick, Burn was premiered by Linda in March, accompanied by Sheffield University Wind Orchestra (SUWO) conducted by Tony Houghton. The initial unaccompanied passage that opens the work was written during 2011's "Arab Spring", which dominated news reports of the time.The haunting soundtrack to these newscasts (which were a strange cocktail of devastating, uplifting, angry, mournful, rallying and peaceful) was the calls to prayer.There was no attempt whilst writing Burn (a title inspired by region's climate) to directly imitate these calls to prayer, but certainly they had an impact on the opening passage of the work, and therefore the whole piece.
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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Dreams Unseen - Peter Meechan
A number of traumatic global events over the past year have tested humanity. The global pandemic, racism, human rights issues, the discovery of thousands of unmarked Canadian Indigenous children's graves and climate change are testing humans' willingness to listen, hope and seek change. This three-movement work is a journey through silence, resistance and hope.Dreams Unseen begs the question, "Are we listening?"As people around the world endure and cope with significant loss, isolation, uncertainty and fear, Dreams Unseen contemplates the journey through uncertain times and is fraught with the complexities of today. As we continue to endure loss and uncertainty, we must have faith in resilience, goodwill and hope for a brighter future.Jacquie Dawson, August 2021Note from the composerWhen composing Dreams Unseen I was faced with a variety of decisions and complexities. Initially commissioned with the idea of conveying joy and hope as we emerged, or hoped to emerge, from a pandemic, too much happened around us in the world - locally, globally, and personally - that made the initial goal of the piece something that didn't represent so much that I saw.This made the selection of texts particularly difficult.As time passed, the texts originally selected became less and less appropriate to what I wanted to say, and, as the unmarked graves of murdered Indigenous children were uncovered throughout Canada on a daily basis, I felt compelled to move away from joy and the promise of hope to instead write about listening, to put hope in a more fragile, truthful context, to be grateful for those who never gave up, those who stood up in the face of all that was happening - the scientists, the leaders, people we've never met, people we know. It felt that the only way I could say all that I wanted to say as a composer was to write my own words.The first movement, In Silence, I ask us not to just hear, but to listen. It is only once we understand the truth that we can truly begin the process of reconciliation. The second movement, In Resistance, is my amazement at those who stood up in these times of adversity - specifically the scientists who saved our lives and those who continue to fight for what it right in the face of a seemingly impossible situation. I continue to believe that, because of those people, love will win, and lyrically I wanted to pay homage to that; The Beatles "In My Life" and Dr. King's "I Have A Dream" speech are both referenced.The final movement, In Hope, also takes existing words as an inspiration. The Rodgers and Hammerstein song "You'll Never Walk Alone" has been a song so close to my heart throughout my life, in the good times and difficult times alike. None of these times have been more difficult than losing a friend during the pandemic. His fight with cancer was driven by hope. A wonderful musician and human, he would also turn to "You'll Never Walk Alone" - so I chose this final movement to pay homage to the song, to my dearly missed friend, and to the idea that hope - for a better future, for a win against an almost unstoppable disease, for those whose voice is so often not heard to be listened to, and that Dr. King's words will come true - is everything.Pete Meechan, August 2021With funds from:Desautels Faculty of Music at the University of Manitoba - Jacquie Dawson, Director of BandsUniversity of Kansas - Paul Popiel, Director of BandsAnd the following commissioning partners:Arizona State University - Jason Caslor, Director of BandsGeorgia State University - Robert Ambrose, Director of BandsMarietta College - Nils Landsberg, Director of BandsNew Mexico State University - Michael Mapp, Director of BandsOregon State University - Erik Leung, Director of BandsThe Desert Winds - Charles Maguire, Artistic DirectorUniversity of Colorado Boulder - Donald McKinney, Director of BandsUniversity of Missouri - Brian Silvey, Director of Bands, and Amy Knopps, Associate Director of BandsUniversity of North Florida - Erin Bodnar, Director of BandsUniversity of Texas - Jerry Junkin, Director of BandsUniversity of Toronto - Gillian Mackay, Director of Winds ConductingValdosta State University - Ben Harper, Director of BandsWright State University - Shelley Jagow, Director of Bands
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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Each Life Converges - Peter Meechan
Each Life Converges was written to celebrate the retirement of my dear friend Terry Austin.Writing a piece to celebrate someone you know so well is such an honour - and as I reflected on his wonderful career as a musician, teacher, and administrator I couldn't help but think of the lives that are richer because of Terry Austin. Whether that is students who have gone on to become teachers and inspired their own generations of musicians (who will no doubt go on to inspire further generations), or people who have got to know him through music and maybe taken other paths through life, but are forever enriched by all he gave and continues to give.Just as Terry inspired others, he was himself inspired and shaped by his mentors, colleagues, and - perhaps most importantly - friends. In Each Life Converges I try to show this through an initial simple melody from which, on each repetition, new countermelodies and musical lines grow, always enriching the main melody.No words about Terry would ever be complete without mentioning his dearly missed friend, Dennis Zeisler - someone who, like Terry, enriched the lives of all those who were fortunate enough to encounter him. Each Life Converges is written in memory of Dennis and dedicated to my friends Terry and his wife Tracia on the occasion of Terry's retirement.Each Life Converges was commissioned by Tiffany Hitz and Matthew McCutchen, and was premiered by the Virginia Commonwealth University Alumni Band, conducted by Duane Coston, June 11 2022.Peter Meechan 2022
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working 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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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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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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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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