Results
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£186.20Ballet Dreams - Coby Lankester
The script for Ballet Dreams: A young ballerina is dancing for some time already in a ballet company. She is part of the Corps de Ballet but still hopes for better. When the company studies a new ballet she is granted a small solo part. This will be the fulfillment of a long cherished dream.On the day of the premiere she goes to the theatre in the early morning. As the solo performance is so near she feels very nervous and wonders whether everything will be all right that night. She starts making exercises with the orther girls. When the dancers leave she continues to exercise by herself and tries out her solo part. She does not do well and feels very tired. She sits down on a bench in the corner of the ballet room and thinks she needs some rest; so she lies down and falls asleep.She dreams she is standing in the ballet room, trying to rehearse her solo dance performance. But she does not succeed to dance as she wants and she gets more and more nervous. Suddenly she makes a wrong movement and falls down; her ankle is bruised and so she cannot dance at all.She is desperate and quite lonely because her dream goes up in smoke. She is now surrounded by a group of doctors, who examine her ankle, put on a bandage and tell her to rest. When the doctors disappear a gang of little devils come into the ballet room; they tease our poor dancer and threaten her with little arrows, while they keep dancing and stamping. The ballerina tries to get rid of the little monsters, but in vain. This looks like a real nightmare!All of a sudden the devils and the pain disappear. She tries to get up and awakes little by little. She now realizes it was only a bad dream. She feels relieved and goes to the dressing room in order to dress for the premiere performance. Her solo performance in the finale of the ballet is a real big success. Her most precious dream has been fulfilled, in spite of or thanks to the nightmare.
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
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£154.60Den store dagen - Benny Borg
This beautiful song contains a huge contrast between the hopeful and the disappointing. A mother has her birthday and is waiting her children to celebrate it. Each verse starts optimistically, but the short chorus is characterized by the disappointment, that everyone calls, and cannot come. This has been tried recreated musically, mostly in the last two choruses, as it dawns on her that she will not receive a visit. It's a beautiful tune, but with a serious message that it's easy to take someone for granted.One of the elements the musicians came up with after rehearsal, was that they really liked the change between the ballad parts with even eights and the swing parts. This also gives the piece a sense of "parlando" character, which tells a story, and is therefore important to focus. It is not quite simple, as the melody also in those parts with even eights has some triplet rhythms. Therefore, this is a topic you can work on.Regarding instrumentation, Flugelhorn, Alto Saxophone and Euphonium have important roles, in addition to the rest of the first parts in the Band. The arrangement is written so you are not depending on "special" instruments. Important details are also often duplicated so you can use the arrangement for a smaller Wind Band.It is also possible to use a vocal soloist, but then you must soften the instruments that holds the melody.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£69.99Mexican Holiday - Philip Sparke
Whilst making no claims to be stylistically authentic, this little piece aims to capture the infectious spirit of mariachi, a word whose origins are lost in the mists of time, but which describes not only the performers (on guitars, vihuelas, violins, trumpets and harp) but also the music itself. Their music speaks of love, passion, politics, life in the country and revolutionary heroes but is unerringly uplifting in style and immediately recognisable as the spirit of Mexico. A chance to add that Spanish flavour to your concerts.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£109.99Arctic Funk - Torstein Aagaard-Nilsen
Arctic Funk might just as well have been a flashing sequel to a scene from Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story. Popular music but with a difference, as indicated by the title. The work's quiet section temporarily soothes down the heated passion of its two corner movements, but everywhere else action is required throughout. The work was commissioned in 1991 by Troms? Brass. Situated just above the Polar Circle, Troms? is one of Norway's northernmost towns. Topographically, the town probably comes across as freezing cold, but Troms? is famous for its 'warm' night-life. The Composer: In Arctic Funk you might get a feeling of a party that takes place betweenice-rocks and snow-capped mountains.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£174.99The Legend of Flathead Lake - Carl Wittrock
In Scotland, the monster of Loch Ness is a hot issue, but the American state of Montana enjoys a comparable phenomenon going by the name of Montana Nessie. In the western part of this remote state lies Flathead Lake: a lake of 45 kilometres /38miles in lenght and 24 kilometres /15 miles breath. At several places, its depth exeeds 100 metres.Nessies discovery takes us back to the year 1889, when captain James Kerr aboard the passengership U.S.Grant was startled by a ship unknown to himsuddenly approaching his vessel across Flathead Lake. However, it turned out not to be a ship but an undefinable animal of immense size.From that moment onwards, life would never be the same again in and around Flathead Lake.The composer wasinspired by the story, and summarized the events into a symphonic poem, but from a surprising angle:that of the monster. The exiting opening allows us to follow the monster in its natural surroundings.The fast follow-up movement depictsMontana Nessie trotting and frolicking about the Montana woods and prairies.From its abode, it thorougly enjoys everything around it. This period abruptly ends in a short climax (Chimes). The solo for cor anglais marks a new period in themonsters life.The presence of people has a paralizing effect and the apprehensive atmosphere of the slow movement may be felt profoundly.The monster observes and mildly teases the ship. Abhor sounds force the ship to a withdrawal.The movingmusical continuation depicts the triumphant monster dancing an ironic waltz. The monsters fear and anger at the intrusion of his freedom run through the piece like continuous threads, and develop into the works final theme.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£117.80Freedom Defended - Rossano Galante
