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£51.60Sakura Variations - Kees Vlak
The blooming of the cherry trees each spring is a great event in Japan. In the evening friends meet under the pink and white cherry blossoms for a picnic. It is a striking sight, especially in big cities. Vendors sell Japanese food, entertainers andclowns perform, and the typically cautious Japanese seem to be more relaxed during the cherry blossom, or "Sakura". Kees Vlak captured this atmosphere with his "Sakura Variation"; its theme employs a subtle drum rhythm. The first variation is titled"clowns" and opens with three bass drum strikes. The theme appears in 3/4 time and is repeated several times with surprising changes. An impetuous tempo with dissonant elements suggests a clown's mischievous behaviour. The second variation in a minormode sounds very sad and dramatic. Is this the sadness when thinking of the end of the cherry blossom, as all the petals "snow" down from the trees? The cherry trees will bloom again next year, so the finale celebrates a joyful "Sakura".
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£113.30Via Della Terra - Marco Somadossi
Composing music also involves being able to imagine the sound of something that has no sound of its own. "Via della Terra" is a soundtrack without a film, a story without a narrator; "Via della Terra" is a street in a town, but not just any street, because if a street could tell its story, "Via della Terra" would not know where to start or where and indeed if it should finish. Like all "Vie della Terra", this street in this piece is full of sounds, none of which, however, have ever belonged to it for more than a fleeting moment, just long enough to be reflected here and there and then up and away from the earth, to be lost in the air. The steps of Mozart as a child as he whistled a piece of music, never again to be remembered or written; the philosophical thoughts, or mere everyday cares, uttered to a friend by Rosmini (whispered? or declaimed?); the excited or humorous comments of people who saw Depero's futuristic works for the first time; the voices of marketstall owners, rendered louder and more acute by the noisy crowd of women sorting through the stalls of rustling and colourful silk (so many desires; silent pauses between one item of gossip and the next); the absolute and devastating roar of cannons that violated every corner of the town, injuring bodies and mutilating the memories of its inhabitants... followed by a seeming eternity, as the citizens held their breath, waiting... "Via della Terra" is the old imperial road along which the town of Rovereto was built and has developed. "Via della Terra" is music for an imaginary, impossible and simultaneous representation of all its stories. The composer has always lived in this town, which he dearly loves, and on innumerable occasions he has imagined the voices, smells, people and the lives that have been such a part of it. With his composition, "Via della Terra", Marco Somadossi won second prize (no first prize was awarded) at the XXI Corciano International Competition for original band music in the grade 4 category.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£78.20Caribbean Summer - Luigi di Ghisallo
Most people who live in the Caribbean are of an outspokenly straightforward nature, and always in good mood. "Caribbean Summer", a three-movement piece, captures this very mood: Very early in the morning, a summer day begins with "Guadeloupe", a Caribbean waltz. In this the change from a triple meter to a duple meter counter rhythm is of prime importance. From it, the music draws a particular lilt.At noon there is a happy and lively hustle and bustle on the beach. Vendors ("The Coconut Vendor") sing and offer their sugar-peanuts ("Chou-Cou"). A guest spontaneously begins to drum his fingers on a table, a second one reaches for a calabash or a cowbell - a cha-cha-cha is born. Finally, in "Caribbean Nights" a joyful parade of happy people march down the streets. Based on this very feeling, a special dance developed chiefly in the Dominican Republic: a simple basic two-step pattern in even rhythm becomes a "Merengue" together with the right, so to speak contra rotating motion of the hips! This cheerful dance then marks the close of day in a happy way - and in the morning everything will begin over again...
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£54.99Onward!
A brief history: Pentecost Monday was a special day for schools in Yorkshire (England). There were a variety of activities. The pupils of Sabine Baring-Gould would meet with the children of a nearby village. It seemed like a good idea that during the walk would be sung. But she could not find a suitable song and decided to write one by herself. "Onward Christian Soldiers" was the result. It soon became very popular, though she herself was not entirely satisfied with the rhyme scheme. The melody used (St. Gertrude) was by the famous English composer Sir Arthur S. Sullivan. Back to now: Gawan Roberts, has given the hymn a proper update. He gave the still popularsong a solid rock beat and added daring harmonies. So it's popular, for current generations, again for years. Onward!
