4 Interludes-The music of small forms was what the French composer Gabriel Fauré (1845 1924) focused on. In 1874 after many years spent in the 'provinces' the teacher of Camille Saint-Saëns took the position of organist in Paris; later he not only worked as a church musician but also as a teacher.In the summer of 1887 Fauré wrote his Pavane Op. 50 originally intended for a concert providing light entertainment which soon gained wide popularity as an orchestral setting with and without the chorus added by Fauré. The romantic slightly melancholic melody is a catchy tune which thanks to the present arrangement can now also be performed soloistically with piano accompaniment.

Antiphons, psalms and hymn for soloists and double choir. The score is written for 3 Tenor Trombones, 1 Bass Trombone and strings with basso continuo. Edited by Denis Stevens, with piano accompaniment. / Orgue

The reputation of the Bohemian composer Zdenek Fibich (1850-1900) has always been somewhat overshadowed by that of Bedrich Smetana and Anton n Dvorák. This is a pity for Fibich though he died young made an equally important contribution to the emerging Czech national styl with his wide range of compositions. After starting piano lessons with his mother as his first teacher the boy went on to music school in Prague and then to the Leipzig Conservatoire where he learned his craft as a composer. He spent a few months teaching piano in Paris and then continued his studies with Vinzenz Lachner in Mannheim. Prague was eventually to become the centre for Fibich'smusical activities: as his dream of a post at the Conservatoire remained unfulfilled his main employment was giving private music lessons and as a composer Zdenek Fibich wrote works for many musical genres: vocal and chamber music piano pieces and orchestral works operas stage music and melodramas literary recitals with orchestral accompaniment to which he gave a new lease of life. There are biographical traces to be found in the 376 piano pieces of the collection 'Moods Impressions and Reminiscences' Op. 41 written in 1892-98: this tells of his love for his pupil Anezka Schulzová in the form of a 'piano diary'. Its four volumes were frequently a source of material for other works such as the symphonic poem 'In the Evening' Op. 39 (also known as 'A Summer's Evening' and 'At Twilight') written in 1893. For his second subject in this 'Idyll' Fibich used the minature no. 139 entitled 'Lento' from his collection of piano pieces. The violinst Jan Kubel k played the melody from 1908 onwards with the title 'Poème' and the work is still known today under this title: its easy charm has made it a favourite tune in the classical repertoire. This arrangement is based on the orchestral version from which other material was adapted for the Prelude.

Coronation Anthem for Mixed Choir and Orchestra-Zadok The Priest HWV 258 (BA10258) and The King Shall Rejoice HWV 260 (BA10259) are the best-known of the four coronation anthems that Handel wrote for the crowning of George II in London (1727). HWV 258 accompanied the king’s anointment HWV 260 his actual coronation. Thanks to their festive and majestic structure befitting the occasion as well as their spacious scoring for Large Choir and Orchestra it comes as no surprise that motifs from Zadok the priest have found their way into the official hymn of the UEFA Champions League. The present editions by the authoritative Handel scholar Stephan Blaut are the first to offerthese two anthems based on the Urtext from the Halle Handel Edition. Bilingual Forewords (Ger/Eng) Idiomatic Piano reductions Based on the Halle Handel Edition Full score parts and vocal score available for sale