Inspired by the non-violent civil rights protest of February 1, 1960 against a segregated lunch counter in Greensboro, NC, Freedom Defended strives to encapsulate the story of this now historic event. Commissioned by the band directors of the North Carolina Central District and East Central District Bandmasters Associations, this four movement piece honors each of the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University students known as the "Greensboro Four", Joseph McNeil, Franklin McCain, Ezell Blair Jr., and David Richmond. Their actions directly led to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which mandated desegregation in public spaces. Movement 1 (Da Sogno) - The opening thematic material is dream-like and idyllic as the "Greensboro Four" enter the Woolworth Store at 132 South Elm Street and peacefully sit at the lunch counter and order coffee. Movement 2 (Con Fuoco) - The piece takes a dark turn when they are refused service and are told "We don't serve Negros here". The music is somewhat dissonant and rhythmic but a heroic theme captures the tenacity and courage of these brave young men. Movement 3 (Molto Cantabile) - A plaintiff theme portrays the hopelessness the four freshmen faced as they continued to be refused service until they leave when the store closed that night. Movement 4 (Con Spirito) - Undeterred, the "Greensboro Four" returned the next day, this time joined by more than twenty other black students. While they were again refused service, the sitins began to attract media attention and each day more and more students, both black and white, joined the cause. By February 4th, over 300 students staged sit-ins not only at the Woolworth Store but also the lunch counter at Greensboro's S. H. Kress & Co. The music is rejoicing and uplifting, similar to the opening statement, but now fully orchestrated and more fully developed. Coda - a quiet theme based on the motives from the opening thematic material brings the work to a reflective close as we remember these four men who, in the face of adversity, stood up for equality for all men and women.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£186.20Charles Chaplin - Marcel Peeters
The legendary comedian Charles Spencer Chaplin is the author of a series of immortal films in which music plays a rather important role. Chaplin, who played the violin and the cello, wrote various musical themes himself, but was also assisted by several orchestrators, among others Alfred Newman, David Raskin and Arthur Johnson. Undoubtedly, 'Charlie' had some original musical ideas, but above all he remained a creator of melodies with simple but fascinating themes. Marcel Peeters brilliantly arranged a number of those tunes for symphonic band. You can hear successively: Limelight Theme - Morning Promenade - This is my Song - Titina - Mandolin Serenade - Green Lantern Rag - Falling Star - Napoli March - Ze Boulevardier. They will no doubt recall the most striking scenes from the masterpieces of this unforgettable artist.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£159.60Sci-Fi Suite of Dances - Bernhard Bogisch
1. Harvest Dance - Phoeboia II Like many of the inhabited planets Phoebia II was first colonized by the survivors of a spaceship crash. There is no certainty as to where these survivors originated from. In the late 21st century many spaceship were launched manned by people who were looking for a new future, away from an over-populated Earth. Some succeeded, some managed to return, some were never heard of again. In 2311 a survey ship had to make an emergency landing on Phoebia II and they found a triving colony there. Although the early history of the colony is shrouded in antiquity, certain aspects of the language, as well as physical features, seem to point to a south-east European origin. The harvest dance, in the aspects of rhythm, melody and harmony has many things in common with the music of what once were the countries of Macedonia, Greece and Turkey, little of which has unfortunately, been left due to primitive recording methods of the period.2. Ritual Seduction Dance - Rugel VWhen first discovered Rugel V was already a very civilized planet populated by a humanoid race and governed by a class of superior females. The first settlers from Earth were held as slaves but gained freedom over the years. It is assumed that this happened because the Earth people were all male and considered very attractive by the native females in comparison with the aboriginal males. The Earth males were evidently very attractive to the native women, who on their part used all their womanly wiles to entice them. We all know that Rugel V is now a very advanced and totally integrated society. The people have not forgotten their roots, and these Ritual Seduction Dances are performed on a regular basis in commemoration of the original Grand Seduction. Musically speaking Romanian origin influenced by native characteristics is virtually certain.3. Attack Dance - Planet Khi't'onThis is the only dance in this suite that is purely native. The natives people know as Khi't'och are now very civilized, but initial contact was difficult due to the difference in physical make-up between the two peoples. Suffice it to say that in the early stages Earth people referred to the Khi't'och as 'mosquito people'. We still don't know very much about them, other then that they have a history of violence but are now quite peaceful although they love to relive their past in a stylised way, not unlike the Maories of the former New Zealand, whose fearsome tattoos were later only painted on. This Attack Dance is, at best, an imitation due to the lack native instruments, and it was a very happy occasion for this composer when, at a concert at the House of Culture on Khi't'on, the Khi't'och showed their appreciation by clicking their feeding tubes and emitting loud shouts.4. Wedding Dance and Prayer - Planet B'lGarThere is little doubt that the people of this planet originate in the former country of Bulgaria. Several examples of similar pieces featuring the quaint 11/8 time signature have been found in old archives and recordings. Russian influence is also noticeable in the prayer the style of which is reminiscent of that of the now extinct sect of Raskolniky.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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