This major concert work cosists o five movements.1st movement: La Laguna del ShimbeSituated high up in the Andes mountains in Northern Peru are the Huaringas a group of lagoons in isolated and mysterious surroundings. The water has healing powersand for centuries traditional healers have settled there in small villages. From far the sick come to the Huaringas to be treated in nightly rituals in which the hallucinating juice of the San Pedro cactus gives the prophet a look inside hispatient. The biggest lagoon is the ?Laguna del Shimbe? one of the countless wells of the immense Amazon stream.2nd movement: Los AguarunasFurther downstream in Northern Peru we come across the rain tribe of Los Aguarunas. It?s a proud beautiful andindependent race which has never succumbed to domination not even from the Incas. They live from everything the forest has to offer: fish fruit plants ... . They also grow some crops and live as semi-nomads. They take their fate into their ownhands and after having made contact with modern civilisation they have integrated new elements into their lives without betraying their own ways.3rd movement: MekaronMekaron is an Indian word meaning ?picture? ?soul? ?essence?. The Indians are theorigina inhabitants of the Amazon region. They either live in one place as a group or move around a large region. They all have their own political system their own language and an intense social life. At the same time they are master of music andmedicine. ?Everywhere the white man goes he leaves a wilderness behind him? wrote the North American Indian leader Seatl in 1885. As a result of these contacts with the whites the disruption of most Indian societies began. (In this century alone 80 tribes have vanished completely).4th movement: KêêtuajêThis is the name of the initiating ceremony of the Krahô tribe in the Brazilian state of Goias in which young boys and girls enter adult life. They are cleansed with water painted with redpaint and covered with feathers after which the ritual dance holds the entire tribe spell-bound.5th movement: Paulino FaiakanIn 1988 the Indian chiefs Faiakan and Raoni Kaiapo came to Europe to protest against the building of the Altamira dam inBrazil. As a result of the dam the Indians would be driven from their traditional land and enormous artificial would be created. The project was supported financially by amongst others the European Community. In February 1989 the Indian tribesaround Altamira held a protest march for the first time in their history together. Amongst other things they paid tribute tot Chico Mendez who murdered in 1988 was the leader of the rubber syndicate and a fierce opponent of the destruction of theBrazilian rain forest. Brazilian and world opinion was awakened. The building of the dam was -albeit temporarily - stopped.

The tradition of the Christmas tree in Western Europe dates back to a time long before any Christianization had taken place. During the severely cold winter nights so it was believed evil spirits tried to ?kill? nature. Needle-leaved trees were the only ones which kept their green colour throughout the year and therefore became symbols of immortality. These ?living? trees said to be the work of benign spirits were brought into people?s houses to ward off evil life-threatening powers. In the 14th century people first started to decorate Christmas trees. It was a pagan custom originated by the inhabitants of Alsace. This custom was taken over by the Church in thecourse of the 15th and 16th century. At first the decoration consisted mainly of edibles such as apples and wafers but later small presents were added. Legend has it that the reformer Martin Luther was the first person to decorate a Christmas tree with candles. The flickering candle flames were meant to create the image of a starry sky in which Christ?s apparition could be recognized. The German organ-player Ernst Anschütz from Leipzig was the first person to notate the song ?O Tannenbaum? the melody being a well-known folk song. Next to ?Stille Nacht? ?O Tannenbaum? is the most famous German Christmas song now known throughout the world. In the United States of America the melody of ?O Tannenbaum? has even been used in four States (among which the State of Maryland) for their State song. In David Well?s arrangement the song is first heard as many of us know it. After this introduction however it is transformed into a solid rock version and the beat has been changed. In the second part the familiar three-four time is back but here the rhythm is different from the original. After the richly ornamented rock beat the basic theme can be heard once again and the composition is concluded in a festive manner.

In Theme Park Fun! your orchestra pays a visit to an amusement park. During your visit you will experience some spectacular rides and attractions this theme park offers. The uniqueness of Theme Park Fun! is the interplay between music and(moving) images. Animations and illustrations support the visual composition (downloadable after ordering a set on www.gobelinmusic.com).Part 1: The Entrance & Parade [with animation]The opening of the park is a fact. A day fullof fun and pleasure awaits! You and the other visitors will be confronted with all the rides attractions and adventures the theme park has to offer. Which ride shall we do first?! There is so much to do and experience on this day in the park! Aparade of colorful floats and park figures is passing by.Let the fun begin!Part 2: The Haunted House [with animation]The only ride in the park that is not related to fun is the Haunted House. Here visitors will be challengedto visit a house full of ghosts creepy figures and other ominous things. The clock strikes twelve there is no turning back. Ghosts are whispering yelling screaming... Fortunately it is almost one oclock so we can leave this creepy placequickly.Part 3: The Swinging Galleon [with illustrations]What a huge pirate ship! Each time you swing back and forth you will feel that weird feeling in your stomach. When you are thrown completely into the top you will have afantastic view over the park but you can not enjoy it for long. Before you know the ship swings back the other way.Part 4: The Fairy Tale Ride [with illustrations]After all those exciting and spectacular rides and attractions it is time for a peaceful tour in The Fairy Tale Ride. Surrounded by a fairytale setting you will discover fable figures talking animals and colorful designs. Such a beauty and tranquility. Having had this experience we are ready again for thebig rides in the park!Part 5: The Bumper Cars [with illustrations]Now its time to crawl behind the wheel of the Bumper Cars! Shall we all chase the conductor?! Before you know you are hit by another visitor or you will bumpagainst someone else. In this tough ride you can prove yourself as a real driver or perhaps as a really bad one.Part 6: The Roller Coaster [with illustrations]The largest fastest and scariest ride in the park ... we shoulddefinitely do the Roller Coaster! All together in the train the over-the-shoulder restraints are lowering... be ready to ride. The train leaves the station and is heading for the big lift hill. It will be very scary when the train reaches the topand the train will be plunged down the first drop! Loops corkscrews and other spectacular coaster elements will follow... Before you know it the ride of your life is over. Shall we ride it again?!Part 7: Leaving the Park [withanimation]Unfortunately everything comes to an end.

