Born in Jarrow northeast England in 1949 John Miles was something of a child prodigy learning the piano from the age of five. In the early ’60s he persuaded his father to buy him a guitar and by the end of the decade he had joined a semi-professional band The Influence. The group soon disbanded and by 1969 Miles was recording with his own group The John Miles Band releasing a dozen singles in the early ’70s. In 1975 Miles decided to move to London and secured a deal with Decca Records. By October that year a newly formed band John Miles and Co had released their debut single Highfly but their greatest hit which stormed the British charts in March 1976 was Music.

from The Phantom of the Opera-Né en 1948 à Londres Andrew Lloyd Webber a composé la musique de nombreuses comédies musicales célèbres dans le monde entier ; de l?opéra-rock Jesus Christ Superstar à Evita Cats Starlight Express et bien entendu The Phantom Of The Opera (Le Fantôme de l?Opéra) écrit en 1986. Dans les années 80 il compose également un superbe Requiem dont les airs Hosanna et Pie Jesu sont les plus connus du grand public. Andrew Lloyd Webber excelle dans la création de mélodies à succès pleines de sensibilité et d?émotion telles que Memory et Don?t Cry For Me Argentina suscitant l?admiration à travers le monde.All I AskOf You extrait de la comédie musicale The Phantom of the Opera est un duo interprété par deux personnages majeurs de la comédie musicale Christine et Raoul. L?intrigue de l?histoire est basée sur le roman de l?écrivain français Gaston Leroux. Le personnage principal (Le Fantôme de l?Opéra) est un être étrange défiguré et masqué qui vit et hante les sous-sols de l?Opéra de Paris. Son amour obsessionnel pour la jeune cantatrice Christine le pousse à promouvoir sa carrière à tout prix. Mais quand il s?aperçoit qu?elle est éprise de Raoul Vicomte de Chagny et ami d?enfance de la cantatrice la fureur s?empare de lui. Il élabore de nombreux complots aussi terrifiants que dramatiques mais finit par cesser de poursuivre Christine et disparaît à jamais.All I Ask Of You a été repris à juste titre par divers grands interprètes dont Barbra Streisand et de nombreux arrangements en ont été réalisés. Cette superbe version pour Orchestre d?Harmonie est signée Peter Kleine Schaars.

Paso Bella is full of the typical fiery and melodic characteristics of the paso doble. The hot Spanish temperament can be heard from the opening themes in the minor key as is usual in a paso doble to the last bars of the trio. The trio is followed by an exuberant closing which will reverberate in the ears of both musicians and audience for a long time.

Par DE HAAN JANN. Le titre de cette composition – écrite pour marquer le 75e anniversaire de la société musicale Excelsior, du village d’Ouwsterhaule, aux Pays-Bas – s’inspire d’une sculpture de l’artiste Gerlof Hamersma, une œuvre d’art qui place ce village frison au Centre de l'univers. Avec ces trois mouvements réunissant des thèmes puissants, un passage pastoral et un final énergique, Jan de Haan a réussi, encore une fois, à créer une œuvre attrayante qui garantira beaucoup de plaisir aux musiciens de nombreux orchestres à travers le monde. / Date parution : 2021-11-03/ Répertoire / Fanfare

pour précéder la Péri-Paul Dukas (1865-1935) was a composer who had little self-confidence and was very self-critical. As a result of this he destroyed the manuscripts of all but seven large and five small works. Luckily kept what is now his best know composition the symphonic scherzo L?apprenti sorcier (The Sorcerer?s Apprentice). He also came very close to destroying the manuscript of his ballet music La Peri (The Fairy). This was however rescued by his friends. Thus we can still enjoy this magnificent fanfare which was originally used as an opener for the ballet. This magnificent transcription for fanfare band will make a great opening item for any concert.

Christopher Columbus was born in Genoa in 1451. His father was a wool merchant. Originally he seemed destined to follow in his father?s footsteps and thus sailed the oceans to countries as far apart as Iceland and Guinea. In 1476 his ship was sunk during a battle off the coast of Portugal. Columbus saved his own life by swimming to shore. In 1484 he conceived the idea of sailing to the Indies via a westward sea route but it was only in 1492 that he was able to realize this plan. On this first voyage he was in command of three ships: the flag-ship called the Santa Maria the Pinta and the Ni?a. From Spain Columbus sailed via the Canary Islands to the Bahamas whichhe sighted on October 12th 1492. Without being aware of it Columbus discovered the ?New World? ? he thought he had landed in the eastern part of Asia. The motif from Dvoøák?s 9th Symphony ?Aus der neuen Welt? forms a little counterfeit history at this point in the composition. After this first voyage Columbus was to undertake another three long voyages to America. These voyages were certainly not entirely devoid of misfortune. More than once he was faced with shipwreck mutiny and the destruction of settlements he had founded. After Columbus had left for Spain from Rio Belen in 1503 he beached his ships on the coast of Jamaica. The crew were marooned there and it was only after a year that Columbus succeeded in saving his men and sailing back to Spain with them. In the music the misunderstanding about which continent Columbus discovered in his lifetime resounds for does this part in the composition not contain Asiatic motifs? Poor Columbus! In 1506 the famous explorer died in Valladolid.

The composition ".The Fever Tree". in 2008 was commissioned by the Music Association of Central and Eastern Netherlands St.Willibrord as a gift to all its members on the occasion of the formation of a national music organization and the elimination of the music union for Central and Eastern Netherlands St.Willibrord. The fever tree is a controversial legend about St. Willibrord (658-739). The daughter of a pagan chieftain of Hoemannen that made the area around Heumen unsafe was seriously ill. They feared for her life. The chief of the gang turned to predatory Willibrord who same time in this region led mission. Willibrord commanded theman to repent and a headband of the girl to a certain special tree to hang. The desperate captain obeyed and his daughter was a miraculous heal. Then came the anger of the Hoemannen against their leader who in their eyes had committed treason by the group to convert. They abused themselves to him and killed him brutally. The daughter remained behind in great sorrow comforted by Willibrord. The composition has the following scenes: - Andante moderato - the calling of Willibrord - Allegro moderato - Willibrord passes through the province of Brabant and try to people to repent - Vivace - Hoemannen terrorize the inhabitants of the area Heumen - Andante - the healing of the sick girl and the conversion of the centurion - Inquieto - the revenge of the Hoemannen - Adagio - elegy on the death of the chief

‘Panem et Circenses’ Bread and Games were essential for keeping the citizens of ancient Rome in check. While the bread was meant for the poorest among the Romans the Games were Popular Pastime Number One for everybody.There were different kinds of games such as chariot races (especially popular with female spectators) or wild-beast fights where lions tigers bulls or bears were set on one another or even on human beings. Most popular however were the Gladiator fights. In ‘Bread and Games’ William Vean depicts one of the many fights in the antique Colosseum. 1. Entrance of the Gladiators: By powerful bugle-calls the attention of the peoplewas asked for after which the Gladiators entered the Arena at the sound of heroic marching-music.2.Swordfight: We can hear that the fights were not mere child’s play in this part.On the contrary they were a matter of life and death and were fought accordingly.3.Mercy of the Emperor: Sometimes a wounded gladiator could be fortunate depending on the mercy of the audience. Waving one’s handkerchief meant mercy a turned-down thumb meant no pardon. The Emperor had the right to take the final decision but he usually complied with the wish of the majority of the public. 4.Lap of Honour: Gladiators were mainly selected among slaves convicted criminals or prisoners of war. Consequently winning was very important as it would mean fame honour and sometimes even wealth. A lap of honour therefore was the winner’s due reward.

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.