Results
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£18.95WIND BORNE (Prestige Concert Band Extra Score) - Hanani, Avner
Extra Score. As the title suggests, the music represents the constant but changing motion of the air. There are seven connected sections, each different in character, texture and rhythm, but always with a strong sense of forward momentum: Fluent, Agitated, Lively but Cool, Eccentric, Shimmering, With Suspense and finally Energetic. Wind Borne won first prize at the 2008 International Composition Competition for Wind Orchestra Coups de Vent in France. Recorded on Polyphonic QPRM153D WIND BORNE (Great British Music for Wind Band Vol.14)
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£94.95
WIND BORNE (Prestige Concert Band) - Hanani, Avner
Score and Parts. As the title suggests, the music represents the constant but changing motion of the air. There are seven connected sections, each different in character, texture and rhythm, but always with a strong sense of forward momentum: Fluent, Agitated, Lively but Cool, Eccentric, Shimmering, With Suspense and finally Energetic. Wind Borne won first prize at the 2008 International Composition Competition for Wind Orchestra Coups de Vent in France. Recorded on Polyphonic QPRM153D WIND BORNE (Great British Music for Wind Band Vol.14)
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£159.99Resurrection - Kevin Houben
"Man wird mit Keulen zu Boden geschlagen und dann auf Engelsfittichen zu den hchsten Hhen gehoben." (Mahler over zijn 2de symfonie "Wederopstanding", Juli 1894)*"You are clubbed to the ground and then lifted to the highest heights on angels' wings"Commissioned by and dedicated to Concertband Maasmechelen (BE), conducted by Mark Prils.Kevin Houben was inspired for this work by Gustav Mahler's 2nd symphony, better known as the Resurrection symphony.The work can be regarded as a Ma(h)lerei of various compositional and spherical elements that refer to the Austrian composer but that appear in this composition in an embedded, contemporary way.As Mahler often drew his inspiration from nature, the opening of this piece brings nature right to the audience. The work starts with a solo for alto flute accompanied by a pedal note in four octaves with harmonic responses echoing the solo.From the start, Kevin Houben provides Mahler's material with a contemporary touch. He replaces the nature sounds that Mahler uses (perfect fourth) with tritone intervals. The off stage trumpet signals have been preserved but are provided with a new accompaniment. Gradually, throughout the work, the orchestra undergoes its own independent development. Mahler's musical signature remains recognizable, but Kevin Houben allows it - e.g. through the use of various timbres - to flourish in a more modern musical idiom, which characterizes numerous contemporary compositions for wind band (cfr. Where Angels Fly).The work comes to a grandiose end with a passage of the famous chorale from Mahler's 2nd symphony. The rich orchestration of this chorale gives the listener the illusion of the presence of a choir and organ without actually using them.In Resurrection, each instrument group comes into its own: in solo fragments, in transparent thematic passages or in splendid tuttis. Therefore, the work forms an interesting challenge for a wind band on several levels, both technically and melodically - the latter due to the long suspenseful melodic phrases that the musical structure requires.The piece is accessible to a wide audience and can be regarded as an enrichment for any concert programme. Resurrection takes the audience through various atmospheres and experiences: from stunning to chilling, from calming to delighting...Die Musik muss immer ein Sehnen enthalten, ein Sehnen ber die Dinge dieser Welt hinaus." (Gustav Mahler, 1860-1911)"Music must always involve a longing, a yearning beyond the things of this world."
