The Odyssee tells the story of Odysseus the undaunted hero. In times long ago the blind poet Homer wrote this famous epic. The 'Odyssey' follows the 'Iliad' the story of the bloody war between the Greek and the Trojans. This battle endsafter ten years thanks to the Odysseys famous trick. the Trojan Horse. The Odyssey is not a war epic but a story about perseverance loyalty adventure and the survival instinct of its ingenious hero. In The Odyssey Homer describes howOdysseus the king of Ithaca had to endure another ten years of affliction after the ten years of war in Troy before he could finally return to his home land. During those years his wife Penelope had to try and keep her many admirers away.These men not only wanted het hand but also the kingship. To prove her husbands worth she played a trick: 'As soon as I have finished weaving this shroud for my father-in-law Laertes I will choose one of you to become my husband' she promisedthem. But during the night she secretly loosened what she had woven during the day prolonging the time until Odysseus would finally return. After twenty long years when he finally stood at the door she wondered: Is this really my husband? Ishe an imposter? Cunningly she asked him to move the bed because only she and her husband know that the bed was immovable and was build around an old three trunk! Odysseus was deeply moved: this really was his wife his Penelope! Nearly threethousands years later the loyalty and strength of this character and all the dangerous adventures that Odysseus survived thanks to courage and intelligence still moves us today. Odyssee by Jan Bosveld is not just an adventure story butrather a characteristic piece in which memories of Homers story can be heard. The composition opens with a firm stirring theme describing our hero Odysseus in detail: This man is not to be taken lightly. The further development of thisshort introduction completes this character sketch: trustworthy perseverant and a genius. After that we can picture Odysseus on the lonely beach of Ogygia. Do the trumpets depict his memories of the war of Troy? Does he think of his wife as werecognise the weaving loom of Penelope in the murmuring eighth? In the solemn plaintive part that follows we can imagine Penelope feeling lonely sitting in the womens room with her servants.One of the girls plays the harp but that does notclear the sombre atmosphere. Then we can imagine seeing the sorceress Circe who changed Odysseus men into swine. After she gives a simple magic sign something follows that reminds us of the sound of pigs grunting. Then the Odysseus theme resounds:the hero comes to savi his comrades. Assisted by Hermes he forces Circe to lift the spell. The piece ends the same way as it began with an animated theme: Odysseus is still the same undefeated and not to be taken lighty!

The word ‘tsunami’ is of Japanese origin. When you look it up in a dictionary you will find that it means ‘a great sea wave produced by submarine earth movement or volcanic eruption’. A megatsunami is the superlative of this awesome expressionof power that nature can create and has catastrophic consequences. When Carl Wittrock completed this composition not many such big earth movements had occurred but since then we have become all too familiar with the disastrousconsequences which a tsunami may have. On the 26th of December 2004 a heavy seaquake took place near the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Tidal waves 10 meters in height ravaged the coastal regions of many countries for miles around. The tsunamitook the lives of thousands of people and destroyed many villages and towns. There are more areas which run the risk of being struck by a tsunami such as the island of La Palma one of the Canary Islands. This island is based on oceaniccrust at a fracture zone and as such is one of nature’s time bombs. The consequences of a natural calamity like a megatsunami are immense. In the case of La Palma the tidal wave will move in the direction of South America where it may reach 50km inland destroying everything on its way. In his composition Wittrock describes an ordinary day which will have an unexpected ending. Right from the beginning there seems to be something in the air the music creating an oppressiveatmosphere of impending disaster. Themes are interrupted broken off suddenly followed by silence suggesting the calm before the storm. Suddenly a short climax (glissandi in the trombone part) indicates the seaquake and the megatsunami isa fact. Hereafter follows a turbulent passage symbolising the huge rolling waves. After nature’s force has spent itself resignation sets in and the composition ends with a majestic ode to nature.

A thoroughly gripping melody of Irish descent constitutes the basis on which this exceedingly beautiful little piece of music rests. Down by the Salley Gardens is a guaranteed heartbreaker on your next concert. Since the lyrics of this Irish traditional are also supplied with the set a combination of band with solo voice or even choir is a definite possibility. The Arranger: Leafing through a song-book containing traditionals etc. I was immediately struck by this song and its exceptionally beautiful and atmospheric melody. I simply had to do something with it. Een meeslepende traditional van Ierse komaf staat aan de basis van dit wonderschone werkje. Down bythe Salley Gardens belooft een hartenbreker te worden op uw eerstvolgende concert. De tekst van deze Ierse traditional wordt meegeleverd en daarmee is een combinatie met zang ook zeer goed mogelijk. De arrangeur: Bladerend door een liedboek met traditionals enz. was ik meteen getroffen door dit nummer en zijn uitzonderlijk mooie en sfeervolle melodie. Ik moest gewoon iets mee doen.

for Band. Par MAIRS DAVID. This march was written for the Durham MS Band in Lewisville, TX, an enthusiastic group of young musicians, growing in their technique and musicality and eager to sound like the big kids. Pride of the Maroon Dragons features a variety of articulations for the trumpets and upper woodwinds in the first strain, and a bold melody for the low brass and low woodwinds in the second. The trio features a smooth, legato melody in the clarinets and horns, followed by a melodic refrain in which every section has something important to say. Throughout the march, the percussionists have plenty to do on many different instruments, while the horns will be smiling quietly because they don't have to play any after-beats! / Date parution : 2022-10-12/ Répertoire / Marching Band

And now for something completely different! Who but William Himes would think of deconstructing and the reconstructing the 'birthday' song into this amazingly creative overture? And who else could do it so well? The cognitive and the affective domains are both in for a treat as you prepare this intriguing new work for performance. Be sure to hear the CD demo and look closely at the score. There are some amazing things going on here.Unexpected!

Is there something to be celebrated? Then let's play 'Let's Celebrate'! This four-part suite has been based on two birthday songs: the world-famous 'Happy Birthday to you' (which is also sung in many other languages) and the Dutch song 'Lang zal hij/zij leven'. The Fanfare opens in grand style with the motif of 'Lang zal hij leven' and is followed by a cheerful March in which the motifs of both songs can be heard. The third part Song forms a moment of contemplation and the birthday presents are unwrapped by the percussion section in the fourth part Surprise Party. The yell may be adapted to the occasion. (the sleigh bells caused the composer to note down this somewhat peculiar yell). Of course everybody is expected to join in.

Everybody is familiar with the zoo. Remember all those animals? Big ones small ones. Water dwellers air-bound birds long legged hoppers creeping bugs. All animals seem to have their own peculiarities. Now Carl Wittrock (who also composed the world-famous master piece 'Lord Tullamore') invites you to join him in a musical exploration of the animal kingdom. An invitation you must not reject! In his 'A view at the Zoo' Wittrock presents ten distinctly different animals as compositions of music. You may be familiar with some of those animals such as the white swan or the butterfly but there are also more exotic breeds like the lion the monkey or theelephant. The composition as a whole is built around a structure of shorter fragments reminiscent of 'The Paintings Exhibition' by Moussorgsky. The parts are decorated with recognizable illustrations of the different animals. At each composition Wittrock looks for something that can fascinate both musicians and listeners. In this he succeeded extremely well.