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£435.40Goldberg 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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£144.99Like the Eagle, We Soar and Rise - Satoshi Yagisawa
Like the Eagle, We Soar and Rise was commissioned by Yuying Secondary School Concert Band and Yuying Alumni Association for the 2010 centenary of the school's foundation. The piece was named by a friend of the composer named Steven Phua, who originally suggested commissioning a new piece to Satoshi Yagisawa. The piece furthermore takes its name from the text of the Yuying Secondary School song.This composition is based on three different concepts: the first one demonstrates 'The founders' passion for education'; the second concept illustrates 'Hardship in war time'; the third one 'To the future' describes the inner strength people find to overcome struggles. Thispiece concludes with a fanfare, which is the sound of hope that leads to a brighter future in a positive direction.The world premiere of this piece was conducted by Faizal Bin Othman, who is one of the leading educators in Singapore, and was performed by the Yuying Secondary School Concert Band.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£159.99The Miner's Saga - Otto M. Schwarz
This programmatic piece is about a simple miner by the name of Gottlieb Bumler and his pact with the devil. In the program note one can follow each step of the story so you can almost hear the events as if they were happening in front of you! This cinematic piece is full of sound effects, great brass sequences, solid percussion and virtuosic winds. An ideal piece for a thematic concert, or a challenging choice for a contest. This programmatic piece is about a simple miner by the name of Gottlieb Bumler and his pact with the devil. In the program note one can follow each step of the story so you can almost hear the events as if they were happening in front of you! Thiscinematic piece is full of sound effects, great brass sequences, solid percussion and virtuosic winds. An ideal piece for a thematic concert, or a challenging choice for a contest.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£264.99
Diferencias on an Old Spanish Song - Yasuhide Ito
I am immensely happy that my Gloriosa, symphonic poem for band (1990), has been performed by so many bands in the last thirty years.During this period, the growth of the internet has made it much easier to access information.When I composed Gloriosa, I only had limited information about the period when Christianity and Western music was first introduced to Japan, and had to rely a lot on my imagination.However, nowadays, it is easy to obtain various source materials and to read interesting studies on the music of the past.In recent years, the music of Luis de Narvez (born ca.1500 - died between 1555-1560), Spanish composer and vihuela player, has become increasingly known, and several CDs of his music are now available.Narvez composed the earliest-known set of diferencias, a forerunner of the variation form. One of his works is Seys diferencias sobre el himno "O gloriosa domina" [Six diferencias on the hymn "O gloriosa domina"] (1538), based on the Spanish Marian hymn, and it was this melody I used in the first movement of my Gloriosa.Western music has been my musical roots since childhood, and throughout my career as a composer, it has continued to fascinate me. One could say that this has provided the inspiration for Diferencias on an Old Spanish Song, my own take on the diferencias form.Actually, such music from the early sixteenth century could sound fresh to our modern ears. So I decided to quote the melody from Narvez's Sey diferencias at the beginning and end of the piece, in order that people can get the feel for the period.The main section (bars 42-390) is formed of 13 diferencias, similar to the first movement of the Gloriosa.In the middle section, which begins after the eighth diferencia(from bar 187), one should be totally absorbed in the tranquility and the beauty of the music. Although it's in the style of a sarabande, it should be taken slower and played as pianissimo as possible.This is followed by folk-style dance music. (As only standard percussion instruments are used, try to be creative with tonal colours and sense of rhythm).The structure of the work is simple, but be aware of the connection between the sections when constructing the whole.Also, think about the tonality. Overall, the work is in F minor. The main section is basically in D minor, but from bar 102, it modulates to A flat minor and G minor, and then in the middle section it suddenly switches to A flat major (which is the furthest key from D minor, and the relative major of F minor). From bar 219, it modulates to F minor and then to C minor, then back to F minor by way of A minor.N.B. The Oboe II part can be substituted by the English Horn (as indicated in the parts). One can choose according to the player's skills or preference.Recent new compositions for wind band are often full of rhythm, dynamism, and tonal colour, and compositional techniques and orchestration have also evolved greatly. Yet on the other hand, they tend to feature fewer melodic or expressive elements. Since this work is the test piece for WMC Kerkrade 2022, I had to think about what "tests" or "challenges" to set, and I decided to compose something that doesn't involve a lot of technical display, but requires beautiful sounds and harmonies, and above all, musical expressivity. I didn't put many expression markings in the score, because I wanted the performers to think about how best to express this music. If it is played merely as notated, it's not going to sound very interesting.Christianity was introduced to Japan in the mid-16th century, but it was subsequently banned and Japan entered a period of national isolation, which meant that there was hardly any international exchange for two hundred years. As a result, the Christian hymns that were introduced prior to the isolation became almost unrecognizable over the centuries. This was the theme I explored in my Gloriosa thirty years ago.Now, in 2021, the whole world has been forced to "isolate" due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In such times, it seems pertinent that I've written a work using this melody again. I sincerely hope that people will be able to gather in Kerkrade in 2022.(English Translation:Nahoko Gotoh)
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£64.99Heroic Tribute - James Curnow
The grand and energetic opening, contrasting styles, careful attention to articulations, and rich harmonies make this one sound more advanced than it actually is. Consider using Heroic Tribute as the opening piece for your young band festival performance. The easy but bright and colorful Percussion, along with excellent use of the Woodwind and Brass sections, make this an ideal contest piece. There are plenty of teaching opportunities packed into this majestic new mini-overture for young bands. In fact, even if your band usually plays higher grade level music you should still give this one serious consideration. Occasionally it's good idea to rehearse a high-quality easiercomposition, where your entire ensemble can concentrate fully on ensemble playing, phrasing, tone quality, etc. and not worry about just chasing notes. This piece provides great cross-curricular teaching opportunities with history.A great teaching piece as well as a gem in performance!
