Par DE HAAN JACOB. The Book of Urizen is a work for concert band, solo soprano, and a male narrator in which sound collages of religious expressions are used. The piece is inspired by the compelling visionary poem of the same name (which the poet illustratedhimself) by the Englishman William Blake (1757-1827), who occupies a unique position in western literature and the visual arts. He was not just a poet and a writer, but he was also a graphic artist, a painter, an illustrator, a spiritualist, areligious visionary, and a mystic philosopher. For the performance of this work, a professional sound system, including two microphones and a CD player, is needed. The three sound collages are three separate tracks on the enclosed CD and can beplayed easily at the right moment. The Book of Urizen bears resemblance to Genesis and Exodus, of which the contents form the basis of the Christian, Jewish, and Islamic faith. Blake adhered to the principle that all religions are in fact one, and that deities reside in human beings. In The Book of Urizen this is represented in “The Net of Religion, ” which is spanned over the earth by Urizen. The sound collages, compiled by Jacob de Haan in the studio, find their origin inJerusalem, the Holy City, where the afore-mentioned faiths “come together. ” In the first movement of this composition, The Vision, Urizen prepares his vision of the world, and he presents this to the “Eternals. ” His vision is rejected, and Urizen locks himself up in his own abstract world. When he does emerge again, he is confronted with rage by the gathered Eternals. Urizen flees the wrath of the Eternals, “the flames of eternal fury, ” and enwombs himself in his own world. Whenthe Eternals see Urizen in his “stony sleep, ” they wonder if this is death. The blacksmith Los is torn by grief because of the isolation of Urizen. It brings him to rouse his fires, prepare his forge, and to give Urizen’s world concrete form. In the second movement, The Creation, Urizen’s world, but also man, woman, and child are created. Los is horrified with the appearance of Urizen’s body. He mourns and pities Urizen, and from his blood a female form comes into being, with thename Enitharmon. The Eternals, fearful of the female form, decide to erect a tent to obstruct their view to eternity. Enitharmon and Los beget a son, called Orc. Los baptizes him as a child of the “fallen world. ” Orc is fed at Enitharmon’s breast, which makes a girdle of jealousy restrict Los’ chest. He takes the child to the top of the mountain and chains him down. The cries of Orc awaken Urizen, who explores his world creating instruments of scientific measurement to do so. Los encircles theface of Enitharmon from the sight of Urizen and Orc. She then populates the earth by giving birth to an enormous race. The Web, third movement of The Book of Urizen is now available: DHP 1125252 / Niveau : 5 / Pièce de concert / Répertoire / Concert Band ou Harmonie

Par VAN BELCUM HENK. As the title suggests, this work is a partita: it consists of a number of variations on a chorale melody. The partita has been popular for centuries, especially when it comes to organ music. Henk van Belcum, who is active in the choir world, chose for his Partita Piccola the German hymn Wunderbarer König as a starting point. Partita Piccola consists of four variations and a choral setting. After a majestic opening fanfare, the second variation follows, based on a canon by Pachelbel. Händel’s Sarabande is the basis of the third variation. Next comes the chorale setting, after which the work ends festively with a dance that has been written in the form of a courante. PartitaPiccola is an asset for church services and for concert platforms. / Niveau : 2.5 / Pièce de concert / Répertoire / Concert Band ou Harmonie

Par GYORFFY ISTVAN. Hungarian-style dance music which flourished in the 16th and 17th centuries - generally referred to as ungaresca - represents a valuable part of European musical tradition. István Gyorffy's work (2007-2010) is a late successor of this tradition. It was written with the intention of embodying the eastern-central European tradition in order to present an alternative to the current fashions of music for wind instruments. The composer's approach to this style utilizes traditional forms of music. Both the first and third movements effectively optimize a concert band's tonal possibilities by using solos and small chamber groups in a varied manner. The slow and melodic second movement transfers a characteristic playing technique of Hungarian instrumental folk music to the concert band. István Gyorffy composed Ungaresca for young people preparing for careers in music. The work provides an excellent opportunity for students not only to display their instrumental skills, but also to gain orchestral playing experience./ Répertoire / Concert Band

Par BARNES JAMES. Risoluto is a music term of Italian derivation, first appearing in the mid 1700s. A great many musical terms such as this are in Italian, because many of the important composers from the Renaissance to the Baroque were from the geographic area known today as Italy and spoke some form of Italian. Consequently, performance markings in their published music, widely disseminated through the rest of Europe, were in the language that they best understood. Music marked in this manner is to be played firmly and decisively with firm resolve and little variance from the marked tempo. It can be seen that while there are several stylistic changes in this piece, the tempo varies not a bit, holding firm at Allegro vivo, quarter note at 120, from first measure to last. / Date parution : 2022-09-20/ Répertoire / Concert Band

