Entre août 1844 et janvier 1845 Mendelssohn compose ses Six sonates pour orgue Op. 65. Véritable compendium de l?art de jouer de l?orgue chaque sonate possède une atmosphère particulière. L?Andante religioso est le second mouvement de la Sonate n° 4. La structure est légère et empreinte de poésie. La beauté du tissu musical réside dans la pureté et la puissance évocatrice de la ligne mélodique.

The work set as the test-piece for the 2005 European Brass Band Championships was inspired by a theme from the second movement of Tchaikovsky’s String Quartet No.1 (Andante Cantabile). It consists of a number of musical metamorphoses on the theme and includes several excerpts from Tchaikovsky’s Fourth and Sixth Symphonies and Romeo and Juliet. The most unconventional element of the work is instrumentation for ten tuned bottles to be played by members of the Cornet section. This gives the piece an Indonesian Gamelan effect. Why not give your players something to get their teeth into with this impressive major new work.

‘Jubilant Prelude’ is an orchestration of the ‘Preludium over Psalm 150’ originally composed for organ by Toon Hagen. Since 1998 Toon Hagen has been organ-player of the ‘Grote or Sint Michaëlskerk’ in Zwolle (the Netherlands). He has written several ‘contemporary’ compositions for organ.‘Jubilant Prelude’ has a capricious character by the use of irregular measures and its many measure changes. The structure of the Prelude is that of a fugue and is based on motives from the psalm.After the first climax which is both dynamic and harmonic the theme in the Andante Jubiloso is clearly audible and it is alternated with erratic motifs. Tension increases until at last the psalm itself isheard in all its glory. The melody of the psalm sounds as a cantus firmus in tenor register with motifs in ornamentation for saxophones bugles and trumpets. The finale like the prelude is capricious and vehement.The instrumentation for brassband was made by Dirk Annema. It is particularly colourful and has a surprising role for the percussion section.

The Horn of Plenty is a composition which allows to present the Horn in many styles. The opening has an heroic character and exudes an Spanish atmosphere. The next part is a playful and lighthearted Leggiero. The melody used in bar 38 has an oriental sound through melodic use of the harmonic scale. The Andante is a parody on a piano etude by the composer Stephen Heller a Frenchman of Hungarian descent. The piece ends with a relaxed swing area in which the Horn also in a different way can be heard.

C?est de Salzbourg l?enchanteresse ville natale du grand Mozart que Dizzy Stratford s?est laissé inspirer pour rendre hommage au génie musical autrichien. La courbe mélodique basée sur le célèbre Andante en Sol Majeur de Mozart est superbe et flâne à travers plusieurs pupitres de la formation. Le fond orchestral est éthéré et délicat.

Pacific Dreams describes the experience of Miguel a traveling composer from Spain who feeling somewhat alienated from his homeland is wandering through an area of Sydney known as The Rocks. At a small outdoor market in a typical street of this oldcolonial neighbourhood he discovers a print of William DeShazos painting 'Pacific Dreams' Portrayed in the painting is the surf of one of the exotic islands in the Pacific. Next with the impressive Sydney Harbour Bridge looming over the narrowstreets of The Rocks he envisions sultry Pacific beaches. Suddenly a theme he once composed about the lakes in Japan comes to him. Is it the Asian influences present in cosmopolitan Sydney that bring this theme to mind? Or perhaps the waters aroundSydney over which he could sail to Tahiti? He is uncertain. Could this same theme be used to create a new composition about his feelings for the metropolis Sydney? How then to work his Pacific Dreams into the mix? Miguel is certainly no fan ofHawaiian music. Mayby he could use the vocabularies of islands like Hawaii and Tahiti their beautiful vowel combinations being sung ad libitum by a mixed choir.With these ideas and his newly purchased print of 'Pacific Dreams' he boards the Metroat Circular Quay. He has a final glimpse of the harbour and the Sydney Opera House as the train races into the ground. On to the hotel! To work! He must compose!Maestoso : Miguel is impressed as he gazes upon the Sydney Harbour Bridge. And yet hewants to go away from this city. Away to an exotic island in the Pacific.Steady Rock : In the Rocks musicians are playing at a square. Miguel basks in the atmosphere but at the same time he is fantasizing about Hawaii and Tahiti.Andante Lamentoso :In his hotel room Miguel is feeling sad and lonely in this big city. He takes comfort in his 'Pacific Dreams'.Allegro : Miguel boards the boat that takes him from Darling Harbour to Circular Quay. In his mind he is traveling on to Hawaii. Or is ithome where the bolero is playing? He is pulled back to reality by the skyline of Sydney.

The 'Admiral Spirit' is the pride of the Navy. The ship is at sea there is no wind the sun is shining. The crew are busy piloting the ship into port in prime condition. The admiral himself will inspect the vessel. The first movement (Allegro Con Spirito) gives musical expression to the majestic ship and its toiling crew. In the second movement (Andante) the ship sails into port. It has been polished and technically everything is in order. The admiral will be proud when he inspects the ship. Third movement (Allegro Molto): the captain and his crew are nervous (modulations) while working at the 'finishing touch'. The Navy Band is ready to receive the admiral !. Hemay be proud of his flagship.