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£118.99Lux Aurumque - Eric Whitacre
Commissioned by the Texas Music Educators Association for their 2005 All-State Band, Lux Aurumque is an extraordinarily lush and poignant adaptation of one of Eric Whitacre's most popular choral works. Gorgeous, simple triads melt from one beautiful chord to the next, creating a slowly evolving wash of colors and light. Elegantly orchestrated by the composer, Lux Aurumque is a profoundly moving experience for players and audiences alike. (Grade 4) (5:30)
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£159.20Chasing the Mystery - Kevin Houben
Commissioned by KU Leuven on the occasion of the 600th anniversary of KU Leuven.Chasing the MysteryKevin HoubenDedicated to the Wind Orchestra Universitair Harmonieorkest (UHO) of KU Leuven.Chasing the Mystery is the final movement of the triptych Beyond the Horizon of Thought.On the occasion of KU Leuven's 600th anniversary in 2025, the university commissioned Kevin Houben to compose a new work tailored to the Universitair Symfonisch Orkest, the Universitair Harmonieorkest and the Leuvens Universitair Koor. Maud Vanhauwaert, writer-in-residence during the 2023-2024 academic year, provided a poetic libretto.With Beyond the Horizon of Thought, Kevin Houben created not only a unique anniversary composition for more than 250 student musicians. The composition also conveys a universal message that perfectly reflects the spirit of the celebrating university: keep searching, keep developing yourself and keep hoping - even in turbulent times.From a compositional perspective, the work is built around themes and motifs with a clear symbolism. Kevin Houben explains: "I use a technique in which letters are converted into musical notes - a method also used by great masters such as Bach, Bartk and Shostakovich. This musical signature forms the basis of the melodic structure. In this way, 'KUL600' is represented by the notes D - G - E - F (re - sol - mi - fa)."The composition is conceived as a triptych: three movements that flow seamlessly into one another and are performed by different orchestral formations, yet together form a single whole. The work opens with the symphony orchestra, where the thematic 'KUL600' cells are introduced and explored. In this movement, Awakening the Wonder, several highlights establish a musical connection with the following movements.In the second movement, The Urge of Search, the choir sings a cappella to the poem Het is het by Maud Vanhauwaert, in which she reflects on the tireless quest for knowledge that has characterized the university for 600 years. Classical Gregorian techniques and traditional voice leading enter into dialogue with contemporary techniques, as the singers alternately whisper, call out and proclaim.Finally, the wind orchestra introduces the third movement, Chasing the Mystery. With a searching and anticipatory character, the orchestra presents the thematic cells in soloistic fashion, based on the main melody of the choral movement. References once again appear to the rhythmic 'KUL600' cells, which ultimately culminate in a grand apotheosis. A solitary soprano saxophone opens the finale with the 'KUL600' theme in its most intimate and meditative form. The expanded choir then joins the orchestra for an impressive final chord, musically preparing KU Leuven for the next 600 years.Beyond the Horizon of Thought premiered on Wednesday 23 and Thursday 24 April 2025 at LUCA Campus Lemmens, and was also performed on 9 May 2025 at Concertgebouw Brugge on the occasion of the 600th anniversary of KU Leuven. More than 250 musicians from the Universitair Symfonisch Orkest (USO) conducted by Edmond Saveniers, the Leuvens Universitair Koor (LUK) conducted by Kevin Hendrickx, and the Universitair Harmonieorkest (UHO) conducted by Erwin Scheltjens shared the stage.Cover illustration design: Grotezk Studio.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£228.70The Music of Antonio Carlos Jobim - Antonio Carlos Jobim
ivind Westby has written a number of excellent but demanding instrumental arrangements for Concert Band. In the present one, he has transcribed five of the most famous by Antonio Carlos Jobim. Brazilian composer Antonio Carlos Jobim (1927-1994) grew up near Ipanema, the famous beach in Rio de Janeiro. His big break through and most creative period came in the 50's and 60's which gave him the status as the greatest Brazilian composer of all times. Together with Stan Getz and Jo�o and Astrud Gilberto he recorded one of the best selling jazz-albums of all times, an album which feature several of his most famous compositions. His inspiration includes another Brazilian great; Pixinguinha, but also classical composers like Frederick Chopin and Claude Debussy. He died in NYC in 1994 after composing approx. 400 works. He is recognized all over the world as one of the most influential composers of the 20th century.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£115.60Optimist - John Teigen
"Optimist" is one of the most well-known songs by Norwegian singer and composer Jahn Teigen. It was written for the Norwegian Eurovision in 1989. It did not win this competition, but is still one of the greatest Norwegian songs from the late 1980's. This arrangement is very close to the original in form, rhythmic- and melodic lines. The repeat at bar 65 may be played as many times as one wish, or it can be omitted.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£174.10Graceful Ghost - William Bolcom
I came to know of this piece when hearing famous Norwegian ragtime pianist Morten Gunnar Larsen playing it at a concert with the Norwegian Navy Band Bergen.I was struck by its melancholic beauty and wanted to arrange it for band. Ragtimes are rarely in a minor key (which this one is) and when you first hear it, you might think it was written around the time when Scott Joplin was the main ragtime composer. But, if you listen more carefully, you notice that some of the harmoniesare more advanced than one might expect in traditional ragtime, giving the piece a slightly more contemporary feel. The composer William Bolcom wrote Graceful Ghost in 1970 to honour the memoryof his father and it is one of his mostpopular pieces.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£89.99Preludio all' atto I - Giuseppe Verdi