Par VAN DER ROOST JAN. In this moderately easy suite, Jan Van der Roost uses four authentic folk tunes from the Swedish-speaking part of Finland. These are from Nagu, Oravais, Lappfjärd and Karlebynejden, and have been joined together without pauses to form a continuous suite. The work begins with noble, almost meditative melodies. Gradually the tempo becomes faster, resulting in a brilliant and cheerful folk dance. The melody regularly goes from one band section to another ensuring that the timbre remains varied and there is no question of monotony. This is an attractive suite which is within the range of the majority of concert bands. / Niveau : 3 / Pièce de concert / Répertoire / Concert Band ou Harmonie

Par VAN DER ROOST JAN. This 4-movement suite is based on authentic folktunes from the beautiful southern province in France: the 'Provence'. The composer used an harmonic language respecting the popular characteristics, but on the other hand also contains some 'spicy' notes (. . . just like the wellknown 'Provençal sauce'! . . . ). The instrumentation is very colourful, paying a lot of attention to the different timbres of both brass and wood winds as well as to the percussion section. Every movement has its own character: 'Un Ange a fa la crido' (= An angel brought the creed / credo) is like a bourrée, 'Adam e sa Coumpagnou' (= Adam and his companion) is an old love song, 'Lou Fustié' (= the carpenter)a fast dance and finally 'Lis Escoubo' (= a whistle tune / popular ballad) is a farandole. In the latter, the old tradition of folk musicians who play a whistle with one hand and a drum with the other hand, is clearly represented during the first presentations of the one and only theme)Although this piece is not too demanding, a well balanced band is necessary to perform it successfully. Thanks to the contrasts and the varying colours, it keeps on holding the attention. / Niveau : 3 / Répertoire / Concert Band ou Harmonie

Concert Band Signature Series. Par WALKER GEORGE. In 1946, George Walker was still doing graduate work at the Curtis institute when he composed Lyric for Strings, which would prove over the coming decades to become one of the most performed and enduring string orchestra works of the 20th Century. This first-ever edition for symphonic wind band was arranged by Dr. Luci Disano and premiered by The President's Own United States Marine Band on August 24, 2022. George Walker (June 27, 1922 - August 23, 2018) began his groundbreaking career as a young piano virtuoso and was admitted to Oberlin College on a scholarship following his first public recital at the age of 14. Graduating with the highest honors in his Conservatory class, he was admitted to the Curtis Institute of Music, becoming the first black graduate of this renowned music school. His works demonstrate a wide range of artistic excellence in genres ranging from instrumental and vocal solos and chamber music to compositions for orchestra and other large ensembles. He is the first black composer to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize. / Date parution : 2023-07-31/ Répertoire / Concert Band

Par BULLA STEPHEN. What can be more charming than a comely Irish folk melody? This is music that allows the band to play in the rubato style, with much room for expression. Found in an old British publication and simply called “Irish Air, ” this endearing arrangement is a rhapsodic treatment that takes fragments of the melody and develops them into a large symphonic work. The freedom of tempi allows you to work with your band in a sensitively conducted way that only a beautiful piece like this will allow. There is always room on a concert program for at least one lush, melodic contrast piece. Perhaps this one is for you. It’s so difficult to describe a thing of real beauty. Please listen tothe demo recording and hear it for yourself. / Niveau : 3 / Répertoire / Concert Band ou Harmonie

Par VAN DER ROOST JAN. 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. / Niveau : 6 / Pièce de concert / Répertoire / Concert Band ou Harmonie

From 'The Ruins of Athens' Opus 113. Par BEETHOVEN LUDWIG VAN. Brisk and inviting! This joyful and familiar melody by Ludwig Van Beethoven will quickly become a staple of your music library when you add it to your permanent collection. Articulation and dynamic contrasts abound, making TURKISH MARCH a solid choice for festival. It’s also a great teaching and reinforcement tool when working on staccato playing. The piece can be effective at a wide range of tempi, from brisk to stately. Thoughtful cueing keeps the arrangement accessible even to groups that have troublesome instrumentation. It never hurts to have young bands play music from the great masters, and this little gem is so endearing that any audience will delight in yourperformance. / Niveau : 3 / Marche de concert / Répertoire / Concert Band ou Harmonie

