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£120.00
Fire in the Sky - Peter Meechan
Fire in the Sky takes its inspiration from the stunning town of Montreux in Switzerland. I was commissioned to write the work 5 days before I visited this Montreux and was at work forming ideas for the piece as I arrived on the shore of Lake Geneva and its amazing views of the Alps.Whilst the scenery is without doubt some of the most incredible views I have ever witnessed, it was the history of the town that set Fire in the Sky in motion. Whilst there, it occurred to me that many of my musical heroes had lived or performed there, and three of them in particular had a strong connection with the town. Miles Davis, Igor Stravinsky and Freddie Mercury graced Montreux - the large convention centre, where the famous summer jazz festival is held, named its two halls after Davis and Stravinsky, and there is a quite breathtaking statue of Mercury in the town too.Each musician also commemorates an anniversary in 2011, the year of the premiere of Fire in the Sky; it is 40 years since the death of Stravinsky and both Miles Davis and Freddie Mercury died in 1991, making it 20 years since their deaths. So it seemed fitting to write a piece that in some way acknowledges them, and is a kind of personal athanksa for all they have given, and continue to give, me.The title comes from the famous Deep Purple song, Smoke on the Water - whose second line is aFire in the Skya and is a reference to the night the townas casino was set alight by a Frank Zappa fan. The piece tries to recreate the atmosphere of that night, paint a picture of fire in the sky (and smoke on the water) and also uses small anuggetsa of the music of my three greatest musical heroes, Miles Davis, Freddie Mercury and Igor Stravinsky.Fire in the Sky was commissioned by the Tomra Brass Band, Norway, and is dedicated to Stijn BerbeA and Nick Ost - both of whom are connected with the band (teaching and conducting), and both have been close friends - personally and musicaly - for many years. I am indebted to them for the opportunity to write this piece.
Estimated dispatch 12-14 working days
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£60.00
Land of the Living Skies - Peter Meechan
From the composer:aCommissioned by tuba virtuoso Patrick Sheridan, Land of the Living Skies is inspired by the love of photography shared by both Patrick and I.After moving from the UK to Saskatchewan, Canada, there were many changes, but perhaps the most striking of all were the skyscapes that my new home produced; stunning sunsets, incredible views of the Milky Way, amazing moonlit landscapes, and - of course - the Northern Lights.This piece was the last I wrote before moving away from Saskatchewan and. given that the Province calls itself the aLand of the Living Skiesa, it seemed only fitting to name the work after its amazing skies that had provided a lifetimeas worth of inspiration.The piece is dedicated to Patrick Sheridan, an amazing tubist, musician, educator and friend.aPete Meechan, January 2018
Estimated dispatch 12-14 working days
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£93.50The Seventh Night of July (Brass Band - Score and Parts)
In Japan, July the 7th is a holiday known as Tanabata, for which large celebrations are held throughout the country. The holiday is based on a legend about a young man and a young woman who are separated by the Milky Way and can only see each other once a year on this night. The Seventh Night of July is Itaru Sakai's musical interpretation of this romantic legend. The flugel horn and euphonium solos during the middle movement represent the two main themes from the legend.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£37.95The Year of the Dragon (Score Only)
The highlight of Cory's centenary celebrations throughout 1984 was a concert held in St. David's Hall, Cardiff, in March. The band, with the aid of funds provided by the Welsh Arts Council, commissioned Philip Sparke to write a work for first performance at this concert. The result was "The Year of the Dragon" of which the composer writes:"At the time I wrote The Year of the Dragon, Cory had won two successive National Finals and I set out to write a virtuoso piece to display the talents of this remarkable band to the full."The work is in three movements:TOCCATA opens with an arresting side drum figure and snatches of themes from various sections of the band, which try to develop until a broad and powerful theme from the middle of the band asserts itself. A central dance-like section soon gives way to the return of this theme, which subsides until faint echoes of the opening material fade to a close.INTERLUDE takes the form of a sad and languid solo for trombone. A chorale for the whole band introduces a brief spell of optimism but the trombone solo returns to close the movement quietly.FINALE is a real tour-de-force for the band with a stream of rapid semi-quavers running throughout the movement. The main theme is heroic and march-like but this is interspersed with lighter, more playful episodes. A distant fanfare to the sound of bells is introduced and this eventually returns to bring the work to a stirring close.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£34.95The Fire and the Phoenix (Trombone Solo)
Trombone Solo with Brass BandThe Fire & the Phoenix (2015) was commissioned by Brett Baker in early 2015 as the opening track to his solo CD 'Myths & Legends'. Whilst structurally a single-movement work, it is presented so that it can link directly into the next work on the CD, adding to a continuous theme comprising a number of pieces from a number of composers.Opening with huge strident chords in the full band, the representation of the phoenix is instantly reflected; bold, powerful and a bird of great intensity. This makes way for a more mystical section marked 'distant' which reflect the beauty of the Phoenix and it's mythical nature where the trombone soars up into its higher register with a sweeping melody.Soon after, the music takes a sharp turn, becoming dramatic and instantly moving away from the mystical mood created previously. Here, we imagine the Phoenix catching fire, burning intensely with huge flames as it gradually turns into ash. We reach a tonic pedal point in the music, over which chord progressions subtly weave in and out of the texture. Here, we imagine the Phoenix rising from the ashes, with the dynamics gradually increasing to reflect this, slowly taking shape as it is born again.A return to earlier material follows, this time manipulated to reflect the Phoenix in its new form - the same bird; the same animal; but at the same time different. A beautiful chorale-like passage is heard before the music transports us back into a magical land, where delicate rhythmic ideas are juxtaposed against bolder lower chords; both ideas together transporting the listener forward into the next piece.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£109.99
The Horn of Plenty - Marc Cunningham
The Horn of Plenty is a composition which allows to present the Horn in many styles. The opening has an heroic character and exudes an Spanish atmosphere. The next part is a playful and lighthearted Leggiero. The melody used in bar 38 has an oriental sound through melodic use of the harmonic scale. The Andante is a parody on a piano etude by the composer Stephen Heller, a Frenchman of Hungarian descent. The piece ends with a relaxed swing area in which the Horn also in a different way can be heard.
