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

This fast swing chart from Rob Vuono features melodic and harmonic writing at its best. Even at this grade level Rob has provided suggested voicings for the rhythm section. Tenor sax has an optional written solo before a sax soli. An a cappella section is ideal to work on the timing of the horns without rhythm before a vamp kicks in building to the end. Great writing!

This swinging four-beat version of the old Von Tilzer baseball classic really cooks on all cylinders. Features lots of great ensemble writing including a little 3/4 tongue-in-cheek bridge right before the final chorus. An excellent chart to entertain and bring back the nostalgic swing era.

Inspired by the great Latin-jazz charts of the past Madrid offers a new chapter in this great big band tradition. No section is spared as all instruments of the ensemble are featured at different times. The work combines elements of modern jazz with the fiery elements of the Latin-jazz genre. The end really kicks it up a notch as the tempo and feel switch to Latin rock. This one is hot! (4:10)

Here's an eight-bar blues that features piano tenor and/or trumpet. The lead sax line can be covered by soprano or an optional flute part. The ending is written to feature your drummer in a wild solo fill.

Strut your stuff with this New Orleans flavored swinger. This tune is great to show off your drummer lead tenor and piano player. However the solo section can be opened up to showcase more of your talented performers. Includes a great sax soli as well as a very exciting shout chorus.

POD-Dans og Tegn i Luft for Ensemble was composed by Niels Rosing-Schow in 2015-16. Scored for Flute Clarinet Bassoon Harp Piano Violin Viola and Violoncello. Commissioned by The Danish Chamber Players for their 25-year Anniversary.Programme Note: A scenario from a park in Shanghai: a group of people dances to the crackling music from a ghetto blaster. Next to then a man is drawing Chinese characters on the street with a large brush dipped in water. The sound of the music comes and goes while the calligraphy soon evaporates in the warm air. Time hardly passes and makes itself present in analmost palpable way. The noise from the surrounding city threatens every now and then to destroy the poetic moment. At the appearance of a couple of guards the scene dissolves as from a magic touch as if nothing had happened. - Was this real at all? The music tries to reconstruct the memory of this imagery by putting together sound fragments of the scenario. But will the futile image appear? Or is it just the slight touch of melancholy from the memory which is left until it dissolves as signs in the air. Niels Rosing-Schow April 2016

This burnin’ funk chart is an outstanding follow-up to Vuono’s popular Calling Dr. Chops. Repetitive figures in the rhythm section make this one easier to learn than it sounds. Trumpet and tenor share the head before the full ensemble kicks in. A big unison sax feature gives your section an opportunity to stand up and get their groove on! (4:30)

This three-movement woodwind quintet begins in a lilting 6/8 meter in the key of C. The second movement features a melody that moves through all the instruments with ease. The reflective mood of the final movement features the flute and basson sharing the melodic introduction. Ranges are not extensive for this ensemble.

Ständchen - 2013 Version for 10 instruments was composed by Bent Sørensen. This is an arrangement of movements 1+2 (of 4) of the orginial version which was also called STÄNDCHEN (2005-2006) and had the same instrumentation as the Franz Schubert OCTET from 1824 (ob/bsn/hn/str5). STÄNDCHEN Version 2010 (just movement 4) is a version for 6 instruments (cl/tbn/gtr/perc/vn/vc). Commissioned by Scenatet. Parts for hire: hire@ewh.dk

Celebrate the holidays with this classic carol scored with an uptempo latin beat and flavor. This chart features the brass in unison on the head before moving to a transition section and a tenor solo.

Premiered at the 2005 Michigan Music Educaotrs Conference Escapades was commissioned by the Grand Valley State University Symphonic Wind Ensemble under the baton of Barry D. Martin with Arthur Campbell as clarinet soloist. Since the premiere it has been scheduled for additional performances in the United States and abroad. The piece gets its inspiration from the title which can be defined as 'a usually adventurous action that runs counter to approved or conventional conduct.' This piece is a series of changing 'escapades' (or variations) which develop and explore different aspects of the opening thematic material. The entire work builds into a free improvisational section beforeall elements of are united in the final presto of the composition (10:00)