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£123.203 Letzte Motetten - Anton Bruckner
Anton Bruckner (b. 4.9.1824, Ansfelden, d. 11.10.1896, Vienna) didn't have it easy. Throughout his life, the Austrian composer was plagued by self-doubt. Anton Bruckner came from a simple, rural background. After the death of his father, he was accepted as a choirboy at the monastery of Sankt Florian in 1837. After several years as a school assistant and his own organ and piano studies, he first worked as organist in St. Florian, then from 1855 as cathedral organist in Linz. Introduced to music theory and instrumentation by Simon Sechter and Otto Kitzler, he discovered Richard Wagner as an artistic role model, whom he admired throughout his life and also visited several times in Bayreuth.In 1868 Anton Bruckner became professor of basso continuo, counterpoint and organ at the Vienna Conservatory; ten years later court organist; and in 1891 finally honorary doctor of the University of Vienna. He was considered an important organ virtuoso of his era, but had to wait a long time for recognition as a composer. It was not until Symphony No.7 in E major, composed between 1881 and 1883, with the famous Adagio written under the effects of Wagner's death, that he achieved the recognition he had hoped for, even if he was reluctant to accept it given his inclination towards scepticism and self-criticism.Anton Bruckner was a loner who did not want to follow a particular school or doctrine. He composed numerous sacred vocal works, such as his three masses, the Missa Solemnis in B flat minor (1854), the Te Deum (1881-84) and numerous motets. As a symphonic composer, he wrote a total of nine symphonies and many symphonic studies from 1863 onwards, tending to revise completed versions several times over. Bruckner's orchestral works were long considered unplayable, but in fact were merely exceptionally bold for the tonal language of their time, uniting traditions from Beethoven through Wagner to folk music, on the threshold between late Romanticism and Modernism.Anton Bruckner composed about 40 motets during his lifetime, the earliest a setting of Pange lingua around 1835, and the last, Vexilla regis, in 1892.Thomas Doss has compiled some of these motets in this volume for symphonic wind orchestra.These motets show many characteristics of personal expression, especially Bruckner's colourful harmony in the earlier works, which is in places aligned with Franz Schubert (changes between major and minor; and movements in thirds). Later works are characterised by many components which, in addition to the expanded stature of the movements, include above all a sense of the instrumentation as an outward phenomenon and the harmony as a compositional feature that works more internally. Some aspects of Bruckner's work are the result of his long period of study, which familiarised him not only with the tradition of his craft, but also gave him insights into the "modernity" of his time in such composers as Wagner, Liszt and Berlioz.From this developed his personal standpoint, which always pursues the connection between the old and the new.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£135.10Cantina Band - John Williams
Cantina Band (or Mad About Me) was written by John Williams in 1977 for the film Star Wars (later Star Wars IV: A New Hope). Even with quite a bit of the Star Wars music being quite well known, Cantina Band is literally in a style of its own. In the Star Wars-universe this style is called jizz, Williams' take on the more well-known genre jazz. Williams was tasked by Star Wars-creator George Lucas to make music that sounded like several creatures in a future century finding some 1930's Benny Goodman swing band music ... and how they might attempt to interpret it and ended up with Cantina Band #1 and #2. Both numbers are played in the legendary scene taking place in Chalmun's Spaceport Cantina where Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi gets in a fight causing even the band to stop playing.The band, which goes by the name Figrin D'an and the Modal Nodes, comes from the planet Clak'dor VII and specializes in jizz and the nearby, slightly older style of jatz. Performers of this music often go by the name "jizz-wailers", and the Bith people from Clak'dor VII are especially well suited for jizz-wailing since they can hold every note as long as they want thanks to a unique respiratory system - something many perhaps would like to be able to do in the performance of this arrangement as well.The arrangement is relatively faithful to Williams' original version, but with a somewhat different ending. Although the woodwind section undoubtedly has the biggest technical challenges, an understanding of the musical style is the very key to making the arrangement sound good - and here all groups must work together. Playing lightly but quite articulated, and very precise, will be an absolute necessity to get the music drifting off all the way to Tatooine.In measure 113 there is a small improvised solo in either trombone or trumpet, but if you want the real authentic Cantina Band-sound this is of course done on a steel drum.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£256.0014 Motetten - Anton Bruckner
