to my mother-Plus que tout autre danse la valse développe de nombreuses facettes et connaît aujourd?hui une immense notoriété. Cette valse mystérieuse ne s?inspire d?aucun exemple précis et de la valse viennoise moins encore. L?œuvre contient deux âmes secrètes : l?une est charmante et joyeuse l?autre mélancolique avec une pointe d?ironie. Lequel de ces deux caractères dominera l?œuvre et touchera le public ? Cela dépend du chef d?orchestre car lui seul peut dévoiler ce secret selon ses propres sentiments.

The world premiere of the musical Elisabeth took place in Vienna on September 3 1992. From the great acclaim with which the musical was received it became clear that the life of the Empress of Austria still appeals to the imagination. Although Elisabeth's life (1837-1898) as an Empress has a fairy-tale-like beginning it takes a gloomy turn. In this production Luigi Lucheni the man who finally takes her life tells her story. Death plays a major role throughout Elisabeth's life. In the musical an equally mysterious and attractive man portrays the phenomenon of death seducing her to the realm of death time after time. Elisabeth's life resembles a fairy tale when shemarries the Emperor Franz Joseph at the age of sixteen. Her mother-in-law Archduchess Sophie does not make it easy on Elisabeth. But it is life itself that puts the Empress to the test. First her youngest daughter dies. Then not long after her son Rudolf is born her happiness is clouded when her mother-in-law decides she must take pity on him. After her husband's unfaithfulness and Sophie's death Elisabeth is so disillusioned that she chooses a travelling existence without realizing her husband and her son Rudolf miss her. Rudolf's loneliness is one of the reasons he commits suicide. The accumulation of disappointments in Elisabeth's life almost drives her into the arms of Death. In the end however it is Lucheni who kills her.

This loving and dreamlike work captures the undulating rhythm of a mother rocking her child to sleep.The piece was inspired by classic Rudyard Kipling: “Oh! Hush thee my baby the night is behind us And black are the waters that sparkled so green. The moon o'er the combers looks downward to find us At rest in the hollows that rustle between.” Magical! (Grade 4)

Gaia is a primordial deity in the Ancient Greek pantheon and is sometimes referred to as Mother Nature. In mythology she had numerous children, many of whom are of great significance to the ancient Greeks. Three of these children are represented in this dramatic work for concert band---the fearsome Typhon, the water goddess Tethys, and the menacing Enceladus. (6:00) / Concert Band