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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£243.00Aubade - Dawn Songs of the Fabulous Birds - Torstein Aagaard-Nilsen
Commissioned by The Norwegian Band Federation for The European Brass Band Championship 2003, in Bergen, Norway (Third edition) I remember as a kid the very early morning wake-up ceremonies caused by Seagulls having a "party" outside our home. Very few would describe it as beautiful, particularly not at 4:30 in the morning... But by listening carefully to birds I was fascinated by their diversity and musical language: they dont sing tunes or long phrases, they rather make sounds and signals, based on short motives. Aubade is based on musical pictures of the imaginary birds: the creatures with wings that exists only in myths and legends. The whole story starts with aBaritone-cadenza that evoke all the sleeping creatures. Very soon they all start to sing their songs in one way or another. The composition has a burlesque scherzo-character including slow espressive intersections. Traditional elements like melody and harmony is combined with extensive sounds and textural effects created by use of multiple muting, singing and playing at the same time. I am not too concerned about having a program for the piece. I just know that by thinking of the unheard dragon-songs, griffin-songs, the sound of the dodo, my creativity was stimultated. As a piece of music, Aubade follows its own rules based on well-known elements like melodies, arpeggio-figures, harmonies, rhythms, variations and recapitulation of ideas. - Torstein Aagaard-Nilsen
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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£68.99The Pioneers - Philip Sparke
In The Pioneers Philip Sparke salutes the bicentenary of an expedition by two all time American heroes - Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. They were commissioned by US President Thomas Jefferson to find the headwaters of the Missouri and a route to the Pacific following the Louisiana Purchase, which doubled the size of the USA. They set out as the 'Corps of Discovery' from Louisville, Kentucky, in May 1804 and not only did they succeed in reaching the Pacific through hostile territory, but also found their way back - in 3 years! The piece is not descriptive of the journey but gives the composer the opportunity to celebrate the 200th anniversary of this amazing feat. Add atouch of the wild-west to any concert with this exciting work.
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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£109.99The Power of the Megatsunami - Carl Wittrock
The word 'tsunami' is of Japanese origin. When you look it up in a dictionary, you will find that it means 'a great sea wave produced by submarine earth movement or volcanic eruption'. A megatsunami is the superlative of this awesome expressionof power that nature can create, and has catastrophic consequences. When Carl Wittrock completed this composition not many such big earth movements had occurred, but since then we have become all too familiar with the disastrousconsequences which a tsunami may have. On the 26th of December 2004 a heavy seaquake took place near the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Tidal waves 10 meters in height ravaged the coastal regions of many countries for miles around. The tsunamitook the lives of thousands of people and destroyed many villages and towns. There are more areas which run the risk of being struck by a tsunami, such as the island of La Palma, one of the Canary Islands. This island is based on oceaniccrust at a fracture zone and as such is one of nature's time bombs. The consequences of a natural calamity like a megatsunami are immense. In the case of La Palma, the tidal wave will move in the direction of South America, where it may reach 50km inland, destroying everything on its way. In his composition Wittrock describes an ordinary day which will have an unexpected ending. Right from the beginning there seems to be something in the air, the music creating an oppressiveatmosphere of impending disaster. Themes are interrupted, broken off suddenly, followed by silence, suggesting the calm before the storm. Suddenly a short climax (glissandi in the trombone part) indicates the seaquake, and the megatsunami isa fact. Hereafter follows a turbulent passage symbolising the huge rolling waves. After nature's force has spent itself, resignation sets in and the composition ends with a majestic ode to nature.
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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£102.99The Seventh Night of July - Itaru Sakai
In Japan, July the 7th is a holiday known as Tanabata, for which large celebrations are held throughout the country. The holiday is based on a legend about a young man and a young woman who are separated by the Milky Way and can only see each other once a year on this night. The Seventh Night of July is Itaru Sakai's musical interpretation of this romantic legend. The flugel horn and euphonium solos during the middle movement represent the two main themes from the legend.
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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