Wald for Ensemble was composed by Hans Abrahamsen in 2008-09. Co-commission by the Schönberg Ensemble and BBC for Birmingham Contemporary Music Group.Programme NoteWald is in a way a series of variations from the beginning of my woodwind quintet Walden (1978). This thematical idea is very simple - a rising call of a fourth and the response in other voices. This idea is repeated several times but because the call has a slower pulse than the responses the process leads to them changing order.In Walden I borrowed the title from the Americanphilosopher Henry David Thoreau who in the middle of the eighteenth century in a little wooden hermit house at the bank of the lake Walden pond wrote the book Walden of his life and time in the forests. Here he experimented living for two years in order to come closer to nature and to see if it was possible to live simply without all the unnecessary needs created by society. The book is filled with poetry but is also cutting and critical of society. In my piece Walden I tried to search for the same simplicity handling the most simple material but at the same time trying not to lose the poetry.Wald is a twin piece to Walden but also to my former piece Schnee.Robert Schumann wrote in 1848-49 a wonderful piano piece Waldszenen. He wrote this collection of short pieces with beautiful titles like Einsame Blumen Vogel als Prophet and also Jäger auf der Lauer just a few years before Thoreau wrote his book Walden. For them the forest is the magical romantic place that gives a spiritual insight to man but also from where we get our food through hunting. For me the forest still has this magical quality and Wald has scenes with a hunting horn that calls (I many years ago played the magical 'Waldhorn' and remember playing in the forest near my home) flocks of birds that when agitated take

As the title suggests this one is hot! Based on an up-tempo blues this solid chart has a catchy riff and involves the full ensemble. With very limited ranges and approachable swinging rhythmic figures Front Burner Blues is within reach of even very young ensembles. Written solos with changes are provided for all instruments so feel free to open this one up. A great way to introduce your students to the blues and to feature your talented soloists! (2:45)

Anthem with recorders oboe strings ATB soloists and mixed voice choir. Edited by Bruce Wood.Swifter Isis swifter flow is taken from Volume 15 of the Purcell Society Edition ‘Royal Welcome Songs Part I’ and instrumental parts are available for sale separately.

In the style of Rob's best seller Blues for Cat this easy blues with limited-range demands almost plays itself. All solos are written out with the changes provided and you can play this with only five brass and still have a full sound.

This beautiful ballad features flugelhorn solo and a lush background. Features lots of muted brass and parts for flute soprano sax and bass clarinet. Changes appear in the fourth trumpet/flugelhorn part only. Your slow chart winner for the festival!

This is our hottest rocker in the funky Tower of Power tradition this year. The second trumpet and lead tenor share the head and solo responsibilities and Rob provides a written solo as well as changes for both. Restricted ranges and a repetitive rhythmic pattern make this an easy grade 4.

Score and Parts-Alan Hovhaness' The Flowering Peach suite from Clifford Odets' musical retelling of the legend of Noah's Ark which opened on Broadway on December 28 1954.This suite from the incidental musicfor the play occasionally quotes complete movements from the actual stage production. In other places it presents a logical expansion of the music which in its shortened form fitted into specifically-timed scenes within theplay.Instrumentation: Alto Saxophone Clarinet Vibraphone Tam-Tam Timpani Piano and Harp.