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 BULLA STEPHEN. An endlessly effulgent offering, Stephan Bulla’s WINTERFEST is the perfect choice for making spirits bright at your next winter concert! Buoyant settings of five traditional carols include Hark The Herald Angels Sing, Ding Dong Merrily On High, The First Noel, While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks, and Angels From The Realms Of Glory. This is the kind of exciting Christmas medley that audiences long to hear when they attend a winter performance. WINTERFEST is filled with dynamic effects such as sudden shifts to opposite levels of volume. Lots of upper Woodwind action helps to assure that every player has an enjoyable and memorable experience in rehearsal andperformance. You won’t regret placing WINTERFEST in a key position at this year’s Christmas concert. It’s great fun for everyone! / Niveau : 4 / Répertoire / Concert Band ou Harmonie

Par CURNOW JAMES. What a wonderful idea! Make beautiful music such as this available at the Grade 1 level! Even young bands love to play enchantingly beautiful melodies. You’ve spent a lot of time and effort in helping your students learn to play full value notes, breathe in appropriate places, and stretch out their phrases so that they sound more mature and less like beginners. In the Bleak Mid-Winter by Holst is a perfect opportunity for them to truly realise the value of these things you’ve been teaching. Your musicians will come away from the experience of preparing this piece with a better understanding of how to shape a melodic phrase and play with warm, reserved elegance. / Niveau : 1 / Répertoire / Concert Band

Par CURNOW JAMES. What a wonderful idea! Make beautiful music such as this available at the Grade 1 level! Even young bands love to play enchantingly beautiful melodies. You’ve spent a lot of time and effort in helping your students learn to play full value notes, breathe in appropriate places, and stretch out their phrases so that they sound more mature and less like beginners. IN THE BLEAK MID-WINTER by Holst is a perfect opportunity for them to truly realize the value of these things you’ve been teaching. Your musicians will come away from the experience of preparing this piece with a better understanding of how to shape a melodic phrase and play with warm, reserved elegance. Captivating! / Niveau : 1 / Répertoire / Concert Band ou Harmonie

for Euphonium and Concert Band. Par SPARKE PHILIP. Pulcinella was commissioned by the Taiwanese euphonium player Tzu-Hsiang Lin. Lin is a renowned soloist and teacher and a Besson Euphonium Artist. He teaches euphonium at Taipei National University of the Arts, National Taiwan University of Arts, Shih Chien University and National Kaohsiung Normal University. Lin gave the premiere of Pulcinella in both its concert band and brass band versions in January 2021. Pulcinella continues Sparke’s series of euphonium solos named after characters of the Italian commedia dell’arte and opens with a long and expressive minor melody for the soloist over a brooding accompaniment. This is taken up briefly by the full band and is extended by the soloist after a change of key. A cadenza, accompanied by fragments of the main melody leads to a complete change of mood, tempo and tonality, introducing a Vivo section starting with a perky syncopated tune for the soloist. The band then uses elements of this new tune to introduce a change of key, where the soloist introduces a more lyrical second subject over a pulsing accompaniment. The band then takes this up and changes key to reintroduce the original Vivo melody, which leads to a short and acrobatic coda to bring the work to a spectacular close./ Répertoire / Euphonium et Orchestre d'Harmonie

Par HESS NIGEL. Commissioned in 1994 by the Royal Air Force, 'Scramble!' is a concert overture for symphonic wind band inspired by images of the RAF's airfields during the Battle of Britain, immortalised for ever in such films as 'Reach for the Sky'. The pastoral opening depicts the lull before the storm: the young pilots sitting in wicker chairs outside their barracks on a sunlit morning. The peace is, of course, deceptive, suddenly amid siren sounds, there is a shout of 'Scramble!', and a rush to the waiting planes. In no time at all the squadron is airborne, heading for a skirmish over the English Channel and beyond. A lyrical central section featuring a solo cornet depicts the stillness many pilots described as they flew to engage the enemy, before the battle breaks out once more. For those who returned, it would be only a short while before, once again, they would hear the familiar shout of 'Scramble!'/ Répertoire / Orchestre D'Harmonie