Anton Bruckner (b. 4.9.1824, Ansfelden, d. 11.10.1896, Vienna) didn't have it easy. Throughout his life, the Austrian composer was plagued by self-doubt. Anton Bruckner came from a simple, rural background. After the death of his father, he was accepted as a choirboy at the monastery of Sankt Florian in 1837. After several years as a school assistant and his own organ and piano studies, he first worked as organist in St. Florian, then from 1855 as cathedral organist in Linz. Introduced to music theory and instrumentation by Simon Sechter and Otto Kitzler, he discovered Richard Wagner as an artistic role model, whom he admired throughout his life and also visited several times in Bayreuth.In 1868 Anton Bruckner became professor of basso continuo, counterpoint and organ at the Vienna Conservatory; ten years later court organist; and in 1891 finally honorary doctor of the University of Vienna. He was considered an important organ virtuoso of his era, but had to wait a long time for recognition as a composer. It was not until Symphony No.7 in E major, composed between 1881 and 1883, with the famous Adagio written under the effects of Wagner's death, that he achieved the recognition he had hoped for, even if he was reluctant to accept it given his inclination towards scepticism and self-criticism.Anton Bruckner was a loner who did not want to follow a particular school or doctrine. He composed numerous sacred vocal works, such as his three masses, the Missa Solemnis in B flat minor (1854), the Te Deum (1881-84) and numerous motets. As a symphonic composer, he wrote a total of nine symphonies and many symphonic studies from 1863 onwards, tending to revise completed versions several times over. Bruckner's orchestral works were long considered unplayable, but in fact were merely exceptionally bold for the tonal language of their time, uniting traditions from Beethoven through Wagner to folk music, on the threshold between late Romanticism and Modernism.Anton Bruckner composed about 40 motets during his lifetime, the earliest a setting of Pange lingua around 1835, and the last, Vexilla regis, in 1892.Thomas Doss has compiled some of these motets in this volume for symphonic wind orchestra.These motets show many characteristics of personal expression, especially Bruckner's colourful harmony in the earlier works, which is in places aligned with Franz Schubert (changes between major and minor; and movements in thirds). Later works are characterised by many components which, in addition to the expanded stature of the movements, include above all a sense of the instrumentation as an outward phenomenon and the harmony as a compositional feature that works more internally. Some aspects of Bruckner's work are the result of his long period of study, which familiarised him not only with the tradition of his craft, but also gave him insights into the "modernity" of his time in such composers as Wagner, Liszt and Berlioz.From this developed his personal standpoint, which always pursues the connection between the old and the new.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£126.50Beating Beats - Jan Van der Roost
Beating Beats rhythmically is a rather special piece: more conventional metres are manipulated in such a way that the listener (without score) may be confused and even misled at various points! The 'regular four beat accents in a 4/4 measure for example are often not adhered to, giving the impression of a different metre altogether. However, at the same time it may be that some instruments do follow this "normal" 4/4 metre, thus confusing everyone - performers and listeners alike! On one hand, it is a "simple" piece with very playable and melodic themes, but their mysterious rhythmic makes it not only sound more complicated, but also makes for a greater challenge for both players and the conductor! As is mostly the case with Jan Van der Roost's works, the orchestration is both colourful and contrasting, with every section of the modern wind orchestra used equally. All in all, it's a work full of surprises with some unexpected harmonies and special melodic lines but above all, with metrical and rhythmical sure to catch you unawares!
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£134.99Cleopatra - Thierry Deleruyelle
Queen Cleopatra ruled Egypt for over 20 years. She is one of antiquity's best-known women, in particular because of her relationships with Julius Caesar and, above all, Mark-Anthony, but also because the cause of her death remains a mystery. The work is split into three parts and performed without breaks. The first section begins with a bright introduction representing Mark-Anthony. Dynamic in nature and reminiscent of military music, this characterises the Roman general. But soon after, another theme emerges, softer and more melodic, symbolising Cleopatra's femininity. The two characters then combine on a faster tempo. The middle section of the work depicts the love that Mark-Anthony and Cleopatra feel for each other. This passionate relationship lasted ten years and produced three children. This is expressed by a warm and intense theme, just like the beauty of the Egyptian queen. The third and last section opens in a determined and military mood. Mark-Anthony and Cleopatra were often apart, the Roman general was often away on a campaign. They met up in Alexandria to celebrate their triumph. But, as the targets of the jealousy and ambition of Octavius, Julius Caesar's son, the lovers are trapped and await the inevitable conquest of Egypt by the Romans. When Mark-Anthony heard the false news that Cleopatra had committed suicide, he ended his own life. The Queen of Egypt, for her part, was imprisoned shortly afterwards. The two lovers remain one of History's most famous couples. This piece was commissioned by the Wind Orchestra of the town of Antony, near Paris, directed by Philippe Rossignol, to mark its 90th anniversary.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£344.30Goldberg 2012 - Svein H. Giske
