During his short lifetime Max Reger (1873-1916) was a prolific composer with many of his best known works being composed for organ. The ten chorale preludes in this selection are from his set of Thirty Short Chorale Preludes Op.135a composed as short voluntaries for liturgical use rather than for recitals in these arrangements Philip Sparke has kept this in mind and each prelude can be performed with minimal instrumentation for those occasions where a small band is needed. They also make great pieces for band warm-ups or studies in intonation sound and balance.

The perfect conclusion to an Elvis show! You'll love the unexpected chorale treatment before the high velocity ending.

Dans la mythologie germanique la déesse Freyja était étroitement associée au tilleul symbole de Vérité et de Justice. La légende raconte aussi qu?elle portait un manteau de plumes qui lui permettait de se changer en faucon. C?est sous cette forme qu?elle parcourait le monde à la recherche de son époux Odr. Son cri de faucon (Cry of the Falcon) brisait le silence. Persuadés que la déesse Freyja conférait un pouvoir spécial au tilleul c?est sous un tilleul que les peuples germaniques se rassemblaient jadis pour rendre la justice.Cry of the Falcon débute avec un mouvement solennel et statique dans lequel apparaît le thème principal. Ce thème sous-tend le choralet se dévoile à travers divers motifs qui jalonnent le développement de l?œuvre. Le compositeur dépeint ainsi les valeurs évoquées par le tilleul : puissance et justice. Le canevas musical laisse apparaître la confusion morale qui règne jusqu?à ce que justice soit faite. Les musiciens murmurent « justicia omnibus » (Justice pour tous). Le thème central reste dominant. Après un moment émotionnellement intense il mène l?auditeur vers un finale grandiose.

Solos by clarinet and alto saxophone announce the opening of ?Lothlórien? followed by a lilting woodwind melody and finally a brass chorale. The scene shifts abruptly in the sinister and menacing?Gollum ? which features the percussion section punctuated with angular statements from the entire band.

In the most literal sense: a piece for an occasion. The actual occasion was Jan de Haan?s twentieth anniversary as a conductor of the top Dutch brass band ?Soli Deo Gloria? (Leeuwarden). To mark the occasion the band commissioned the Belgian comopser Jan Van der Roost to create a surprise piece: without knowledge of the person being celebrated a suitable source of inspiration was sought for. After some thought the chorale-theme from Camille Saint-Saëns organ symphony was chosen a piece with which Jan de Haan has a special bond.Apart from this chorale Homage is also based on the names of notes taken from ?Jan de Haan? and ?Soli Deo Gloria? resulting in the tonerow: DEGAH. Both elements are combined together and form a grand climax towards the end of the piece when the whole band unites in the Saint Saëns? theme.