SKU: HL.49047172

UPC: 196288143406.

When the 24-year-old Richard Strauss, assistant conductor in Munich, began the composition of his third tone poem in the summer of 1888, he saw himself close to the aspiration prescribed by his mentor Alexander Ritter: to become the successor of Richard Wagner as a musical dramatist. Strauss had already been working on the text of his first opera Guntram for a year and additionally devoted himself to programmatic orchestral works oriented to the musical language of Liszt and Wagner in order to prepare himself compositionally for his new task. With the aid of Strauss and other musicians including Ludwig Thuille and Friedrich Rösch who had been gathering for “Ritter's round table” in Munich between 1886 and 1889, Ritter’s intention was to achieve success on a broad front with the New German School following the death of its two protagonists Wagner and Liszt. We do not know whether Ritter and his supporters jointly planned Strauss's compositional path towards opera, determined the subjectsof his prospective tone poems and considered various strategies of their musical realization, but the influence of this group shouldnot be underestimated. It cannot be ruled out that the number of three tone poems was fixed, as was their sequence of composition, which would progressively achieve its zenith in an increasing orientation to Liszt and Wagner. The circle could possibly have also discussed initial links to literary subjects (Macbeth and Don Juan) and ultimately the abstention from this practice in the third and final tone poem. The subject of the work, or rather in Strauss’s formulation its “poetic model”, has occasionally been interpreted from an autobiographical aspect. Strauss however did not experience serious illness until May 1891 and once more in June 1892, long after Tod und Verklärung had been composed. Even without an external reason, the material would have been only too attractive for an admirer of Wagner and Liszt like Strauss, not to mention for his mentor Alexander Ritter. The concept of 'death and transfiguration' had already played a central role in Liszt’s symphonic poems Tasso and Prometheus.

SKU: HL.4008328

ISBN 9781705198056. UPC: 196288148401.

Cape Horn is situated at the southern point of South America, on the Chilean island “Isla Hornos”. For centuries, sailing around thehorn was said to be one of he most dangerous passages for ships that wanted to sail from the Atlantic Ocean westwards to the PacificOcean. Tradition has it that Sir Francis Drake discovered Cape Horn in 1578 and the Dutch voyager Willem Cornelisz Schouten was the first to round it in 1616. It was the latter who named the promontory after his Dutch hometown Hoorn. It is estimated that over 800 ships and 10,000 men in total sank into the icy waters during attempts to circumnavigate the cape. The work Cape Horn – a solo for Horn and concert band – attempts to reflect the beauty, but also the peril of this region. It is a matter of great importance to thecomposer Otto M. Schwarz to write new repertoire in the wind band solo works genre. The tonal language of his main genre – film music – is as unmistakable as the experimental parts and catchy tunes.

SKU: HL.48024524

ISBN 9781784542566. UPC: 888680925741. 8.25x11.75x0.212 inches.

Composer's Notes: “In writing this work I wanted to compose something which was both timeless and contemporary, both sacred and secular. The title (Sacred Songs) is therefore slightly misleading as the three poems are concerned with political repression in Latin America and are deliberately coupled with traditional religious texts to emphasise a deeper solidarity with the poor of that sub-continent. It was my interest in Liberation Theology which made me combine the poems of the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo in Argentina with the texts of the Latin mass in Búsqueda (an earlier music-theatre work) and has now led me to attempt a similar synthesis of ideas in Cantos Sagrados. The voices in Ariel Dorfman's poems belong to those who suffer a particular type of political repression: the 'disappearance' of political prisoners. Ana Maria Mendoza's poem about the Virgin of Guadeloupe tackles the same problem by asking a more fundamental cultural and historical question.”.

SKU: HL.195818

UPC: 888680642617. 8.5x14.0x3.0 inches.

This major work is an affirmation of assurance that takes us on a musical and spiritual pilgrimage through the beloved 23rd Psalm. Singers and listeners will be carried from peaceful meadows to the shadowed valleys, and from the fragile hope of faith, to life everlasting. A work of scope and substance, Psalm 23 - A Journey with the Shepherd gives directors a wonderful opportunity to program outside the seasonal box. A glorious orchestration by Michael Lawrence decorates the expressive choral writing with color and a theatrical sweep. Songs include: We Are Not Alone; The Lord Is My Shepherd; Restore My Soul; Lead Me on the Paths of Righteousness; Though I Walk through the Valley; You Comfort Me; My Cup Overflows; We Are Not Alone (reprise); Surely Goodness and Mercy. Score and Parts (fl 1-2, ob, cl 1-2, bn, tpt 1-3, hn 1-2, tbn 1-2, tbn 3/tba, perc 1-2, timp, hp, pno, vn 1-2, va, vc, db) available as a Printed Edition and as a digital download.

SKU: HL.280392

UPC: 888680971069. 8.5x11.75x0.281 inches.

The Cello Concerto is in four main sections that are played without a break. As with most of my work, the music throughout is generated from the ideas presented in the fi rst few bars, and these ideas and their variants appear freely in the different sections. Recurring material and references to earlier sections are used deliberately to create not only a sense of unity but also an impression of familiarity that aspires to induce a dream-like perception of the passing music, a kind of spiral. The piece opens with a slow introduction that gradually quickens into the first main section, an allegro. The form of the second section, which is in a lighter mood, is based on an early 13th century verse form, the Sestina, which consists of six stanzas of sixlines each, followed by an envoi. The words that end each line in the first stanza are rotated in a strictly prescribed pattern* to give the line-endings of the remaining stanzas; in this adaptation, each line consists of four bars, and the repetitions ensue according to the plan. The intricate repetition inherent in this form can also be seen as a form of spiral. The third section is an extended slow movement interrupted by a quicker episode that refers to the fi rst section. Generally lighter and in a similar vein to the second section, the final section includes a reference to the slow movement before returning to the lighter music that ends the piece. This work is dedicated to Natalie Clein.

SKU: HL.4008703

UPC: 196288190837.

Strat oscape, by Swiss composer Gauthier Dupertuis, is a colorful and contrasting work for wind orchestra, depicting the view of our earth as seen from the stratosphere. This voyage into the sky is pictural, but also metaphorical, as it is also about distancing from our world. The work is divided into five sections: I Ignition!, II Broadness & The Big Blue, III Stars Shining from Down to Above, IV Destructive Forces, V One and Only Home Five contrasting movements, starting with Ignition in which Gauthier Dupertuis tries to musically convey the majesty of our planet seeing if from the atmosphere, ending with One and Only Hope, as the title say, a message of hope. In between three movements that depict the broadness of the landscapes of our planet (second movement), the fragility of our earth at night with only the stars shining (third movement). But also sheer reality in the fourth movement when the composer translates into music the damage caused toour planet by us human beings. Stratoscape: a fantastic view of Planet Earth!

SKU: HL.4008676

UPC: 196288190196.

Cé sar Franck, composer, pianist, organist and music teacher, completed Cupid and Psyché, his sixth and last symphonic poem in 1887. It was first performed in Paris in 1888 and was a complete success, but the piece later fell completely into oblivion, and it was only thanks to some meticulous research that it has returned to concert halls. The intricate love affair between Psyche and Cupid is an original story of the Metamorphoseswritten in the 2nd century AD by Apuleius. The tale is about overcoming obstacles in love and their final union. The symphonic poem is divided into three parts and calls for a choir. The movement that is the subject of this arrangement, Psyché et Érosis positioned at the end of the second part. Franco Cesarini's version for wind orchestra carefully illustrates the nuances of the instrumental colours, and represents a real test aimed at demonstrating the musicality and interpretative skills of orchestras and their conductors.