Pastorale (from Babettes Gæstebud / Babettes Feast) - Version for String Orchestra (the original version from 1997 is for string trio). Parts are for hire: hire@ewh.dk Preface / Programme Note My PASTORALE is melodically utterly simple almost 'ear-catching'. The simplicity stems frommy hymn-tune JERUSALEM the theme of which permeates my incidental music for Oscar winning film (Best Foreign Film.1987) BABETTE' S FEAST by Danish director Gabriel Axel. The film is based on a short story by another reknown Dane Karen Blixen; it is the story of two sisters who are members of a very Puritancongregation but deceide to have a big feast of earthly (gastronomic) delights; the PASTORALE is heard during the sumptuous meal. Below the song-like surface of my PASTORALE the metrical implications arerather ambiguous; the changes between marked and un-marked beats forces the ear to perceive a phrase to beo nthe beat at one moment and off the beat at the next moment. In this way the simple lines of lyrical pastoral serenity conjure the listener to be lulled into an artificial Paradise which is exactly the mood ofthe guests at the banquet the feast in the central scene ofthe movie. The original PASTORALE is scored for string trio; the present version for string orchestra came along in 1988 and was premiered in New York City that year. (Per Nørgård 1999)

The Eulenberg Edition of Brahms’ String Sextet No.1 In B Flat Op.18 in the original setting for 2 Violins 2 Violas and 2 Cellos. It is an eventful yet enduring work with shifting textures that follows the conventions of the classical as much as the Romantic with Brahms almost reluctantly capturing the beauty of Vienna. The use of String Sextet as an ensemble was new but Brahms magnificently entwines the instruments into a glorious whole. This Eulenberg Edition is a celebrated and highly authoritative miniature score serving as the definitive reference source for study performance preparation or simply for those with a love of the greatorchestral works.

Recorded by South Korean rapper PSY this stylized smash hit has taken pop culture by storm with a viral video (almost 2 billion views!) TV appearances parodies and even flash mobs. Make room for exuberant audience behavior.

The composer writes:Pilgrim was inspired it will be no surprise to learn by reading Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress - Vaughan Williams's great opera on the subject had fascinated me from its first performance yet it was a long time before I caught up with this essential item in any well-stocked library of English classics. It made a great impression not least because of its theme of a journey of self-discovery and a rediscovery or renewal of faith. These are ideas which have a strong interest for me not in religious terms but in their application to every aspect of human life (including great journeys) and this piece reflects my response in musical terms to this concern. The tempo of the whole piece which lasts about 18 minutes is basically slow. There are two quick episodes but these act somewhat like the trio sections of a classical scherzo save that the tempo relationships are inverted (the classical trios would have been slower not quicker) and the canvas is much larger being that of a single substantial slow movement. The form of the whole is perhaps fantasia-like rather than having any relationship to classical forms such as sonata or rondo - some motifs and themes are varied as the work develops and the opening chords are of primary importance throughout the work. There has been no attempt to convey any pictorial elements deriving from Bunyan's great book. There is however one feature which upon completion of the score struck me with some force which is that almost all the thematic material is essentially striving upwards - there is a constant upward movement (sometimes over a lengthy period) throughout the work. Pilgrim was commissioned by the Luton Music Club for the Raphael Ensemble with funds provided by the Eastern Arts Board and Bedfordshire County Council and is dedicated to the Luton Music Club. The first performance was given in Luton on February 10th 1997 and followed as part of a joint scheme by performances in the same week at the Music Clubs of Bedford and Leighton Buzzard.

Sentinels is really a long unrelenting march whose pulse never slackens or quickens and in which slightly quirky military-style gestures are almost always present. Butler imagined four standing players to be acting as sentries standing guard keeping watch over the seated cellist.

This symphonic treatment of Good King Wenceslas is perfect for your next holiday concert. Easy double stops will really make your ensemble sound brilliant. The piece is voiced in simple three-part harmony so you can play it with almost any combination of instruments. Exactly what you’ve come to expect from Elliot Del Borgo!