Par SPARKE PHILIP. Fanfare and Celebration was commissioned by the Brass Band of the Western Reserve (Dr Keith M. Wilkinson, director) to celebrate their 15th anniversary. Based in north-west Ohio, the band was formed in 1997 and was competing in the Championship Section of the North American Brass Band Championships in less than three years. The first performance of Fanfare and Celebration took place in Akron, Ohio, on November 10th 2012. The opening Fanfare features the cornet section, in two groups standing either side of the band. A central horn theme brings a change of mood before the cornets take the lead once more. Celebration follows seamlessly andcontinues the declamatory style until a cantando theme in uneven meter is introduced. A transformed recapitulation ushers in a return of the Fanfare to close the work. / Niveau : 4 / Ouverture / Répertoire / Brass Band

Unknown Land. Par DE HAAN JAN. Download the Digeridoo sound file here. In five musically and thematically continuous parts, this composition transports us to foreign, fascinating places - stepping into the shoes of the explorers who set off to discover unknown lands centuries ago. The test piece for the Dutch Brass BandChampionships 2015 (Challenge Section) holds interesting solo parts for flugelhorn and trombone. An exciting musical journey! / Niveau : 6 / Pièce de concert / Répertoire / Brass Band

Par HESKETH KENNETH. In Danceries , by Kenneth Hesketh, the melodies themselves are a mixture of old and new. Where the old occurs it has been adapted in mood and composition and is often interspersed with completely new material. The contemporary harmonies and rhythms bring a breath of new into these themes and add drama to the suite. The first movement, Lull Me Beyond Thee , is gentle and lilting, almost a barcarole, this movement is very much a reverie. The original tune had the name Poor Robin's Maggot , a rather disconcerting title. Maggot, however, in seventeenth-century parlance meant whim or fancy. The second, Catching of Quails , is a colourful, buoyant scherzo on an original melody. The thematic material is shuttled around the band to contrast with full-blooded tuttis. The last few bars fade to almost nothing, before a final surprise! My Lady's Rest is a tender pavane, also on an original melody, with Moorish leanings. Beautiful solo passages, expressive contrapuntal writing and warm tuttis provide an opportunity to show off the most lyrical of playing. The final movement, Quodling's Delight is a clever combination of the 17th century melody, Goddesses , with an original contrasting melody, creating a rousing and exuberant finale to the work. / Niveau : Assez Facile / Répertoire / Brass Band

Par BULLA STEPHEN. Stephen Bullas highly descriptive work was written to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Iwo Jima, which took place between the 19th February and 26th March 1945. Casualties on both the American and Japanese sides were horrendously high before the famous image of the raising of the flag on top of Mount Suribachi signalled the end of one of the most significant and terrifying Pacific conflicts of the SecondWorld War. The work received its first performance by the brass choir of the U. S. Marine Band at the National Cathedral in Washington D. C. and is divided into four programmatic sections. The first portrays the sense of anticipation before conflict (Prologue), before the arduous journey to the scene of the battle (Approach by Sea) is followed by introspection and prayer featuring the hymn tune Melita (Chorale Prayer), andfinally, the hostile confrontation itself (Engagement). There are frequent references to the Marines Hymn and the US National Anthem, particularly in the closing bars, depicting the ultimate raising of the American flag. / Niveau : 4 / Pièce de concert / Répertoire / Brass Band

Par CURNOW JAMES. À partir de 776 avant J. -C. et pendant plus d’un millénaire, les Jeux Olympiques antiques ont eu lieu dans le site sacré d’Olympie en Grèce. L’année 1896 voit la renaissance de l’olympisme. Le baron Pierre de Coubertin organise les premiers Jeux modernes à Athènes. En 1996, Atlanta célèbre avec faste le centenaire des Jeux. James Curnow compose à la demande du Comité Olympique d’Atlanta cette oeuvre brillante, idéale pour débuter un concert. / Niveau : 4 / Ouverture / Répertoire / Brass Band

Par SPARKE PHILIP. South Down Pictures was commissioned by Millenium Brass 2000, an organisation comprising three brass bands from the county of Sussex, England. The bands (Patcham Silver, Hangleton and Brighton Silver) had got together to organise many events to mark the new millennium and these culminated in a concert in Hove Town Hall on July 9th 2000 when all three bands combined to give the first performance of South Down Pictures. The composer spent much of his childhood amongst the South Downs, a range of hills in Sussex which runs parallel to the sea. Opening with a strong unison passage, interrupted briefly by faster figures based on the interval of a fifth, South Down Picturesdevelops with an often-passionate legato melody. Reaching a climax, this is then followed by the main vivo section of the work, whose main theme is based on the earlier ‘fifth’ figures. A bridge passage leads to a short chorale figure and a rhythmic climax which dissolves into a plaintive cornet solo over staccato chords. This theme is taken up by the whole band and leads back to a recapitulation of the main theme and earlier material. The cornet tune returns triumphantly in the major key before the opening unison passage reappears to provide a stirring coda. / Niveau : 4 / Pièce de concert / Répertoire / Brass Band

Par DE HAAN JACOB. Pacific Dreams describes the experience of Miguel, a traveling composer from Spain who, feeling somewhat alienated from his homeland, is wandering through an area of Sydney known as The Rocks. At a small outdoor market in a typical street of this oldcolonial neighbourhood, he discovers a print of William DeShazos painting 'Pacific Dreams' Portrayed in the painting is the surf of one of the exotic islands in the Pacific. Next, with the impressive Sydney Harbour Bridge looming over the narrowstreets of The Rocks, he envisions sultry Pacific beaches. Suddenly a theme he once composed about the lakes in Japan comes to him. Is it the Asian influences present in cosmopolitan Sydney that bring this theme to mind? Or perhaps the waters aroundSydney, over which he could sail to Tahiti? He is uncertain. Could this same theme be used to create a new composition about his feelings for the metropolis Sydney? How then to work his Pacific Dreams into the mix? Miguel is certainly no fan ofHawaiian music. Mayby he could use the vocabularies of islands like Hawaii and Tahiti, their beautiful vowel combinations being sung ad libitum by a mixed choir. With these ideas and his newly purchased print of 'Pacific Dreams', he boards the Metroat Circular Quay. He has a final glimpse of the harbour and the Sydney Opera House as the train races into the ground. On to the hotel! To work! He must compose!Maestoso : Miguel is impressed as he gazes upon the Sydney Harbour Bridge. And yet, hewants to go away from this city. Away, to an exotic island in the Pacific. Steady Rock : In the Rocks, musicians are playing at a square. Miguel basks in the atmosphere but at the same time he is fantasizing about Hawaii and Tahiti. Andante Lamentoso :In his hotel room, Miguel is feeling sad and lonely in this big city. He takes comfort in his 'Pacific Dreams'. Allegro : Miguel boards the boat that takes him from Darling Harbour to Circular Quay. In his mind he is traveling on to Hawaii. Or is ithome, where the bolero is playing? He is pulled back to reality by the skyline of Sydney. / Niveau : 3 / Musique légère originale / Répertoire / Brass Band

Par HIMES WILLIAM. This rousing, jubilant overture mixes five original themes with the well-known doxology Old Hundredth, which is also known as Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow. The hymn is presented in short lyrical, energetic motif fragments, which combine until the complete hymn is presented in the form of a chorale prelude. This is a wonderful and truly uplifting concert work. / Niveau : 4 / Répertoire / Brass Band