The first time I heard Bach's Goldberg Variations was in the movie Silence of the lambs, in the early 1990s. I noticed the beautiful background music in one of the scenes, but at that time I didn't know what it was. A few years later, when I was studiying at the Grieg Academy, I got to know the entire piece. For me, this is a piece of music which I can listen to countless times. I think it sounds as fresh today as it did more than 15 years ago and it never ceases to inspire me. Both Bach's composition and Glenn Gould's famous 1955 recording (which was the first one I heard) still makes a great impression on me. Before Gould recorded it at age 22, it wasn't a highly ranked piece amongst pianists and Bach was by many viewed as a bit old-fashioned. The young Canadian turned all this around. He managed to portray Bach in a reformed way, producing fine nuances in phrasing and making the many layers in Bach's music more transparent than anyone before him. Thus he plunged both himself and Bach (back) onto the international music scene. When The Norwegian Band Federation (NMF) asked me to write the test piece for NM in 2012, it was only natural for me to use the Goldberg Variations as a starting point and inspiration for my work. Since I was a teenager at NMF's summer courses in the mid eighties I've always listened to many different styles of music. Growing up in Sunnmre with the Brazz Brothers as teachers and mentors, jazz-, pop/rock- and folk music were early on a natural part of my musical background. I also have my classical education from the Grieg Academy on trumpet. As the title of my piece implies, I've wanted to bring Bach to the present and put his music into various modern musical landscapes. I think you can bring about a special kind of energy when music from different genres are mixed and I've tried to do this by mixing Bach with artists and musical styles from the present. In Goldberg 2012, the music is often constructed by several layers, which in a way are living parallel musical lives. They are seemingly moving or floating freely, almost unaware of each other, but bound together by the same basic pulse. The rythms, however, are often notated on a different rythmic subdivision level than the usual 8th- or 16th note levels. By doing this, I hope to achieve transparent sounds that rythmically are perceived as more free and detached from each other. In large sections of the piece, pop/jazz is fusioned with elements from Bach. I guess you could have this little scene as a synopsis for the piece: picture a group of musicians meeting: some are classical performers, some are jazz. They start to improvise together, each in their own voice or musical dialect and I'm sort of in the middle, trying to write down what they are playing. This is what I feel much of Goldberg 2012 is about. The foundation of the piece, in addition to Bach and references from pop/jazz music, lies also in my own material. This material, basically two chords, is heard in it's purest form in the 1st movement. I use these chords to create scales, new chords and different motifs which contribute to blend together the different moods of the piece. It has not been my intention to copy Bach's form (theme and 30 variations), but rather to use the bits and pieces that I like the most as an inspiration for my own variations. The 1st movement, Aria 2, is for my 3rd son, Olav, who was born on the 21st of April 2011, and the 5th movement, From long ago, is dedicated to the memory of my father, Svein J. Giske, who passed away on the 6th of June 2011. -Svein H. Giske, January 2012-
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£68.99Requiem Aeternam - Giacomo Puccini
Giacomo Puccini was commissioned to write a second opera after the resounding success of his first, Le Villi. However, the original four-act, grand opera Edgar, to a libretto by Ferdinando Fontana, received a rather lukewarm reception at its premire in La Scala in Milan in 1889 - initially, the work was only performed three times. Of all the planned performances in the subsequent two years, only one took place, in Lucca, Puccini's birthplace. There, the work was well received. Nevertheless, the composer decided to make drastic changes to Edgar the most radical being the reduction of the opera to three acts, as well as altering a few arias, charactersand instrumental parts. In its revised form, the work was even less popular than before. The discarded fourth act later provided material for Tosca (the duet Amoro sol' per te), but Puccini never felt the need to defend Edgar - as he did other less fortunate operas, such as La Rondine and Suor Angelica. On a piano excerpt for his female friend Sybil Seligman he even corrupted the title to 'E Dio ti GuARda da quest' opera' (may God preserve you from this opera). This did not prevent Arturo Toscanini performing the Requiem from the third act at Puccini's funeral in Milan Cathedral on 3 December 1924. The Requiem in the third act is being played when the long funeral procession carries the alleged body of Edgar - the confusedyoung man hesitating between the love of the virtuous Fidelia and the exotic Tigrana. The mass hails Edgar as a hero, but a monk claims that he has betrayed his country for a few gold pieces. When the soldiers try to desecrate the body, they discover that the armor contains none. The monk reveals himself as Edgar. He wants to leave with his faithful Fidelia, but the vengeful Tigrana stabs him and kills Fidelia. Edgar grieves over the lifeless body of his beloved, while Tigrana is arrested and the people submerge into prayer.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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