Par RAE JAMES. James Rae is the man who put fun into woodwind and brass teaching. His many compositions, especially in the jazz and blues idioms, have often featured on examination syllabuses. Recent years have seen his publications of easy flexible ensembles for younger players and now he turns his attention to the wind band. In his new series “The Concert Band Collection”, he has written exciting new pieces for the standard concert band line up. Attention is given to each instrument so that the technical and musical requirements do not exceed UK Grade 2.5. An optional piano part will provide “stuffing” and moral support for the young players who will quickly enjoy James’ catchy and imaginative music. Each volume contains two titles. Each volume features two titles. This one includes the haunting and nostalgic waltz “Secret Fairground” and a dynamic masterpiece called “Blue Strut”. A score of this edition (without the parts) is available with the number UE21793./ Répertoire / Concert Band

for Wind Orchestra, World Set (no ESS). Par CESARINI FRANCO. Fascinated by the beauty of Chicago, Franco Cesarini has translated his emotions into music: this is how Symphony No. 3 “Urban Landscapes” Op. 55, was born, a musical portrait of this metropolis overlooking Lake Michigan. The composition is divided into three movements: The Wrigley Building from Dawn to Noon, Blue Silhouette and Cloud Gates, which by sharing the same thematic material arranged in cyclical form, strengthen the overall cohesion of the piece. The first movement, preceded by a short slow introduction in which the main theme is presented in an almost dreamlike form, metaphorically represents the city at dawn. The sudden change of time symbolizes the start of activities with all its noises and sounds: you can hear the bell that announces the closing of the subway doors, the sound of cars speeding by, the siren of a patrol car. If the first movement represents the day, the second introduces a nocturnal environment: a melancholic melody played by the English horn anticipates a more animated tempo depicting melodies coming from jazz clubs. Powerful fanfares that take up the second theme of the first movement introduce the third movement. In this finale, the role of the two themes is reversed compared to the first movement and one takes the place of the other in a kind of games of mirrors. Symphony No. 3 “Urban Landscapes” Op. 55: a sumptuous musical portrait of the “Windy City”./ Répertoire / Concert Band

Par ABBA / ULVAEUS BJORN (Arr.). This song by ABBA is the core of the European disco-sound in the eighties. It was released in 1980 when ABBA was in its superstardom. A good tune with almost a sing-along guarantee from the audience. This arrangement in the Young Band series is suitable for many bands as the instrumentation is limited in its demand to number of instruments. In the same series several ABBA items are available, and this piece can be programmed alongside other ABBA songs from the same series. This arrangement is similar to the original in form. The semiquavers in the tuba part may be omitted as they also are covered in the baritone part. / Date parution : 2023-07-31/ Répertoire / Concert Band/Harmonie

Arr. Wil Van Der Beek. Par TCHAIKOVSKI PIOTR ILITCH. Tchaikovsky is best known for his purely instrumental compositions. However, we must not underestimate him as a composer of operas. Many of his operas such as ¬Pique Dame and Eugene Onegin are still performed regularly throughout the world. Eugene Onegin (also called Jevgeny Onegin), composed in 1877-1878, was not called an opera by Tchaikovsky himself, but “lyric scenes”. The work is entirely dominated by lyricism. However, there are two moments that contrast sharply with this lyricism: two ball scenes, for which Tchaikovsky wrote a waltz and a polonaise. After opening with a less well-known allegro dansant, this arrangement features the aforementioned waltz, which can beconsidered a beautiful Russian equivalent of the Faust Waltz by Charles Gounod. In the opera, this waltz is actually played by a military band. The arrangement concludes with the pompous polonaise (also mentioned above) which opens the last act: the ideal music to characterize high aristocracy in the salon of a palace in St. Petersburg. / Niveau : 3 / Répertoire / Concert Band ou Harmonie

Par PROKOFIEV SERGEI. The Russian ballet director Sergei Diaghilev commissioned many composers to write music for the theatre. This was what caused Serge Prokofiev to compose the four part Scytische Suite (also known as Ala and Lolli) in 1916, from which The Enemy God and the Dance of the Spirits can be heard on this CD. This suite is one of Prokofiev's first works, and received negative criticism following its first performance on account of its being 'uncivilised'. Prokofiev himself wrote after this first performance '. . . The timpani player beat the skin of the timpani to tatters, and the whole orchestra voiced a protest. A cellist complained that he only put up with the violence, createdby the blaring brass, on account of his sick wife and three children. . . '. / Niveau : 5 / Pièce de concert / Répertoire / Concert Band