SKU: PR.114423350

ISBN 9781491135112. UPC: 680160686339.

This stunning addition to the bassoon repertory features dramatic outer movements framing a slow and plaintive aria. Harberg’s program notes put the drama and its crying-out high notes in the context of writing in 2021: “The composition was deeply influenced by disruptive forces unfolding around us. While this unrest made writing difficult at times and brought me to uncomfortable places within myself, the process was also full of unexpected discoveries and musical solutions I never would have found in less troubled times.”.
Connections are all around us. I first met bassoonist Adrian Morejon while writing my Suite for Wind Quintet for the Dorian Wind Quintet in 2017. He and I quickly became fast friends and decided to collaborate on a new piece. Over the next two years, Adrian assembled a phenomenal group of 28 bassoonists from around the world to be co-commissioners. Adrian and I premiered the resulting sonata at the International Double Reed Society’s 2021 Virtual Symposium.The SONATA was composed between January and June 2021. In composing it, my goal was to offer bassoonists a substantial work that would show off the instrument’s remarkable strengths including its athletic agility, gorgeous singing qualities, and enormous range. While I generally avoid being programmatic, this composition was deeply influenced by the disruptive forces unfolding around us. While this unrest made writing difficult at times and often brought me to uncomfortable places within myself, the process was also full of unexpected discoveries and musical solutions I never would have found in less troubled times.I am deeply grateful to Adrian for our collaboration, and to everyone in the consortium for making the SONATA possible.

SKU: FP.FBM04

ISBN 9790570504077.

The opening movement is a free fantasia, contrasting with the middle movement, a scherzetto, in homage to, and based on the letters of the name of, the composer Douglas Steele, an assistant to Sir Thomas Beecham and a founding father of Chethams School, and which quotes from Steele’s beautiful carol The Snow Falls.
Divertimento was first performed by John Turner and Janet Simpson at a concert in aid of the Peter Cunningham Memorial Fund at Mellor Church on 17th January 2005. It uses both treble and descant instruments. The second movement was originally composed for a concert in Manchester Cathedral in memory of Douglas Steele, one of the founding fathers of Chetham's School, and quotes (by kind permission of Forsyth Brothers Ltd.), from his well-known carol The Snow Falls. It has been separately recorded by John Turner and Stephen Hough on Autumn Sequence – the music of Douglas Steele and his Circle (Campion Cameo 2040/41).
Martin Bussey was born in London in 1958. He was a Choral Scholar at King’s College, Cambridge, during which time he studied composition with Robin Holloway. Following postgraduate singing study at the RNCM he settled in Manchester and held a number of posts, including Head of Academic Music and Director of Choirs at Chetham’s School of Music until 2013. He continues as Musical Director of the Chester Bach Singers, a Vocal Tutor at Manchester University, Chairman of the Finzi Friends and a Director of the Ludlow Song Weekend. Compositions include the highly successful monodrama about Mary I, Mary’s Hand, premiered in 2018; a significant collection of solo songs which includes settings of Housman, Hardy, and Walt Whitman, many recorded on the disc Through a glass; and much choral music, recorded by Sonoro under Neil Ferris in 2019.

SKU: HL.14027981

ISBN 9788759808368. English.

'Dramaphonia' for piano solo and 11 instruments forms the first part of a trilogy of solo-concertos, the remaining two being one for percussion and smaller symphony orchestra ('Monodrama') and the last ('Polydrama') for violoncello and full orchestra. All three pieces are in one movement each and may be performed together, thus presenting a vast concerto grosso of the duration of one hour and a half. Each concerto, however, stands by itself, offering its own story: having employed the word drama in all three pieces, I naturally want to imply that something is going on, a series of hidden events created by each listener's own inner theatre which enables him to stage his own, personal associations, and in the case of 'Dramaphonia', the compositorical tension alters between action and frozen panoramas. In the percussion concerto, the rhythmical progression is being constantly intensified, whereas the metric proportions of Dramaphonia tighten and loosen, like a magnifying glass being wielded in and out of focus. 'Dramaphonia' is commissioned and dedicated to LONTANO and Poul Rosenbaum.

SKU: LO.99-3108L

UPC: 000308133554.

In this powerful offering from Mark Hayes, we journey with Christ through Holy Week, experiencing momentous events that changed history for all of humankind. Mark's distinctive compositional voice adds to the drama of the work. Masterful arrangements of Twila Paris's Lamb of God and Keith Getty and Stuart Townend's The Power of the Cross, along with an unforgettable mezzo soprano solo inspired by Michelangelo's Pieta, contribute to a truly compelling work for Easter worship. This work may be performed during Holy Week by excluding the final movement or in its entirety for Easter and Eastertide. The beautiful piano accompaniment reflects Mark's keyboard artistry, and his masterful orchestration offers an added dimension to the drama. The Power of the Cross provides an artful and poignant reminder of Christ's sacrifice of love, His triumph over death, and His promise of redemption for us all.

SKU: HL.14027993

ISBN 9788759811832. English.

Premiered at the festival 'Magma Berlin 2002' by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by David Robertson, 29th November 2002.

3 Flutes, 1st and 2nd also Alto Flutes in G, 3rd also Piccolo
3 Oboes, 3rd also Cor Anglais in F
3 Clarinets in Bb, 3rd also Bass Clarinet in Bb
3 Bassoons, 3rd also Contra Bassoon

4 Horn in F
3 Trumpets in Bb
3 Trombones
1 Tuba

Timpani

4 Percussion, four players
Player 1 - Vibraphone, Glockenspiel, Water Chime, Bell Tree, Japanese Wood Blocks, Cymbal (Suspended), TamTam (Medium)
Player 2 - Triangle, Tubular Bells, Crotales, Marimba, Chinese Cymbal
Player 3 - TamTam (Large), Java Gong(Large, very low), Bell Lyra (Handheld), Sizzle Cymbal
Player 4 - Bass Drum, Glockenspiel, Xylophone

1 Harp

1 Piano, also Celesta

Strings - 16/14/12/10/8

All transposing instruments are notated in their relevant transpositions.
Any accidental apply only to the note that it immediately precedes, except tied notes.
Naturals appear occasionally 'for safety'.

'LISTENING EARTH' is a symphonic drama, a one- movement composition in four parts based on the work by two writers, Joseph Addison (1672-1719) and W.H.Auden (1907-1973). Joseph Addison is not particularly well known; he was English, a classical scholar, essayist, poet and politician, but one of his hymns was used by Benjamin Britten. in his setting of a Thomas Tallis canon.
The hymn is singularly beautiful and being a composer always inspired by extramusical stimuli such as poems, nature, paintings, I was immediately convinced when I carne across the Addison hymn, that here was exactly what I wanted to use as my major source of inspiration for this piece, commissioned by and written for The Berlin Philharmonic.
I don't refer to the hymn in its entirety, but have chosen the following 3 excerpts, all acting as mottos for the first three sections of the piece, thus turning the piece into a straightforward tonepoem in the classical.