Minerva by Jan Van der Roost was composed on the commission of the German ?Musikverein Braunshausen? on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the orchestra. The composition first performed on September 17 1999 is not a street march but a concert march just like Mercury and Arsenal. The use and variation of different rhythmic patterns gives the first part of this march a distinctly dynamic character. Two main themes are presented in several instrumental combinations. The theme from the trio on the other hand is characterized by a broad melodic approach using large intervals. This theme wreathed by high woodwinds is heard one more time after a contrasting newpart but now in a somewhat slower tempo. The counterpoint in this part refers to the first part of the march. The brilliant ending suits a festive anniversary march!

During the eighteenth century a person called 'the Dance Master' made his appearance in Ireland. He was a travelling dance-teacher who moved from one village to another to teach the people there how to dance. They were often flamboyant personalities gorgeously dressed and holding a staff in one hand. In order to teach their pupils the difference between their right and left leg the dance master used to tie a small bunch of straw or hay to their leg and then would order them to either lift their 'hay-leg' or their 'straw-leg'. The dancing masters used to stay in one particular village for about six weeks (if they were not claimed by a neighbouringvillage) after which they continued their journey. Having a famous dance master gave a village a certain distinction and did not seldom lead to boasting and pride. Also on account of the popularity of Celtic music in general at the moment William Vean was inspired to writing 'The Irish Dance Master'. He 'teaches' you two dances the Reel and the Jig. In between these two dances there is a short breathing space during which a traditional Irish rhythm can be enjoyed.

Direct and to the point the heavy metal band Twisted Sister tells it like it is in their hit song “We're Not Gonna Take It.” Covered by many artists amplified in NFL and college stadiums recorded in movies and TVshows the message remains the same. For security purposes and crowd control if you can only have one tune in your arsenal of stand tunes this needs to be the one!

As he did before in the often played and commonly appreciated ‘Lord Tullamore’ in which he poetically depicted the landscape and the cultural elements of a small Irish village in his composition ‘The Road to the West’ Carl Wittrock has sketched pioneer existence in America in a cinematic manner.In ‘The Road to the West’ the composer has tried to capture images of pioneer life during the period dating from 1850 to 1890 the days of the so-called Wild West.In those days the Wild West used to be the territory west of civilization the domain of cowboys trappers and other fortune hunters. In short ample ingredients for a captivating story.In the firstscene a lonely adventurer struggles against nature and the elements. After an exciting adventure he passes through ‘the Plains’ where majestic views alternated by colossal mountain ranges display an almost unimaginable beauty.After weeks of isolation civilization is reached again. ‘The Saloon’ is the perfect meeting place – here news is exchanged and hilarious scenes regularly take place.

The Battle on the Heath On 24 January 1597, the ?Tielenheide? - a stretch of moorland near the Belgian village of Tielen, south of Turnhout-was the scene of a great battle. Prince Maurice of Nassau, commander of the Dutch army, crushingly defeated Count Varax, a Burgundian general of the Spanish army. In military circles, the Battle of Turnhout caused quite a stir: a Spanish army of five thousand men was initially held up for hours through daring short moves by fifteen cavalrymen and a few hundred foot-soldiers -and subsequently, this Spanish army was overpowered by barely a thousand cavalrymen, without the help of the infantrymen. New weaponry proved its value that day. The Dutch cavalrymen were not armed with spears, as previously, but with long, carbine-like pistols . Before the pikemen of the Spanish army could stick their fearsome, six-metre-long spears into the ground to protect themselves against the onrushing horses, they were shot to pieces or knocked down. During the battle, the state troops seized a number of flags, which would embellish the Ridderzaal (Knights? Hall) in The Hague for years.In a contemporary Dutch military magazine, the victory at the ?Tielenheide? has been described as ? the heaviest blow ever delivered by the Dutch cavalry?. The location where the battle took place is no langer moorland: it is now a pine forest planted more than a century age, to meet the demand for wood in the old coalmines of Limburg . Part of the forest is now the military territory of the Third Paratroop Batallion, and part is now the De Waal nature reserve: it is not accessible to the public. In Tielen there is still a street called the Tielenheide, near the former moorland.