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  • £68.99

    Requiem 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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  • £84.99

    Charming Salzburg - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

    Salzburg, birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, inspired Dutch composer Henk Hogestein to write this musical tribute. Mozart was born in this charming Austrian town in January 1756. He was a musical prodigy - at the age of four he began receiving lessons from his father Leopold and at the age of six he was composing smart minuets and other short pieces. The composition Charming Salzburg is based on a theme from Mozart's opera Die Zauberflte, which he completed in 1791. The greatest composer of his day - the greatest of all time according to some - the brilliant Mozart wrote some of the world's best operas with Die Zauberflte was his last.

    Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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  • £137.99

    Odyssee - Jan Bosveld

    The Odyssee tells the story of Odysseus, the undaunted hero. In times long ago the blind poet Homer wrote this famous epic. The "Odyssey" follows the "Iliad", the story of the bloody war between the Greek and the Trojans. This battle endsafter ten years thanks to the Odysseys famous trick. the Trojan Horse. The Odyssey is not a war epic, but a story about perseverance, loyalty, adventure, and the survival instinct of its ingenious hero. In The Odyssey, Homer describes howOdysseus, the king of Ithaca, had to endure another ten years of affliction after the ten years of war in Troy before he could finally return to his home land. During those years, his wife, Penelope, had to try and keep her many admirers away.These men not only wanted het hand but also the kingship. To prove her husbands worth, she played a trick: "As soon as I have finished weaving this shroud for my father-in-law, Laertes, I will choose one of you to become my husband", she promisedthem. But during the night, she secretly loosened what she had woven during the day, prolonging the time until Odysseus would finally return. After twenty long years, when he finally stood at the door, she wondered: Is this really my husband? Ishe an imposter? Cunningly, she asked him to move the bed, because only she and her husband know that the bed was immovable and was build around an old three trunk! Odysseus was deeply moved: this really was his wife, his Penelope! Nearly threethousands years later, the loyalty and strength of this character, and all the dangerous adventures that Odysseus survived thanks to courage and intelligence, still moves us today. Odyssee by Jan Bosveld is not just an adventure story, butrather a characteristic piece in which memories of Homers story can be heard. The composition opens with a firm, stirring theme describing our hero, Odysseus, in detail: This man is not to be taken lightly. The further development of thisshort introduction completes this character sketch: trustworthy, perseverant, and a genius. After that we can picture Odysseus on the lonely beach of Ogygia. Do the trumpets depict his memories of the war of Troy? Does he think of his wife, as werecognise the weaving loom of Penelope in the murmuring eighth? In the solemn, plaintive part that follows, we can imagine Penelope feeling lonely, sitting in the womens room with her servants.One of the girls plays the harp, but that does notclear the sombre atmosphere. Then we can imagine seeing the sorceress Circe, who changed Odysseus men into swine. After she gives a simple magic sign something follows that reminds us of the sound of pigs grunting. Then the Odysseus theme resounds:the hero comes to savi his comrades. Assisted by Hermes, he forces Circe to lift the spell. The piece ends the same way as it began, with an animated theme: Odysseus is still the same, undefeated and not to be taken lighty!

    Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days

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  • £82.50

    Resumption March - John Philip Sousa

    1879 was a very eventful year for John Philip Sousa. He was a successful conductor, conducting Gilbert and Sullivans musical comedy, H.M.S. Pinafore, the year before he became the leader of the United States Marine Band, and it was the year he got married. It was also the year he composed Resumption March. The title was a reference to the resumption of the United States to use gold and silver coins following the post-Civil War inflation and depression. The march was published the same year in Philadelphia by the J. W. Pepper music publishing firm.

    Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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  • £77.50

    Santa's Journey (Bringing "Joy to the World") - Roy W. Kaighin

    As Santa starts his journey, bringing "Joy to the World" by delivering presents to children and adults, he sets off on his majestic sleigh driven by his reindeer. A few elves have snuck into the sleigh to help. With a whoosh, he flies across the sky and over the snowy mountains. The music is in continuous motion, just like Santa's sleigh, as he has many presents to deliver before morning. The quiet moments in the music depict Santa's arrival in small villages, away from the hustle and bustle of the big cities, touching the hearts of people everywhere. During his journey, Santa discovers the elves who have apparently lost some of the presents. Santa offers a gentle reprimandbefore the presents are eventually found by Elfie, the youngest Elf. After all the presents have been delivered, Santa heads back home as he calls out, "I'll be back next Christmas!" (4:15)

    Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days

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  • £68.99

    Te Deum Prelude - Marc-Antoine Charpentier

    Who does not know the famous Te Deum Prelude by Marc-Antoine Charpentier (1634-1704)? This French composer studied both painting and composition in Italy. Returning to France, he took up the post of music master to the dauphin. He collaborated with Molire, working for the Thatre Francais until 1685. He then returned to court and was music director to the Princesse de Guise, composition teacher to the Duke d'Orleans and wrote music for the dauphin's chapel. His Te Deum, of which the Prelude has become well known (particularly in Europe, where it is used as the Eurovision signature tune) is one of many pieces he wrote for important state and religious occasions.

    Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days

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  • £104.99

    Prelude and Polonaise - Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

    Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908) composed his opera The Night before Christmas in 1894-95. The premiere took place on December 10 1895 in St. Petersburg. The libretto to the opera came from Rimsky-Korsakov himself and is based on a tale by Nikolai Gogol, which some years earlier had already served as operatic material for Pjotr Tchaikovsky. The opera tells the story of Vakula, the blacksmith of a small Ukranian village. He is madly in love with Oxana who demands - as proof of his love - a most unusual Christmas present: the magnificent slippers of the Empress. Knowing full well that, in normal circumstances, he would never be able to fulfil Oxana's wish, Vakula seekssupernatural assistance and finds it in the shape of the devil, who comes up with a ploy to help him. The devil carries him on his back to St. Petersburg, where during a lavish reception at court Vakula finds an opportunity to present his request to the empress. The Empress actually agrees to Vakula's wish and hands over her slippers to him. Thereupon he returns to his own village. Here, in the meantime, he had been given up for dead, and Oxana had been plunged into great sorrow as she had come to realise that she also truly loved Vakula. In the end, however, all misunderstandings are resolved and all adversities overcome: Oxana receives her extravagant present, the lovers are united, and the church bells call the villagers to the Christmas service.The vibrant Polonaise is played in the 3rd act of the opera at the entrance of the Empress, whose appearance is anticipated in the prelude by the fanfare motives. The music paints a vivid picture of the party atmosphere and the marvellous dcor at the imperial court of St. Petersburg, which Rimsky-Korsakov conjures up in his opera and which can also be played outside of the Advent and Christmas season, for example as an opening piece to any festive concert.

    Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days

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  • £134.99

    Marche au Supplice - Hector Berlioz

    Hector Berlioz (1803-1869) once remarked: "My life is a novel that greatly interests me." Experiences in his personal life had a great influence on his compositions. Symphonie Fantastique, written in 1830, is also autobiographical: he subtitled the work Episode in the Life of an Artist. The symphony echoes his feelings for an actress. The Marche au Supplice (march into torture) he described as: "The artist dreams he has killed his beloved, that he has been sentenced to death and is being led to the scaffold. The procession moves to the notes of a march that is now sombre and turbulent, now radiant and stately, and in which boisterous outbursts suddenly dissolve intothe heavy sound of marching feet."

    Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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  • £189.99

    Flashback - Jan de Haan

    A flashback is an interesting psychological phenomenon: a seemingly random trigger can bring back long-forgotten memories from the subconscious mind. The composer underwent a similar experience before writing this piece. He was asked to write a piece for The National Youth Fanfare Band in the Netherlands, one which he heard perform many years ago. All of a sudden he remembered Deep Harmony, a piece frequently programmed back then. He used his own flashback-experience as an inspiration to weave an old English hymn into his new composition, much like a musical flashback. The right idea at the right moment, as this piece will prove!

    Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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  • £59.30

    Jazz Band - L. Sasdelli

    We have included this famous piece, transcribed by Didier Ortolan for clarinet and band, as a tribute to Hengel Gualdi, who died in 2005. Born in 1924, in Correggio (Reggio Emilia), he was one of Italy's most important jazz musicians. He was held in high esteem in America, where he worked with some of the greatest musicians (Count Basie, Gerry Mulligan etc.) and played with Louis Armstrong and Lionel Hampton. In Italy he worked with Pupi Avati on his soundtracks.

    Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days