Anton Bruckner (1824-1896). Par BRUCKNER ANTON / DOSS THOMAS (Arr.). Anton Bruckner (b. 4.9.1824, Ansfelden, d. 11.10.1896, Vienna) didn?t have it easy. Throughout his life, the Austrian composer was plagued by self-doubt. Anton Bruckner came from a simple, rural background. After the death of his father, he was accepted as a choirboy at the monastery of Sankt Florian in 1837. After several years as a school assistant and his own organ and piano studies, he first worked as organist in St. Florian, then from 1855 as cathedral organist in Linz. Introduced to music theory and instrumentation by Simon Sechter and Otto Kitzler, he discovered Richard Wagner as an artistic role model, whom he admired throughout his life and also visited several times in Bayreuth. In 1868 Anton Bruckner became professor of basso continuo, counterpoint and organ at the Vienna Conservatory; ten years later court organist; and in 1891 finally honorary doctor of the University of Vienna. He was considered an important organ virtuoso of his era, but had to wait a long time for recognition as a composer. It was not until Symphony No.7 in E major, composed between 1881 and 1883, with the famous Adagio written under the effects of Wagner's death, that he achieved the recognition he had hoped for, even if he was reluctant to accept it given his inclination towards scepticism and self-criticism. Anton Bruckner was a loner who did not want to follow a particular school or doctrine. He composed numerous sacred vocal works, such as his three masses, the Missa Solemnis in B flat minor (1854), the Te Deum (1881-84) and numerous motets. As a symphonic composer, he wrote a total of nine symphonies and many symphonic studies from 1863 onwards, tending to revise completed versions several times over. Bruckner's orchestral works were long considered unplayable, but in fact were merely exceptionally bold for the tonal language of their time, uniting traditions from Beethoven through Wagner to folk music, on the threshold between late Romanticism and Modernism. Anton Bruckner composed about 40 motets during his lifetime, the earliest a setting of Pange lingua around 1835, and the last, Vexilla regis, in 1892. Thomas Doss has compiled some of these motets in this volume for symphonic wind orchestra. These motets show many characteristics of personal expression, especially Bruckner's colourful harmony in the earlier works, which is in places aligned with Franz Schubert (changes between major and minor; and movements in thirds). Later works are characterised by many components which, in addition to the expanded stature of the movements, include above all a sense of the instrumentation as an outward phenomenon and the harmony as a compositional feature that works more internally. Some aspects of Bruckner's work are the result of his long period of study, which familiarised him not only with the tradition of his craft, but also gave him insights into the 'modernity' of his time in such composers as Wagner, Liszt and Berlioz. From this developed his personal standpoint, which always pursues the connection between the old and the new. / Date parution : 2023-08-12/ Répertoire / Concert Band/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

Par DE HAAN JACOB. A collection of 5 short works in pop style which can be performed by any kind of compilation. The titles can be presented on the programme as separate works but the Universal Band Collection can also be performed as a complete suite. From a didactic point of view it is a suitable work to teach musicians something about the structure in music. For this purpose not only the big structure but also the small structure was kept very clear. Western Girl : A girl from the west of the USA rides her horse across the prairie, dreaming of her future. The rough structure: introduction - theme in a blues scale - the same thing in a different instrumentation - finale. Just a ballad : A balladin pop style with a rough A-B-A form. First there is the introduction of the main theme (A), then follows a tenor melody in minor with a rhythmical reference to the main theme (B). Finally there is the main melody, performed tutti with a different rhythm in the drums (A'). Play the Game : An English saying meaning: play fairly. Playful music in up-tempo with a wink to China, where almost all games are manufactured nowadays. Once again an A-B-A structure here. San Diego : A Mexican fugitive enjoys his freedom in America but also remembers his place of birth with melancholy. A sad minor melody with a straight trendy beat appears twice. The second time it has a slightly different instrumentation, in which the muted trumpets represent the Mexican feeling. Final Dance : Eventually there is a dance with an introduction in renaissance style, followed by a fast dance in rock style. All this composed in a classical song structure: introduction, verse, bridge, chorus, shortened verse, bridge, chorus, chorus. / Niveau : 2 / Musique légère originale / Répertoire / Concert Band