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£211.80Karneval i Paris - Johan S. Svendsen
Johan Svendsen (1840-1911) composed "Carnival in Paris" in 1872, inspired by the energy and vibrancy of the Parisian carnival celebrations. The piece showcases a variety of moods and orchestral colours, ranging from jubilant and playful sections to more lyrical and elegant passages. It is a lively and colourful work that reflects Svendsen's skill in orchestration and his ability to capture vivid, festive atmospheres in music. In "Carnival in Paris", his Nordic musical roots meet the cosmopolitan influences he encountered while living and working in major European cities. The work has become one of Svendsen's most popular and is frequently performed in concert halls and festivals. About My Transcriptions for Wind Bands Ever since I started playing the clarinet at 8 or 9 years old in the school band "Blveisene" in my hometown of Gjvik, playing transcriptions of orchestral music has been a natural part of the repertoire. In regional bands, Norway's National Youth Band, and during my 10 years in a Military band, I played many such transcriptions. These transcriptions often included handwritten parts, masterfully crafted by colleagues in a time when music notation software didn't exist. Similarly, the scores were often incomplete, typically featuring just a solo clarinet part and condensed score in Bb. The transcriptions also contained parts for instruments like the Eb cornet and multiple tenor horns, but no saxophones, which made them less suitable for modern wind bands. The rise of many skilled Concert Bands and the increasing demands for scores and accessibility made me realize that someone needed to preserve this tradition. The reason I've transcribed these works is to ensure that you can play or conduct a repertoire that I believe has a rightful place in Norwegian Wind Band tradition. These transcriptions are my contribution to preserving some of the unique works in Norwegian music literature. Creating a transcription is a complex task, and I believe the score of "Carnival in Paris" is one of the most intricate I've undertaken. The first part of the process involves entering the entire orchestral score into music notation software. This is time-consuming and requires meticulous work. The next step is to check several editions to see if there are any discrepancies. Mistakes are often found in orchestral material, which can lead to further errors in the transcription. After that, I listen to many different recordings while following along with the score, paying attention to how different conductors emphasize balance and timbre. Gradually, I begin to note down passages I believe will work well for wind bands. One particular challenge in this piece is that the woodwinds and strings operate in the same register. In the original, the tonal difference between the strings and winds helps to clarify the individual musical lines. In the transcription, I've tried to address this by separating the lines, for example through octave adjustments, and highlighting them without compromising other aspects. I've also used some mallet percussion to broaden the tonal palette. There are countless decisions to be made to create a product that will hopefully allow future generations of wind band musicians to play this repertoire. - Stig Nordhagen -
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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£154.60Blackbird Special
"Blackbird Special" is a song by American band Dirty Dozen Brass Band.The song is an entertainment piece, a good concert opener or encore.When used as a concert opener one may let the different sections of the band enter the stage one by one playing in order of appearance.Percussion section may play their parts ad lib. The most important is the groove of the piece.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£154.60Strilefunk - Torstein Aagaard-Nilsen
The piece was commissioned by the Norwegian Band Federation Hordaland and conductor Arvid Anthun for the 40th anniversary of Hordaland Youth Band in 2021. The piece is dedicated to Arvid Anthun.Several of our collaborations have focused on arranging and performing Norwegian folk music. This includes projects such as the one Manger Musikklag undertook in the late 90s, concerts, and recording sessions with Jlster Musikklag alongside the fiddler Sigmund Eiks, and now, for the anniversary concert of Hordaland Youth Band.Arvid desired folk music in a modern style. We discussed, among other things, Valter Aamodt's "Hordarapsodi," and he mentioned my Norwegian Dance, a funky piece where I incorporate a folk tune as a crucial element. Aamodt uses the melody "Eg rodde meg ut," or "Strilevise," as it is also known, in his rhapsody.The concept for Strilefunk was therefore to utilize one of the melodies Aamodt had used and additionally draw on the rhythmic experiences that we, as modern band musicians, bring from other genres.Torstein Aagaard-Nilsen
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£77.50Der Lehrmeister - Robert Sheldon
The title of this piece translates from German to "The Master Teacher." Commissioned by the Florida Bandmasters Association in memory of Jack Crew, this piece serves to honor the memory of one of the all-time great teachers and musicians in our world of band music. The piece is written in a style reminiscent of Richard Strauss, one of Jack's favorite composers. (5:10)
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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