In a four-part composition Rieks van der Velde takes us to the richly varied area surrounding the university city of Cambridge. The Dutch composer was especially inspired by the atmosphere of Cambridgeshire the county which lies north ofLondon. 1. The Journey. Although on arrival the area looks peaceful and friendly the ruggedness of its inhabitants and landscape have an unmistakable influence on the music. In the course of the tour which starts with an Allegromovement we are shown the vitality energy and freshness of the Cambridgeshire countryside. Short themes swift and sudden motifs and rhythmical patterns supported by the drive of percussion instruments give expression to this image. Thefirst part is concluded by two Calmo movements in which the music expresses how the cathedral in the city of Ely comes into sight and is gradually approached. 2. Visit to Ely Cathedral. The famous Norman cathedral church of Ely whichwas built in 1109 has attracted tourists from all over the world apart from being a place of worship and heritage site. A cornet solo introduces the contemplative mood of the composition at this point. The mystical atmosphere of thecathedral runs through this lyrical part like a continuous thread. 3. The Pub. The thirst caused by this intensive journey makes a visit to the local pub a definite must. These ?public houses? which may be open until the earlyhours of the morning offer all kinds of entertainment. Drinks are served liberally and the atmosphere is lively. 4. The Journey Back. Time has flown: In other words the moment of departure has come sooner than one would havewished. In a flashback which recaptures elements of the first part of the composition we say goodbye to Cambridgeshire in a fitting manner. Two scintillating final measures bring us abruptly back to the present.

on Themes of Giacomo Puccini-The famous Puccini motifs in this work are taken from Tosca (E lucevan le stelle) Turandot (Nessun dorma) Gianni Schicci (O mio babbino caro) and a quite funny little persifl age of the aria Senti L’ora e vicina from Tosca. The Spirit of Puccini has testing moments for each of the principal players of the band´s sections. Even although the music was inspired by this famous Italian composer Hermann Pallhuber has succeeded in creating a piece of ‘real band music’ combining both the Italian influences and the modern British brass band sound.

Little Hymn was composed by award-winning composer Simon Dobson (b.1981) to provide an alternative to the traditional hymn tune settings that provide one of the foundations of the brass band repertoire. This simple haunting melody begins on a brass quartet without cornets. The full band joins for the second part which rises to a richly textured climax before receding to a quiet reflective close.

This enduringly popular seasonal song has long been a Christmas favourite even though the lyrics don?t mention ?Christmas? at all. The words were by Dick Smith (1901-1935) and the music by Felix Bernard (1897-1944). The inspiration was reportedly a visit by Smith to Honesdale?s (his hometown) Central Park when it was covered in snow.The first recording was made by Richard Himber?s Ritz-Carlton Orchestra in 1934. The same year Guy Lombardo and his band The Royal Canadians took the song to number 2 in the US Billboard Chart where it stayed for 9 weeks. It has since been recorded by over 150 artists the most successful versionsbeing by Perry Como and the Andrews Sisters both released in 1946.

Ireland is a multi-faceted country that has developed a popular and distinctive musical culture. The first movement of Dublin Pictures reflects Irish festivals where there is dancing and traditional beer flowing.More tranquil in its feel the second movement illustrates the landscape that can be seen from the Ha’penny Bridge a bridge that crosses the River Liffey in Dublin. This movement highlights the wide range of the orchestra’s sound colours as the musicians’ voices combine with the wind and percussion to accompany the soloist. The lively and joyful rhythms of the last movement take the listener to Temple Bar the famoustourist quarter of the city well known for its vibrant nightlife.The music’s energy and virtuosic motifs are in contrast to the previous movement and provide a spirited and festive finale.Marc Jeanbourquin wrote this piece in three movements for Azimuts Brass in 2011. He then arranged it for Concert Fanfare or Brass Band.

New London Pictures represents elements of London in the 21st Century. The Millennium Bridge describes the pedestrian’s journey across this wonderful new landmark bridge over the Thames starting at the imposing Tate Modern crossing the busy river and onwards to St. Paul’s Cathedral with its bells ringing out over the great city. London Eye is an incredibly large ferris wheel situated on the South Bank of the River Thames. This movement depicts a ‘flight’ on this riverside wheel at the top of which the panoramic view of London is breath-taking and the expanse of the music is a suitable depiction ofthe view. As with all modern cities London is over-crowded with motor vehicles. London is the first major city in Europe to adopt a Congestion Charge and this piece (with its stop and go traffic lights) is both racy and comical. Here are Londoners attempting to go about their business in the face of overwhelming odds.....Brass Band Grades 4/5: Premier Youth and 2nd Section Duration: 15 minutes

The sisters Ruth Anita and June Pointer from West Oakland in California learned how to sing in the sixties in church where their father was a minister. At the beginning of the 1970s they entered the music business where they proved to have a mastery of many styles - including rhythm & blues jazz and country. However the Pointer Sisters acquired international fame at the beginning of the eighties with their soul-like pop music. A great hit was the up-tempo number I’m So Excited which is still a success on every dance floor. This sparkling arrangement by Peter Kleine Schaars certainly provides the excitement that is suggested in the title.

