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£134.99The Secret of Mercury - Jan de Haan
This work was commissioned by the concert band Da Capo Leeuwarden from the Netherlands, which was linked with the Dutch postal service PTT up until 1995. Mercury happens to be the messenger of the gods - a kind of mailman, one could say. Yet the composer did not choose the god but the planet Mercury as his source of inspiration for this work in four uninterrupted movements. He created a multifaceted work in which the mysterious celestial body is represented, as well as a number of space missions exploring it. This interesting subject matter guarantees a composition that fascinates from start to finish.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£260.99Pentangle - Philip Sparke
Pentangle, set in three movements without a break, uses the traditional concept of the baroque concerto grosso as its model, treating the brass quintet and accompanying concert band as separate but equal ensembles. Interplay between the two, and frequent use of the quintet players as soloists, permeates the work in various combinations, making it a captivating composition full of variety.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£122.50Mercury Rising - Philip Sparke
Mercury Rising was commissioned by sinfonisches blasorchester wehdel and its conductor Thomas Ratzek, to celebrate their 50th anniversary in 2018. They premiered this piece in their half-century concert on 2nd November 2018 in the Bremerhaven Stadttheater in Germany. Designed as a virtuosic and lively opener, Mercury Rising opens with nervous energy and driving, syncopated rhythms in a blaze of colour. The horns and saxophones then introduce a broad melody, which the trumpets subsequently take up after a change of tonality. A quieter moment introduces a distant fanfare on muted horns over bubbling semiquavers in the low clarinets. This is interrupted by a passionate tenor melody but soon returns on the full brass section, accompanied by echoes of the opening woodwind figuration, and is extended to bring the piece to a triumphant close.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£152.99A Midsummer Night's Dream - Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy
Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (1809 - 1847) composed the music for William Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream at two different times. In 1826, at the age of 16, he wrote a concert overture (Op. 21). Sixteen years later, in 1842, he composed the incidental music (opus 61) for King Frederick William IV of Prussia, in which he incorporated the existing overture. The overture premiered in Stettin (then in Prussia, now Szczecin, Poland) on February 20, 1827, conducted by Carl Loewe. Mendelssohn had to travel 80 miles through a raging snowstorm to get to the concert, which became his first public appearance. The first British performance of the overture was conducted by Mendelssohn himself on June 24, 1829, at the Argyll Rooms in London. After the concert, Thomas Attwood was given the score of the overture for safekeeping, but left it in a taxi and was never found. Mendelssohn later rewrote the overture entirely from memory.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£118.99North Hills Fantasy - Philip Sparke
North Hills Fantasy was commissioned by the North Hills High School Bands, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (director: Len Lavelle) as part of a commissioning programme that has run since 1965 - the longest of its kind in the USA. The work opens with a reflective, unaccompanied solo for alto saxophone which develops into a chorale for horns and saxes. This is taken up by the trumpets and subsides to a change of key and mood, with highly decorated folk-like solos for clarinet, bassoon and saxes. These solos build to a climax for full band, which heralds a triumphant return of the horn chorale, accompanied by florid woodwind figuration. But the mood soon winds down; fragments of earlier melodies return calmly to peacefully close the work.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£137.99Highland Dawn - Philip Sparke
Highland Dawn portrays a sunrise in the Scottish Highlands, where stunning mountain scenery and clear air create a special atmosphere. A faster central section describes the area coming to life as the day begins, using the Scotch 'snaps' which are characteristic of traditional bagpipe music; but the serenity of the opening returns to bring the work to a peaceful close.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£119.99Quarantine - Thomas Doss
Like a dark veil, an ominous sense of foreboding takes hold across the world. A looming danger, one previously unknown to mankind, slowly approaches, bringing our daily lives to a grinding halt. A perilous virus gives us no choice other than to stay in our homes, leaving us unable to work in our offices or even visit family and friends. Something that has only been talked about in history books is coming to pass: a pandemic! The invisible danger expands more and more, and we feel paralysed by fear and fright. The distance between us and our fellow human beings increases. At the same time, we start to better understand something crucial: we have time again! People help each other out. Neighbourly assistance and support within one's own family becomes more apparent. We stand by each other. Suddenly we have the time for things that we did not have before. Time for reflection... A new era commences. Finally, hope reappears. We leave our houses, but nothing is quite the same anymore. With renewed strength, people begin to perceive the future in a positive and optimistic way once again. With greater attention and awareness of the here and now, we feel that, despite it all, we can be happy.Recorded by the Kobe College Wind Orchestra and its conductor Satoshi Yagisawa
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£57.50Ascent
Ascent reflects the effort to get off the ground, literally or figuratively. It's a micro-overture that begins with the promise of upward transcendence, yet soon flies off into rogue disorganization. A raucous flock of notes finally converges into a united upward-headed murmuration, but the freedom of soaring through the sky brings an uneasy mystery before settling into the tranquil air of anticipation.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£149.00Legend of a Giant - Kevin Houben
Legend of a Giant is a composition for solo alto saxophone and Wind Band composed by the Belgian composer Kevin Houben. The composer dedicated this challenging saxophone concerto to the Spanish saxophone virtuoso Mariano Garcia.The work had its premire in May 2021 in the Lemmensinstitute with the Wind Band of the LUCA School of Arts in Leuven (Belgium) conducted by Ivan Meylemans.Mariano Garcia is a full time professor saxophone at the LUCA School ofArts, the Conservatorio Superior de Musica de Aragon in Zaragoza (Spain) and the Wiener Akademie Musik (Austria).As in any classical concerto the saxophone soloist 'competes' with the orchestra: first alternately, in dialogue witheachother, afterwards fraternally together. Moreover the orchestra is regarded as an equal partner, therefore also for the musicians of the orchestra this cinematic score presents a tough challenge.Legend of a giant immerses thelistener in the world of the saxophone and challenges the soloist in the field of lyricism and timbre, but also on a technical level. In this way various aspects and modern playing styles such as bisbigliandos, double staccato,frullatos, glissandos, harmonics of overtones,... pass in review. In a word: a tough 'challenge' for any saxophone virtuoso! (!) A simplified version of the saxophone solo part also exists.
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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