Ernani (1844), Giuseppe Verdi's fifth opera, is based on the homonymous tragedy by Victor Hugo. Verdi's success with Ernani, as well as Nabucco and I lombardi alla prima crociata, can be ascribed to two distinct ideas: the melodic idea and the patriotic idea. The melodic idea is very important to move and touch the audience, while the patriotic idea is the source of enthusiasm and emotions. Approximately ten years elapse between two similar stories: the one of the outlaw Ernani and the one of Manrico, the troubadour. In the prelude to Act I, in only three minutes, Verdi has succeeded in skillfully concentrating the main elements of the entiredrama. One can clearly observe the themes of love, oath, and death.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£116.40Musique Funebre Maconnique - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Although one can strive for original music in the field of the wind orchestra, the arrangement still has its place. When one hears Mozart's moving masonic funeral music played by a symphonic or fanfare band, one can be forgiven for thinking that the composer had actually composed it with this instrumentation in mind. This is even more the case with lesserknown classical works when the listener may well be unfamiliar with the composition.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£109.50Three London Sketches - David Campo
London is one of my favorite cities in the world, and in 2016 I was invited there to serve as an adjudicator for the London New Year's Day Parade and Gala Concerts. While I was there, I was fortunate to meet and spend time with The Lord Mayor of Westminster Councillor Steve Summers. While his title sounds formidable and intimidating, I found Steve to one of the nicest, most easygoing people I've ever met. And boy, does he love London! He was fond of saying that he had "the best job in the greatest city in the world." He spoke passionately about London and his favorite places in the city, and his enthusiasm was contagious. Some of his favorite places became some of my favorite places, and the inspiration for this piece. I hope that this work not only conveys the beauty and history of these iconic places, but Steve's deep and abiding love for them as well. I. Tower Bridge - The Tower Bridge was built over 120 years ago to ease road traffic while maintaining river access to the busy Pool of London docks. Its giant moveable roadways lift up for passing ships, making it a true engineering marvel. It is also one of the most iconic sites in London, and was used to display the Olympic Rings during the 2012 Olympics. II. St. Paul's (The Whispering Gallery) - The history of St. Paul's Cathedral goes back well over a thousand years, but construction on the current St. Paul's began in 1669 after a fire destroyed the earlier structure. The dome of St. Paul's Cathedral is a whispering gallery; you can whisper against the wall on the inside of the dome and it can be clearly heard on the other side of the dome over 100 ft. away. Imagine the secrets that have passed there... III. Trafalgar Square - The name commemorates the 1805 naval Battle of Trafalgar and is marked by Nelson's Column, a monument to Admiral Horatio Nelson, the hero of the Battle of Trafalgar. It is the heart of London; full of life and constant energy and home to iconic buildings including the National Gallery, St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Canada House and South Africa House. Londoners say that all roads in London lead to Trafalgar Square.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£71.50In The Forest Deep - Barry E. Kopetz
A musical depiction of the sense of mystery and wonder that one experiences while walking deep within the forest. The sky is blocked out by the thickness of the foliage and every shadow seems to have an ominous quality. In short, the forest seems to be alive with a somewhat dark, reserved personality. Silence seems more sinister as every little sound seems to be meaningful and important. The longer one stays, the faster one walks so as to not prolong ones presence "in the forest deep..."
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£139.99
Cobra - Jan Bosveld
Shortly after the Second World War, a combative movement of Danish, Belgian and Dutch artists chose the cobra snake - extremely dangerous yet considered sacred - as a symbol of their resistance to strict guideliness of form. The name "Cobra" also happens to contain the first letters of the cities Copenhagen, Brussels ans Amsterdam, from where most of the movement's members came. The Cobra movement, which existed from November 1948 until November 1951, can with some justicication be called the last major avant-garde movement of the 20th century.The source of inspiration for the composition Cobra comes from four paintings: "Obhobning" by the Dane Egill Jacobsen; "La jeune fille et lamort" by the Belgian Pierre Alechinsky; "Orgeldraaier" and "Le rythme joyeux de la ville" by the Dutch artists Karel Appel and Corneille. Obhobning means "pile-up", which is represented musically in the first part by a melodic and harmonic pilling up of perfect fourth's. The first part is also characterized by a rhythmic feeling, which the painting gives through its use of numerous black stripes. In the painting La jeune fille et la mort, Pierre Alechinsky places a young girl opposite Death. The second part features the constantly pulsating motion of live while a creeping, dark, melodic line develops. The tension between life and death is tangible as a battle reveals itself. In part three, one hears the Orgeldraaier by Karel Appel, as cheerful and playful as an organ grinder's music. The painting Le rythme joyeux de la ville by Corneille is busy and extremely dynamic, a perfect source of inspiration for a powerful, rhythmic ending to this composition.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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