Par SCHWARZ OTTO M.. Combien de fois quelque chose a-t-il été justifié, proclamé ou béni « Au nom de? » ? Comment peut-il se faire que des armes et des combattants « Au nom de? » soient bénis ? Cela a été un fil conducteur dans l'histoire des différentes croyances. Le bien a été fait mais aussi le mal a été commis et tout était « Au nom de? ». On retrouve cela dans l'histoire de l'abbaye des Prémontrés de Wadgassen. Au 12ème siècle, une abbaye a été établie dans une région désolée et désertique au milieu d'une lande, devenant plus tard la communauté religieuse la plus puissante de la Sarre. Sous la devise Desertum florebit quasi lilium (le désert fleurira comme un lys), des choses extraordinaires ont été créées, mais aussi des répressions ont été perpétrées avec une grande sévérité contre les crimes. Il y avait une propre école dans laquelle les enfants apprenaient les sept arts libéraux (géométrie, musique, ...), mais aussi des pauvres qui était contraints de mourir de faim devant les murs du monastère et n'étaient autorisés à manger que des restes des moines, seulement les jours de fêtes. Les procès médiévaux des sorcières ont fait des ravages sur un groupe de personnes de danseurs exaltés qui se déplaçaient avec exubérance au son de la musique, cela étant alors interprété comme l'?uvre du diable. Résultat : un procès-spectacle les a condamnés à mort par le feu. Tout « Au nom de? ». 1789 : L'abbé Bordier est dans la 10e année de son règne, il ne sait pas encore qu'il sera le dernier abbé d'une tradition vieille de près de 700 ans. Non loin du couvent se trouve la frontière française dont les échos de fusillades provoquent depuis longtemps l?inquiétude chez les frères. Les signes avant-coureurs de la Révolution française se profilent, mais personne n'y croit vraiment. Les Français frappent à la porte, prennent d'assaut le monastère et pénètrent par le portail dans les cellules des moines. Dans une rage aveugle, tous les tuyaux de l'orgue du monastère sont arrachés, des icônes sont décapitées à l'épée, des moines sont tués et de nombreux bâtiments sont incendiés. L?église du monastère est en feu. Une fuite précipitée et non préparée commence. L'abbé Bordier et une poignée de frères peuvent fuir sous la Sarre (rivière voisine) vers la ville voisine de Bous par un tunnel secret.?Leur vie, leur rêve à travers leur Abbaye des Prémontrés a été brisée. Alors qu'ils s'enfuient dans un monastère en direction de Prague (monastère de Strahov), l'abbaye de Wadgassen est démolie et utilisée comme carrière. Mais le désert refleurit à nouveau. Il y a quelques décennies, a vu le jour sur les fondations de l'abbaye une nouvelle vie sous la forme d'une verrerie, qui après la paix dans la région, apporte également des emplois et perspectives pour les habitants. / Date parution : 2023-06-01/ Répertoire / Brass Band

Handel in the Band is a virtuoso set of symphonic variations on one of Handel’s best known keyboard dances the Sarabande from his Suite in D minor HWV 437 based on the Spanish traditional dance La Folia. Kenneth Downie’s work was commissioned by Brass Band Treize Etoiles for performance at the 2013 Swiss National Brass Band Championships where it was conducted by James Gourlay. The title is a reference to Percy Grainger’s popular Handel in the Strand and is indicative of the witty and theatrical nature of the music which is more playful than conventional competition pieces and as such offers different challenges to brass bands as well as beingthoroughly entertaining for audiences. Kenneth Downie is one of the most respected and experienced brass band composers. His music has been widely performed and published throughout the brass band world since the 1960s.

