Little Suite for Orchestra No. 1: Op 53. Par ARNOLD MALCOLM. Malcolm Arnold is one Britain’s best-loved composers. In 1948 he composed a very short suite for the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain - entitled simply To Youth. Seven years later he took To Youth and made some fairly major revisions, including a complete new movement, and the Little Suite for Orchestra was born. The Little Suite for Orchestra follows a very similar pattern to the later suites for brass band, starting with a bold, strident Prelude, which strangely ends quietly before a lovely, lilting, Dance composed in 3/8 time. Finally a rollicking and militaristic March brings the suite to a conclusion. This arrangement for brass band by Robin Norman is sure tobecome a classic in the brass band repertoire. / Niveau : 4 / Pièce de concert / Date parution : 1905-06-30/ Répertoire / Brass Band

Arr. Kazuhiro Morita_Klaas Van Der Woude. Par PORTER COLE. L’auteur-compositeur américain Cole Porter (1891-1964) est initié au piano dès son plus jeune âge. Plus tard, il suit un cursus universitaire à Yale puis à Paris. Sa vie a suscité bien des commentaires. En 1918, il épouse Linda Lee Thomas. Le couple partage sa vie entre Paris, Venise, New York et Hollywood où Cole Porter se consacre à la composition de musiques de films. Le mariage est heureux en dépit de l’homosexualité notoire de Cole Porter. En 1937, il est victime d’un grave accident qui le laisse handicapé à vie. Cole Porter restera meurtri par cette expérience. Son épouse meurt en 1954. Quatre ans plus tard, il est amputé de la jambe droite. Son appétit de vivre et saflamme créatrice s’éteignent. Il meurt en 1964. Cole Porter a composé de superbes chansons et comédies musicales dont certaines sont encore très appréciées de nos jours. Il suffit d’évoquer I’ve Got You Under My Skin ou Every Time We Say Goodbye. Sa musique a été reprise par de nombreux artistes : des crooners et grandes vedettes du jazz telles que Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald et Oscar Peterson aux cantatrices Renée Fleming et Kiri Te Kanawa. Certains artistes pop, notamment U2 ou Tom Waits, ont également fait une incursion dans son riche répertoire. So in Love est une chanson romantique extraite de la comédie musicale Kiss Me Kate (1948). / Niveau : 3 / TV, Film, Comédie musicale / Recueil / Brass Band

Par DE HAAN JACOB. In this composition, Jacob de Haan sees the 'Ross Roy' as a metaphor for the years spent at school (a monument in time), where one's personality is formed. So, the opening theme the artist calls the Ross Roy theme initially has monumental characteristics. The rhythmic motion, which strides along in the lower register and percussion at the beginning of the next section is typical of 'Tempo di Marcia'. This movement, accompanied by repetitions of sound, is a metaphor for the structure and discipline in school. This is the introduction to a march theme, symbolic of 'passing through' the classes up to the final examinations. Then, the Ross Roy theme is dealt with again, now in aplayful, humorous variation. As if the composer is saying there should also be time for a smile in school. The same theme can be heard in major key and a slower tempo in the following section, expressing pride and self-confidence. This is also the introduction to the expressive middle section that represents love, friendship and understanding. We then return to the march theme in a slightly altered construction. The oriental sounds, constituting the modulation to the final theme, are symbols of the diversity of cultures in the school. The characteristic final theme first sounds solemn, but turns into a festive apotheosis. It is no coincidence that the final cadence is reminiscent of the close to a traditional overture, for the school years can be considered the 'overture' to the rest of one's life. / Niveau : 4 / Pièce de concert / Répertoire / Brass Band