Results
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£164.99A Centennial Journey - Philip Sparke
A Centennial Journey was commissioned by the Norwegian ensemble Stavanger Musikkorps av 1919 to celebrate their 100th anniversary in 2019. The work was premiered under conductor Morten E. Hansen at their Jubilee Concert in the Stavanger Konserthus on 28th September 2019. The piece opens dramatically with a sweeping melody on horns and saxophones under florid woodwind figuration, building to a majestic climax. A trio for the trombones calms the mood until the opening melody returns in a gentler style, eventually building to a busy molto vivo. The woodwind figuration continues over a series of brass trios until the main theme of the work appears on clarinets and euphoniums. This develops to introduce a change of key, featuring a long, hymn-like melody on clarinets and horns. The melody is then taken up by the full band, interspersed with sporadic brass fanfares. The opening of the molto vivo returns and leads to a return of the opening horn melody, building to a thrilling coda based on previous melodic material.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£139.99Papyrus - Thomas Doss
The history of paper ranges over more than five thousand years: likely starting around 3500 BC in old Egypt with the use of papyrus. The oldest findings of written paper date from 2700 BC. In China, the first production of paper took place in the year 105 AD. The Arabs acquired their knowledge of the art of making paper around 750 AD, thanks to Chinese prisoners of war. Around the same time, the Celtic Ogham script was created in Ireland and carved into stones or trees. In Europe, the first paper mill was not put into operation until the 12th century! No matter how different the production methods and its historical use, paper was always a way to pass on wisdom, art and knowledge. Even today, in the age of digitalisation, paper still has a somewhat 'sacred' image. With Papyrus, Thomas Doss has written a wonderful composition in which the history of paper is reflected, and listeners can very much hear the various periods of this history represented throughout the piece.
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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£139.99Golden Peak - Thierry Deleruyelle
Golden Peak is a concert piece that takes us deep into the world of volcanoes of the Auvergne in central France. They are dormant volcanoes whose origins date back from 7,000 to over 65 million years ago. Among the most well-known are the 80 volcanoes of the Chane des Puys, a spectacular natural environment ranking among the most fascinating landscapes in the world. The title of this dynamic and rhythmic piece is a reference to the local spa town of Mont-Dore and calls upon all sections of the orchestra. The central theme is very mellow yet riveting and the music depicts both the dynamism and tranquillity of the region.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£209.99Dunamis - AndrĂ© Waignein
Major Yvon Ducene wanted a new lush and colourful composition for his Guides military band, with Andr Waignein as its composer. Early in 1979 the composer began his assignement and in October of the same year, the finished full score was on the music stands of this prestigious military band of the Belgian Army.The introduction (Grave) mirrors an atmosphere full of serenity in which the theme, played by the oboes and the English horn is predominant and immediately holds the listener spell-bound. It is taken up again as central element of the slow movement.The Allegro breaks away from the quiet passion of the introduction. Here, the band can really show its capabilities to thefull. Based on a very precise rythm, an idiom of sudden desperation and adversity develops which, fused with a crushing agression, culminates in a kind of eruption, soom calmed down by a Lento : peace and quiet has returned thanks to a melody by the horns and soon taken over by the clarinets. In the meantime, the saxophone - an instrument full of human emotion - express the main spatial dimension in contemporary psyche. Following a harmonic transition the brass-players take up the theme again in forte whilst the basses and the woodwinds interwine in technical arabesques.The movings of the mind and the heart get an audible and almost touchable shape in the ensuing Allegro, a movement characterized by a rhythmic dialogue in which the whole orchestra participates and where the exposition contains a wealth of sound and technical contrasts. The Lento finally uses the central theme of the slow movement again, with some occasional references to the two allegros. The last page is of unprecedented grandeur. All the instruments display their most beautiful sound which were named by Jacques Ferschotte, when speaking about Honneger, "harmonies d'intensits" harmonies of the unmeasurable.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£204.99
Credentium - Jan van der Roost