Par BULLA STEPHEN. This arrangement is an energetic march that provides a spirited setting for the familiar 'bell' melodies of the season. The main tunes featured are Carol of the Bells, I Heard the Bells and Jingle Bells, but you will also hear several other tunes woven into the music. / Niveau : 4 / Marche / Répertoire / Concert Band

Overture. Par BERLIOZ HECTOR. Hector Berlioz was known for his innovative and creative musical gestures. He composed the opera Benvenuto Cellini in 1838, based on the fascinating life of a 16th century Italian goldsmith of the same name. Unfortunately the work as a whole never gained much popularity however its colourful and exciting overture has, on the other hand, become a firm favourite. Tohru Takahashi has created a stunning concert band arrangement of this well-known overture. / Niveau : 5 / Transcription / Répertoire / Concert Band ou Harmonie

To General George Washington. Par CURNOW JAMES. The grand and energetic opening, contrasting styles, careful attention to articulations, and rich harmonies make this one sound more advanced than it actually is. Consider using Heroic Tribute as the opening piece for your young band festival performance. The easy but bright and colorful Percussion, along with excellent use of the Woodwind and Brass sections, make this an ideal contest piece. There are plenty of teaching opportunities packed into this majestic new mini-overture for young bands. In fact, even if your band usually plays higher grade level music you should still give this one serious consideration. Occasionally it’s good idea to rehearse a high-quality easiercomposition, where your entire ensemble can concentrate fully on ensemble playing, phrasing, tone quality, etc. and not worry about just chasing notes. This piece provides great cross-curricular teaching opportunities with history. A great teaching piece as well as a gem in performance! / Niveau : 1.5 / Pièce de concert / Répertoire / Concert Band

Overture. Par BULLA STEPHEN. Galvanizing, angular melodies electrify this compelling overture! Challenge your band with this powerful, modern piece while you fully engage the audience. The spectacular opening leads to unexpected and intriguing places with relentless energy. This would be a great composition to use when your group returns from the intermission of a major concert. An atmospheric middle section lets your group show their expressive side to great effect too, until the tension and forward motion return for the great conclusion. Intense! / Niveau : 3 / Pièce de concert / Répertoire / Concert Band

Par DE HAAN JACOB. This composition is based on a passacaglia theme, in which artistic perfection, symphonic drama and oriental melody lines play a role. The passacaglia is originally a dance made up of a series of variations above a bass line constantly present as an ostinato. It is not in this sense that the 'Symphonic Variations' are in the passacaglia form but in the sense of the open form of the variations. Jacob de Haan, himself originally an organist, took his inspiration for this piece from the famous passacaglia for organ in C-minor by J. S. Bach. Following the introduction of the passacaglia theme (in the bass) the entry by the trumpets and trombones forms the majestic start to amusical adventure, in which this theme (often fragmentary) returns in variations. Then there follow two faster movements with dramatic contrasts and virtuose passages. Particularly striking here is the use of two characteristic intervals from the beginning of the theme namely the minor second and the augmented fourth. An apause in the composition comes in the slow bridge where a syncopated bourdon (perfect fifth) is constantly repeated. The tension grows in dynamics and harmony, and the oriental-flavour becomes obvious in the melody. We arrive at a faster movement via an accelerando, in which a perpetuum mobile based on the passacaglia theme is central. Finally the whole flows into a martial theme, in which the ostinato accompaniment n the descant derives from the passacaglia theme. / Niveau : 5 / Pièce de concert / Répertoire / Concert Band ou Harmonie

Par BULLA STEPHEN. This arrangement is an energetic march that provides a spirited setting for the familiar 'bell' melodies of the season. The main tunes featured are Carol of the Bells, I Heard the Bells and Jingle Bells, but you will also hear several other tunes woven into the music. / Niveau : 4 / Répertoire / Concert Band ou Harmonie