Kongen Af Himmeby-Demo/Utopiaville-Demofor Symphony Orchestra (2009). The Utopiaville-Demo is commissioned by Finn Schumacker for The Odense Symphony Orchestra. Repertoire operas occationally have orchestral suites: Bits and pieces of overture interlude etc. tied up in a bouquet of 'schönste Tränen'. Contemporary opera usually wither after the first season so the focus is on getting people to come and have a sniff before it's too late. Consequently it seemed obvious to me to start making orchestral excerpts from my operas that are meant to be played before the premiere (and after please); I call them 'operatrailers' when they're substantial enough to be considered independent works and 'opera demos' when they're relatively short and more appetizer-ish. The Utopiaville-Demo is a fast-and-furious cinemascope 3D THX-demo for my chamber opera 'The King ofUtopiaville' which is sort of a mix between a reversed revolutionary opera (reversed because it's about a revolutionthat flops) and a rhythm'n blues theatre concert. The opera takes place on the remote tropical island of Honga-Tonga where a mayor form Europe is taking a much needed holiday as far away as possible from his home town Utopiaville. The mayor desperately needs to get away:He has overstepped his authority blatantly and broken every rule of law he felt like in order to create a modern liberalistic society where sanitation medicare hospitals schools the police and all other public institutions are sold to private investors and then leased back by the public - that way noone will ever have to pay taxes because everything finances itself the mayor says and in order to keep reality at a safe distance he drinks massive amounts of insanely expensive french claret all in the best interest of the inhabitants of Utopiaville of course.Honga Tonga can't get any further away from Waikiki Beach: It looks something like the 1933 version of

Three Interludes For Orchestra by Benet Casablancas was commissioned by Fundación Autor and the Spanish Association of Symphonic Orchestras (AEOS) for its World Premiere in the 2012-2013 season.The score consists of three movements – Pastorale (Tranquillo) Scherzo (Con moto) and Memento e Corale (Lentissimo Ampio e tenuto) – and has an approximate duration of 14 minutes. The spaciousness and transparency of its textures the clearness of its harmony and a general calm and quiet tone of the first and final parts set a contrast with the vigour and rhythmical vividness of its central scherzo.During the course of the piece the shape of chamber writing coexists with the greatness of orchestral peaks. The last section embraces a lower and expressive tone which ends with a great chorale that will lead to a more contemplative coda which fades into silence. Sadness for the devastating tsunami that struck Japan on those same days was present in the mind of the author at the time of writing this movement.“It shows the accused dramatic quality (especially in the third piece) which dominate the orchestral writing of the composer from Sabadell enriched by a pitch atmosphere of neo-impressionistic quality and a healthy rhythmical energy. The concert version contributed with intensity and performance depth which we hope to deepen in future performances and which motivated the greeting of Casablancas.” - Germán Gan Audio Clásica

This arrangement comes from the Alive Forever collection arranged by Travis Cottrell. He has arranged the new modern hymn by Keith Getty and Stuart Toenend with a more traditional statement of The Solid Rock to makea great declaration that in Christ alone we have the assurance and strength that we need for each day. Choirs and congregations both will enjoy this music. CD Accompaniment Trax available. Orchestration is flexible and includesscore and parts for Rhythm Acoustic Guitar Trumpet 1 & 2 Alto Sax Trumpet 3 Trombone 1 & 2 Tenor Sax 1 & 2 Trombone 3/Tuba Bari Sax Percussion Horn 1 & 2 Flute (Oboe) 1 2 & 3 Clarinet and Strings (Synth). Duration:ca. 5:25

The solo group consists of a sextet of the woodwind instruments which are normally doubled with more regular members of the orchestra: these six strangers now brought to the fore are piccolo alto flute cor anglais clarinet inEb bass clarinet in Bb and contrabassoon. They make a motley group diverse in colour as in register and one of the tasks of the piece sets itself is to have them blend and cohere both together as an ensemble and in partnershipwith the string orchestra (which itself is used with unusual variety and subtlety). Another evident task of the work is to provide fine solos for each member of the woodwind sextet: bright dances for the piccolo recitativesfor the alto flute a stoical song from the contrabassoon in the extreme bass. The work is cast as a single movement which begins in the composer's first-movement style of rapid regeneration. This is interrupted by slowinterventions including one for divided strings which gives rise to a sextuple cadenza for the soloists. Out of this comes a slow movement or sequence of short slow movements followed by a dancing finale with its own slowepisodes. Altogether this is music of songs and dances heavily tinged with Scottish rhythms and tonalities: one might think of a magic bagpipe having six chanters and a drone of variegated string texture.

E J Moeran was a 20th century British composer of Anglo-Irish background who spent his early years in Norfolk and influences of folksong and programmatic elements can be easily heard in this composer’s main body of work. Moeran tended toward the smaller ensembles in his composition which gave an appropriate frame for his great lyric gifts.However in the second half of his life Moeran greatly extended his sensibilities and his musical palate to include more energetic and vigorous rhythms harmonic colours and tonalities. In Sinfonietta written in 1944 is a fine example of Moeran’s later work incorporating near bitonality as well as folklike strains in the variations.