A spectacular dive via an extended chromatic scale immediately submerges us in a charged and somewhat archaic-feeling atmosphere. Trumpets, horns and trombones resound in rhythmic patterns, buttressed by restless motifs in the percussion. A second theme, in the woodwinds, begins much calmer but is quickly pushed aside by that same brass offensive. This introduction is the musical expression of the sometimes tumultuous early history of the town of Peer in Belgium. It closes with a D scale played over two octaves and repeated three times, symbolizing the church steeples that dominate the townscape. Peer has the credentials of a town, and people should know about it.There followsa rhythmic, turbulent passage: in the course of history, Peer has not been spared the ravages of war, arson, occupation, epidemic and other evils. In contrast, a slow, pastoral, lyrical part expresses the periods of peace and prosperity the town has known, as well as the serene geographic setting that still characterizes the place. Various instruments in groups are developed in solo style while the accompaniment displays vast, painterly images of sound. Now and then an exotic intonation is heard: a variety of peoples and cultures have left their mark on the town.This episode of tranquility and peacefulness comes to a sudden end when, via a surprising, almost chaotic transitional passage, we are in effect transported back to our own time. A hopeful, festive march expresses the confidence in the future that the Royal Concert Band of Peer exudes. This confidence is wholly justified: under the direction of conductor Willy Fransen, the 95 members of the concert band have experienced an extended period of good fortune, and the 75 musicians of the youth band - and the 45 little musicians of the mini-band - are involved in thriving operations.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£84.99
Railroad Ramble - Peter Kleine Schaars
This composition was commissioned by the Concert Band of the NS (the Dutch railroad company) and is intended as an opening piece, bringing the band and the audience on track for an exciting concert! The ascending chords over theostinato bass of the introduction represent the energetic pulling away of the train. The main theme in 10/8 time makes one drift away in the rhythm of full speed. The clownish middle section reflects the seemingly disorderlyactivity in a station hall during rush hour. This is followed by a reprise of the main theme and the introduction, which brings this fascinating musical rail journey to an end.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£94.99O Christmas Tree
The tradition of the Christmas tree in Western Europe dates back to a time long before any Christianization had taken place. During the severely cold winter nights, so it was believed, evil spirits tried to 'kill' nature. Needle-leaved trees were the only ones which kept their green colour throughout the year, and therefore became symbols of immortality. These 'living' trees, said to be the work of benign spirits, were brought into people's houses to ward off evil, life-threatening powers. In the 14th century people first started to decorate Christmas trees. It was a pagan custom, originated by the inhabitants of Alsace. This custom was taken over by the Church inthe course of the 15th and 16th century. At first the decoration consisted mainly of edibles, such as apples and wafers, but later small presents were added. Legend has it that the reformer Martin Luther was the first person to decorate a Christmas tree with candles. The flickering candle flames were meant to create the image of a starry sky in which Christ's apparition could be recognized. The German organ-player Ernst Anschtz from Leipzig was the first person to notate the song 'O Tannenbaum', the melody being a well-known folk song. Next to 'Stille Nacht' 'O Tannenbaum' is the most famous German Christmas song, now known throughout the world. In the United States of America the melody of 'O Tannenbaum' has even been used in four States (among which the State of Maryland) for their State song. In David Well's arrangement the song is first heard as many of us know it. After this introduction, however, it is transformed into a solid rock version, and the beat has been changed. In the second part the familiar three-four time is back, but here the rhythm is different from the original. After the richly ornamented rock beat the basic theme can be heard once again and the composition is concluded in a festive manner.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£82.50Incantation and Shadow Dance - Barry E. Kopetz
Incantation and Shadow Dance is a musical representation of the appearance of the witches in the Shakespeare play "Macbeth." The piece opens with two exceptionally long and emotionally charged measures, the mood slowly building, much like "chanting over a cauldron," dark, mystical and enchanting, invoking the spirits of the night. Then everything changes very abruptly, as a rhythmic introduction announces the appearance of the spirit dance. It represents a "dance macabre" and as such, brings a sense of impending evil and darkness to the mood until the full complement of spirits are now dancing around the fire. The gathering of "storm clouds" heralds the appearance of all manner of dark and sinister creatures joining the dance which builds to climax as all the spirits gather for the final frenzied finale.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£144.99Ukrainian Rhapsody - Franco Cesarini
Folk music plays an important role in the life of the Ukrainian people. Their country covers an area of over 600.000 square kilometres and has more than fifty million inhabitants. In the north there are vast woods, in the west one finds the picturesque Carpatian mountains and valleys, and in the centre and the south Ukraine has its famous steppes with fertile black soil. The river Dnjepr divides the country in two, forming a natural frontier between the western and eastern regions, which each have their own distinctively different musical folklore. This diversity forms the musical basis for Ukrainian Rhapsody. The work consists of three movements: the first one, in a moderatetempo, without a pause flows into a slow but very expressive middle movement, resulting in a powerful climax. The composition ends with the Gopak: a rousing dance.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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