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£57.50Paper Cut - Alex Shapiro
Composer Alex Shapiro's piece Paper Cut is reminiscent of a movie soundtrack to which the musicians can imagine their own dramatic scene. Paper Cut is written to make the players themselves part of the action with choreographed maneuvers that look as compelling as they sound. In fact, the band members don't even play their instruments until halfway into the piece - instead they play paper along with a prerecorded track! The unusual element of paper and the myriad sounds that can emerge from something so simple offers a fresh view of what music-making can be and opens everyone's ears to the sonic possibilities found among everyday objects. Although Paper Cut was composed with middle schoolers in mind, it's also suited to more advanced musicians, since the paper techniques and the skill of playing against a prerecorded track are interesting for all ages. To perform the piece, you'll need an audio system capable of playing the prerecorded audio tracks from a laptop computer via a small digital audio interface connected to an audio mixer. Download information is provided in the printed piece. A free downloadable interdisciplinary curriculum for teaching Paper Cut is also available for download at www.BandQuest.org. Learn more on YouTube!. Bandquest, an exciting series of new music and accompanying curricula for band, is a program published by the American Composers Forum. The series was started as a response to feedback from music educators that there is a pressing need for new, fresh band music. The heart of this program is new works written by a diverse group of leading American composers who have created challenging pieces that are a true departure from standard middle school repertoire. Every BandQuest project includes a residency component in which the composer works collaboratively with a middle school as they create their new piece.Many BandQuest pieces are accompanied by an interdisciplinary curriculum designed to assist students as they learn the music and to integrate each piece with non-music studies. Visit www.bandquest.org to learn more about this innovative series, and email [email protected] to request a free downloadable audio catalog.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£248.99Three Movements - André Waignein
These three movements for piano and band depict three stages of a musical journey. We set off on a long journey through the world of musical virtuosity in the style of Liszt : grand, lustrous and lyrical. The second stage is a peaceful stroll, the start of a dream. The colours are like a tender caress and the piano sketches transparent arabesques. This splendid impressionistic journey ends in two bright pink drops which evapore just in time before the third and last movement explodes.The last movement is driven forward by a raging rhythm, as relentless as a war-dance. In a confrontation between the soloist and the orchestra all the inner strength of the composer comes to thesurface so that the musicians in the end are breathless... but all the same, no less satisfied.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£139.99Le Cortge du Roi Renaud - Franco Cesarini
Le cortge du roi Renaud is a suite in five parts. It is based on tales that originated in southern European folk songs, dating back as far as the 16th century. A large portion of these songs are of the genre "Complaintes" songs in which the text gives a detailed description of events having a generally criminal or macabre character. The most familiar song to feature the tales of Roi Renaud is "Fualdes", consisting of 48 verses.The first part of the suite is based on the song "La Porcheronne" (The Swineherd). It telis the story of a young woman forced by her mother-in-law to tend pigs while her husband is away fighting in the war. She is freed only when her husband returns sevenyears later.The next part tells the story of "La mrquise Empoisonne" (The Poisoned Marquise). A marquise is coerced by her king to become his mistress. The jealous queen poisons her by means of a bouquet of deadly scented fiowers.Despite having the character of a merry dance, the third part, "La maumarie vengee" (The Avenged Wedding), expresses the touching story of Queen Clotilde, persecuted for her refusal to live according to the Aryan beliefs."La belle engloutie" (The Swallowed Beauty) relates the tale of the young wife of King Renaud. She cannot imagine a life without her husband, who was mortally wounded in the war, and begs the earth to open and swallow her up so thst she may rejoin her love.The gruesome content of the final part,"Le tueur de femmes" (The Wife Killer), bears a strong resembiance to the tale of Bluebeard. The story is about a young wife in danger of being drowned in a pond by her husband, which is what happened to her 13 predecessors. Thanks to her cunning, she manages to turn the tables and contrive her husband's demise.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£122.50Brilliant Beatles
There have been many arrangements of Beatles' songs for various kinds of ensembles, so rather than just producing a further medley of Beatles' hits, Peter Kleine Schaars has added a new twist to them with this excellent new work. All You Need Is Love and With a Little Help from my Friends pass by in a swing march, Michelle sounds like a newly composed ballad and When I'm Sixty Four is played in Dixie swing style. A Hard Day's Night is transformed into a funk theme with a samba interlude, Let It Be into a slow march, and Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da in a rock beat. Experience The Beatles as you have never heard them before.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£249.99The Wind in the Willows - Johan de Meij
"A book for those who keep the spirit of youth alive in them; of life, sunshine, running water, woodlands, dusty roads, winter firesides" said author Kenneth Grahame (1859-1932) about his children's book The Wind in the Willows. Initially, he wrote the stories about Ratty, Mole, Badger and Toad to read to his visually handicapped son Alistair, but after the publication in book form in 1908, it became a worldwide success. It was later also turned into a film and a television series. What appealed ti the composer most is the friendly, very cosy atmosphere that Grahame has managed to create with his optimistic narrative style full of high spirits, an atmosphere that reminds thecomposer of his own carefree youth. It was therefore a great pleasure to set this book to music! The four movements successively describe:I) The River- The river, which flows through the habitat of the animals like a lifeline, regularly is the scene of pleasant boat trips and picnics. The animals lead their untroubled lives here. The four-tone main motif [A-C-D-C] is extensively presented by the brass section, and returns in the following movements as a countermelody. II) Ratty and Mole -The bright, energetic Rat and the melancholy doubter Mole are inseparable friends and have many adventures. Their opposite characters are illustrated by separate musical themes. III) Mister Toad - The wilful, haughty Mister Toad is indeed a unique case: time after time, he runs into tricky situations, and with his indomitable passion for fast - preferably stolen - cars he causes quite a lot of damage...IV) The Return of UlyssesAfter Toad Hall, the majestic residence of Mister Toad, is recovered from the weasels and stoats of the Wild Wood, who had captured the estate in a cowardly way, our friends get ready for a banquet. They celebrate the victory with a triumphant parade, and so both the book and the music conclude with a happy ending.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£267.99Between the Two Rivers - Philip Sparke
Between the Two Rivers was commissioned by Fanfare 'Prins Hendrik', from Aalst in the Netherlands. The title derives from the fact that the town of Aalst lies between two tributaries of the River Dommel. The community is a highly religious one, so the famous Luther chorale, Ein' Feste Burg, was an obvious choice for Philip Sparke to use as the theme for this new work. It takes the form of a theme with four contrasting variations. Variation 1 is a moto perpetuo, variation 2 has a slower march like feel, variation 3 is a sinister slow movement and the final variation is in the form of a lyrical fugue. Between The Two Rivers is sure to become a major work in modern concert bandrepertoire.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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