Edward MacDowell (1860-1908) est considéré comme le premier grand compositeur américain de l?histoire de la musique bien qu?il refusait avec vigueur d?être associé à un quelconque courant musical nationaliste. Edward MacDowell a toujours considéré que la musique était une véritable langue internationale et ses œuvres sont fortement influencées par le style de composition européen et plus particulièrement par l?écriture allemande. Compositeur adulé de son vivant dans son pays natal et à l?étranger il était également un pianiste exceptionnel dont la virtuosité a impressionné l?un de ses plus brillants professeurs Franz Liszt. Edward MacDowell a composé de nombreusesœuvres pour piano un grand nombre de lieder ainsi que plusieurs œuvres orchestrales. Mais l?œuvre la plus connue de son répertoire est une charmante suite de miniatures musicales pour piano Woodland Sketches une composition modeste et stylistiquement simple dont est extraite la plus célèbre de ces miniatures To a Wild Rose (?À une rose sauvage?). L?étonnante sincérité de la mélodie fit dire à un grand critique musical que cette mélodie valait toutes les œuvres pour piano réunies de MacDowell.

Trio for Horns and Brass Band-Cette composition dévoile toutes les facettes des altos. Très longtemps confiné dans un rôle d?accompagnement l?alto est devenu ces dernières années un protagoniste à part entière du brass band.Horns enjoying themselves (?Les altos s?amusent?) est une œuvre divertissante qui séduit à la fois les musiciens et le public. Le premier tableau s?inspire de l?univers du cirque. Les mélodies espiègles sont accompagnées de dissonances fantaisistes et humoristiques. Le second passage est un voyage lent et serein qui dévoile les couleurs moelleuses et lumineuses de l?alto. Le troisième et dernier tableau s?ouvre avec une cadence des solistes (seuls). Écrit sur un rythmeternaire il exploite le brio technique des solistes.

Simon Dobson wrote his 'Four Sketches' at the request of Peter Bossano Head of Brass at the Royal College of Music in recognition of the 25th anniversary of Benjamin Britten’s death. The first movement 'Fanfare' quotes directly from the opening violin melody from Britten’s song cycle Les Illuminations. This melodic line is superimposed upon sonorous Lydian mode chords to project a majestic sound. The second movement 'Prayer' is a definite contrast being and much more reflective and pensive in it’s mood and featuring a dream like euphonium cadenza. The third movement 'Funeral March' builds from a soft chordal opening to a chaotic and confusedfortississimo climax with flourishes in the cornets and pounding tri-tones across the basses before plunging into silence for a flugel cadenza to finish. The final Finale movement is much more positive from the off with its jaunty melodies over a Brittenesque ostinato. The block chordal passages offer a crashing climax making for an exciting conclusion to an excellent new work for the medium. Simon Dobson’s 'Four Sketches' was the winning entry in the European Brass Band Composer Competition held in Brussels in March 2002.

Prelude on an Irish Folk Tune (?Prélude sur un air irlandais?) est basée sur l'air traditionnel Slane la version hymnique d?une mélodie irlandaise plus ancienne The Banks of the Bann. La mélodie s?imbrique dans la trame musicale vers la fin de la pièce. Publiée pour la première fois en 1909 dans le recueil Old Irish Folk Music and Songs (?Chants et airs irlandais anciens?) de Patrick Joyce cette mélodie traditionnelle tient son nom d?une colline située à environ 16 kilomètres de Tara dans le comté de Meath. Selon un extrait des Confessions de Saint Patrick le saint irlandais aurait allumé le cierge pascal sur la colline de Slane le Samedisaint de l?an 443. Cet acte de défi provoqua la fureur de Laoghaire un roi païen qui avait promulgué un édit interdisant d?allumer un feu autre que le feu royal sur la colline de Tara. Le feu royal célébrait la coutume païenne du retour du Printemps après l?Hiver du triomphe de la lumière (saison claire) sur la pénombre (saison sombre).Dans Prelude on an Irish Folk Tune des fragments de la mélodie font allusion au canevas futur de la pièce. Un autre thème écrit dans le style traditionnel domine le contexte avant de servir de contrechant lorsque la mélodie Slane se dévoile.

When I was approached to compose a work for brassband and church organ I already envisioned the concept I would use. It would indeed literally become a work for brassband and organ. Without the traditional solos the organ would form an addition to the brassband orchestration as would the brassband provide an extra register for the organ. In short a homogeneous entity. The most important reason for doing this is quite simple. Since this work can only be performed in a church and because of the specific acoustics of the church the brassband would sound in al its tone colour like an organ. By using certain registers of the organ and combining these with the brassband a wonderfulsound palette can be created. The use of complementary or contrasting tone quality is also possible. The primary theme of this composition is based on these three methods of ?colouring?. As far as structure is concerned this work consists of two parts. slow ? fast. It is built on a number of motifs in which some behave like a consecutive canon. In the fast movement the primary motif develops into a fugue-like section. The canon and fugato are techniques frequently used in classical and contemporary organ literature. The liberal use of structure and motif has lead to the title. ?Fantasy for Brassband and Organ?.