Par HOSAY JAMES L.. Now your band can boldly go where no band has gone before, and bring the “final frontier” to your concert band stage! Here’s James L. Hosay’s imaginative new tone poem SPACE PROBE. Since the 1970's, NASA has been launching long-range, solar-powered probes into space. Over the past 30 years, the Voyager, Pioneer, and Galileo series’ probes have sent back incredible photographs. The data sent to Earth by these probes, along with recent photos and information gathered by the orbital telescope, Hubble, has helped astronomers chart the ever-expanding universe all the way back to its origins. This composition provides excellent opportunities for cross-curriculum teaching withscience. A scintillating musical spacescape ushers in the bold thematic statement in the Trumpets and Alto Saxophones. French Horns join in thrilling variation. A boundless contrasting espressivo theme soars through to the reprise of the initial ideas. Explore SPACE PROBE with your band this year. Inspiring! / Niveau : 2.5 / Pièce de concert / Répertoire / Concert Band ou Harmonie

Par VAN DER ROOST JAN. A spectacular dive via an extended chromatic scale immediately submerges us in a charged and somewhat archaic-feeling atmosphere. Trumpets, horns and trombones resound in rhythmic patterns, buttressed by restless motifs in the percussion. A second theme, in the woodwinds, begins much calmer but is quickly pushed aside by that same brass offensive. This introduction is the musical expression of the sometimes tumultuous early history of the town of Peer in Belgium. It closes with a D scale played over two octaves and repeated three times, symbolizing the church steeples that dominate the townscape. Peer has the credentials of a town, and people should know about it. There followsa rhythmic, turbulent passage: in the course of history, Peer has not been spared the ravages of war, arson, occupation, epidemic and other evils. In contrast, a slow, pastoral, lyrical part expresses the periods of peace and prosperity the town has known, as well as the serene geographic setting that still characterizes the place. Various instruments in groups are developed in solo style while the accompaniment displays vast, painterly images of sound. Now and then an exotic intonation is heard: a variety of peoples and cultures have left their mark on the town. This episode of tranquility and peacefulness comes to a sudden end when, via a surprising, almost chaotic transitional passage, we are in effect transported back to our own time. A hopeful, festive march expresses the confidence in the future that the Royal Concert Band of Peer exudes. This confidence is wholly justified: under the direction of conductor Willy Fransen, the 95 members of the concert band have experienced an extended period of good fortune, and the 75 musicians of the youth band - and the 45 little musicians of the mini-band - are involved in thriving operations. / Niveau : 6 / Pièce de concert / Répertoire / Concert Band ou Harmonie

Par SPARKE PHILIP. The Hanover Wind Symphony, New Jersey, USA was founded in 1984 by its conductor Peter Boor. He commissioned HANOVER FESTIVAL to celebrate the band’s 15th Birthday and the first performance took place on October 27th 1999. The piece starts with a solemn brass fanfare. Woodwinds join in and the music subsides into an expressive chorale. A climax is reached and the fanfare returns. Trumpets introduce an explosive vivo section, characterised by an energetic theme from the horns and low clarinets. A bridge passage with strong brass chords leads to a playful section that introduces a legato central theme under woodwind figures. This is taken up by the full band, the playfulmusic returns and the original horn tune is reintroduced. Finally the opening fanfare returns, this time accompanied by music from the vivo section, until a fast and furious coda closes the work. / Niveau : 4 / Pièce de concert / Répertoire / Concert Band ou Harmonie

Par SHELTON MELVIN L.. A touching and intense memoriam piece, the mechanics are on the easy side of Grade 4, but the demand for tone quality and control in tenuto passages and long slurred phrases calls for the best of musicianship from any group. The 'Adagio e Rubato' tempo indication invites the kind of wonderfully expressive ensemble playing that should probably make up a larger part of band literature than it does today. Over a quiet unifying heartbeat from the timpani, the band explores the emotions felt after a tragic personal loss. A soaring F Horn solo (cued in Trumpet. and Alto Saxophone) leads poignantly toward a gentle Orchestra Bells and Wind Chime ending. / Niveau : 4 / Musique pour célébration / Répertoire / Concert Band

Par SPARKE PHILIP. To A New Dawn was commissioned by the United States Continental Army Band - Captain Timothy J. Holtan, Commander and Conductor. The brief was for a piece to celebrate the 3rd Millennium and it was the composer’s aim to provide a work which, as well as looking forward to the challenges of the new century, also contained moments of reflection about the last one. After a bright introduction featuring the trumpets a perky theme, passing quickly through several keys, appears on the woodwinds. A solo trumpet takes up a new theme over bubbling quavers (eighth notes) and this leads to a rhythmic figure on low clarinets, followed by the upper woodwinds. A brass interlude follows and, after ashort bridge passage, an oboe takes up a contrasting legato tune that builds to a climax. An andante section follows with solos for horn and flugel horn (or trumpet) and a florid flute cadenza. A passionate climax leads back to the faster music and, eventually, to a full recapitulation, revisiting the earlier material before a lively coda close the work as it began. / Niveau : 4 / Pièce de concert / Répertoire / Concert Band ou Harmonie

Par SPARKE PHILIP. To celebrate the 350th anniversary of the Stadtmusikkapelle Wilten in Innsbruck Philip Sparke composed Wilten Festival Overture. A bold fanfare, led by the horns, forms the opening of the work from which an expressive theme unfolds until the full band reaches a climax. Short solo statements from saxophone, horn and trumpet lead to a recapitulation of this theme which melts into a rhythmic Vivo. A robust melody is is then played by the clarinets and taken up by the whole band before a legato figure leads to a cantabile theme, again presented by the clarinets. The original Vivo melody reappears before the opening fanfare is briefly heard and the work comes to an end with ashort Coda. A great experience for the whole band! / Niveau : 5 / Pièce de concert / Répertoire / Concert Band ou Harmonie