Variations on Saints Bound for Heaven-Based on the American ‘shaped-note’ melody Saints Bound for Heaven Variations on a Shaped Note Melody by James Curnow captures a feeling of joyful celebration through a series of unique and skilfully adapted variations. The opening strains are actually fragments of the first variation and occur before the main tune is introduced by low brass. The second variation features a euphonium solo and builds to a glorious climax with the full ensemble. The final variation is joyful and filled with energy using flourishes and fanfares throughout the band for a grand conclusion to this marvellous work.

based on 'From Highest Heaven I Come to Tell'-The words and lyrics of the Christmas Carol From Highest Heaven I Come To Tell were written by the great Martin Luther (1483-1546) and can be found in The Hymns of Martin Luther. Martin Luther expressed radical views which began the reformation movement. His followers protested at the treatment given to Martin Luther the event from which the term 'Protestant' was derived. It was first published in Joseph Klug's Gesangsbuch in around 1535. Add a majestic Baroque feel to any concert with this simple yet effective arrangement.

The composition the Lonesome Knight was based on a fairytale. The piece was written by Saskia Apon for the National Brass Band Championships 2001. Once upon a time there was a knight who went to fight and defeat the dragon that had beenkilling the people of his town. There is a short but intense battle between the two and the knight is triumphant. However whilst persuing the dragon the knight has travelled far away from his home and now is lost. He roames around trying to findhis way home but exhausted and weary he falls to the ground. He awakens startled by a Giant and a group of Goblins who are celebrating the death of the dragon. The knight joins in the festivities but after a long evening is once more leftalone. The sun rises the following morning and he sees a castle on the horizon. He enthousiastcally ventures towards the castle in the hope of meeting other people. However he becomes greatly disillusioned when there is none to be found. Inhis desperation the knight climbs the tower ready to jump off. Suddenly he hears a heavenly voice. Right before him is the most beautiful princess he has ever seen. She graciously thanks him for killing the dragon a spark ingnites between themand they build a life together and.... live happily ever after! Saskia Apon studied harp at Rotterdam School of music. With this instrument she rounded of her studies by passing with credit however it was her love of composition thatremained her focus. Self-taught she began composing at the age of nine. Since then she has written pieces for The Dutch Brass Quintet The Dutch Brass Ensemble The Rotterdam Trombone Quartet and the brass band quintet Brass Ability. Atpresent she is the in-house arranger for The Rotterdam Philarmonic Brass Ensemble. Besides the customary attention for the real splashworks she endeavours to add value to the melodic function of the brass wind instruments in her music. Hercompositions and arrangements can be found on many diverse Cds.The composition the Lonesome Knight was based on a fairytale. The piece was written by Saskia Apon for the National Brass Band Championships 2001. Once upon a time there was aknight who went to fight and defeat the dragon that had been killing the people of his town. There is a short but intense battle between the two and the knight is triumphant. However whilst persuing the dragon the knight has travelled far awayfrom his home and now is lost. He roames around trying to find his way home but exhausted and weary he falls to the ground. He awakens startled by a Giant and a group of Goblins who are celebrating the death of the dragon. The knight joins inthe festivities but after a long evening is once more left alone. The sun rises the following morning and he sees a castle on the horizon. He enthousiastcally ventures towards the castle in the hope of meeting other people. However he becomesgreatly disillusioned when there is n

Music of the Spheres was commissioned by the Yorkshire Building Society Band and first performed by them at the European Brass Band Championships in Glasgow May 2004.The piece reflects the composers fascination with the origins of the universe and deep space in general. The title comes from a theory formulated by Pythagoras that the cosmos was ruled by the same laws he had discovered that govern the ratios of note frequencies of the musical scale. (‘Harmonia’ in Ancient Greek which means scale or tuning rather than harmony - Greek music was monophonic). He also believed that these ratios corresponded to the distances of the sixknown planets from the sun and thatthe planets each produced a musical note which combined to weave a continuous heavenly melody (which unfortunately we humans cannot hear). In this work these six notes form the basis of the sections Music of the Spheres and Harmonia.The pieces opens with a horn solo called t = 0 a name given by some scientists to the moment of the Big Bangwhen time and space were created and this is followed by a depiction of the Big Bangitself as the entire universe bursts out from a single point. A slower section follows called The Lonely Planet which is a meditation on the incredible and unlikely set of circumstances which led to the creation of the Earth as a planet that can support life and the constant search for other civilizations elsewhere in the universe. Asteroids and Shooting Stars depicts both the benign and dangerous objects that are flying through space and which constantly threaten our planet and the piece ends with The Unknown leaving in question whether our continually expanding exploration of the universe will eventually lead to enlightenment or destruction.

Ray Steadman-Allen's lovely atmospheric piece of music. Based on a well-known Scandinavian childrens's hymne 'Ingen er s? trygg i fare' (Children of the Heavenly Father). Een lieflijke sfeervolle compositie van Ray Steadman-Allen.Gebaseerd op een bekend Scandinavische kinderliedje ''Ingen er s? trygg i fare'' (Children of the Heavenly Father).

A beautiful expressive flugelhorn solo on a Norwegian religious folk song of Ole Olsen I himmelen.