Par SPARKE PHILIP. The south-western US state of Arizona has more than its fair share of stunning landscapes, natural phenomena and National Monuments. Best known is the Grand Canyon, but there are also numerous deserts, a petrified forest, extinct volcanoes and the huge Sunset Crater. Not surprisingly, it has featured as the backdrop to many Western movies. The Painted Desert is a narrow, crescent-shaped arc about 160 miles long which begins near the Grand Canyon and varies in width from 10 to 35 miles. It is largely void of vegetation and years of erosion by wind and rain have exposed sedimentary layers of rock up to 250 million years old. Chemical differences in the various layers result in aneffect not unlike a multicoloured layer cake with contrasting hues of red, orange and pink, blue, grey and lavender creating a silent and barren landscape which looks like it has been hand-painted. As with much of the planet’s stunning landscapes all the observer can do is stand and stare. / Niveau : 1 / Pièce de concert / Répertoire / Concert Band ou Harmonie

Boogie, Blues & Ragtime for Band. Par HOVI ERIC. Compact Band Series :Cette nouvelle collection propose une série d’oeuvres de tous styles, dans un degré de difficulté restreint (2-21/2 ). Le choix d’une instrumentation élargie a permis d’obtenir une excellente homogénéité entre les pupitres et de belles couleurs sonores. Ces oeuvres sont dont accessibles, à la fois, aux formations incomplètes ainsi qu’aux formations complètes grâce aux parties optionnelles incluses dans le set. / MAESTRO SWING : Cette suite en trois mouvements croise les genres et les époques, et fond en un même flux, des thèmes ou éléments thématiques extraits d’oeuvres de trois grands maîtres de la musique : Antonio Vivaldi, Ludwigvan Beethoven et Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Antonio’s Boogie s’inspire d’une ligne mélodique des Quatre Saisons de Vivaldi. Ludwig’s Blues s’appuie sur les quatre premières notes de la Cinquième Symphonie de Beethoven. Finalement, Wolfgang’s Rag développe des motifs de quintes aux cors qui font référence à l’univers sonore du maître Mozart. / Niveau : 2 / Musique légère originale / Répertoire / Concert Band ou Harmonie

for Wind Orchestra, World Set (no ESS). Par CESARINI FRANCO. Fascinated by the beauty of Chicago, Franco Cesarini has translated his emotions into music: this is how Symphony No. 3 “Urban Landscapes” Op. 55, was born, a musical portrait of this metropolis overlooking Lake Michigan. The composition is divided into three movements: The Wrigley Building from Dawn to Noon, Blue Silhouette and Cloud Gates, which by sharing the same thematic material arranged in cyclical form, strengthen the overall cohesion of the piece. The first movement, preceded by a short slow introduction in which the main theme is presented in an almost dreamlike form, metaphorically represents the city at dawn. The sudden change of time symbolizes the start of activities with all its noises and sounds: you can hear the bell that announces the closing of the subway doors, the sound of cars speeding by, the siren of a patrol car. If the first movement represents the day, the second introduces a nocturnal environment: a melancholic melody played by the English horn anticipates a more animated tempo depicting melodies coming from jazz clubs. Powerful fanfares that take up the second theme of the first movement introduce the third movement. In this finale, the role of the two themes is reversed compared to the first movement and one takes the place of the other in a kind of games of mirrors. Symphony No. 3 “Urban Landscapes” Op. 55: a sumptuous musical portrait of the “Windy City”./ Répertoire / Concert Band