Results
-
£22.50Edward Gregson: Concertante for Piano and Brass Band
DescriptionProgramme NoteThe Concertante for Piano and Brass Band was written in 1966, when the composer was an undergraduate student at the Royal Academy of Music in London. It received its first public concert performance in 1967 at the Royal Festival Hall, London, when the composer was the soloist with the International Band of the Salvation Army, conducted by Bernard Adams. It was one of the first major works to be written for this particular combination.The Concertante is unashamedly romantic in idiom and is in three movements: Prelude, Nocturne and Rondo. The Prelude is cast in sonata form and opens with a short cadenza-like flourish from the soloist, followed by two main ideas - the first sweepingly dramatic, the second highly lyrical. The interplay between these two themes forms the main focus of the movement, and after a return to the opening theme, an exuberant codetta brings the music to a close, albeit a quiet one. https://morthanveld.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Gregson-Concertante-1st-movt-clip.mp3The tender Nocturne opens with an introduction from the band that contains precursors of the two main ideas to follow. The solo piano announces the main theme, which has a slightly 'bluesy' character with its flattened third and seventh notes of the scale, and is a love song dedicated to the composer's wife-to-be. The band enters with phrases of a chorale already hinted at in the introduction - Ray Steadman-Allen's hymn tune 'Esher' - but never quite presented in its complete state. Both ideas are developed alongside each other, with eventually the first theme returning, this time with piano and band together, and building to a majestic climax, before subsiding to a peaceful coda - a return to the very opening of the movement. https://morthanveld.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Gregson-Concertante-movt-2-clip.mp3The final Rondo is full of energetic rhythms and changing time patterns. The main theme is playful in character, with much interplay between soloist and band, whilst the middle section presents a new theme, and one that has more than a hint of the hymn tune 'Onward Christian Soldiers', in what amounts to a good humoured parody. The opening Rondo theme returns, this time leading to a powerful and dissonant climax from the band. This is followed by an extended piano cadenza, underlying the virtuoso aspect of the work, and leading to an energetic and life-affirming coda, which brings the work to a triumphant conclusion. https://morthanveld.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Gregson-Concertante-movt-3-clip.mp3Duration: 18 minutesInstrumentation:Please note that there is no 1st/Repiano Cornet part in this work. The 1st/Repiano Cornet player should join the Solo Cornet bench. As such an extra Solo Cornet part is provided in the set of parts.Version for two pianosA version of the Concertante for two pianos is available for rehearsal purposes. Piano 1 is the solo part and Piano 2 the band reduction. However, for those pianists not needing to rehearse the work in this way, a solo piano part is also provided with the main set of band parts.To view a preview of the solo part for the first movement click here.The youthful Gregson (his work was written as a third year undergraduate) was seemingly a bit of a musical magpie - but one heck of a skilful one at that.These were shiny baubles of poise, panache and pastiche, with affectionate, remarkably mature nods of appreciation towards Gershwin, Rachmaninov, Ireland and even Elmer as well as Leonard Bernstein.The rich colour palette and flowing lines (with the tenderest of central Nocturnes) were a joy - as were the little buds of motifs that dotted the score like seeds ready to be planted on a future fertile brass band compositional field. - Iwan Fox, 4Barsrest.com, June 2019For more information on Edward Gregson's music please visit the composer's website: www.edwardgregson.com
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
-
£132.00
Celebration for Band - John Brakstad
Many Norwegian bands have grown up around factories; but Norwegian factories are often located in the countrysides - by a fjord or lake, by a river or waterfall that provided power for the factory.The factory was the foundation for the existence of the community, but it was also essential for the community's cultural life; choirs, bands etc. (cp. British brass bands and mining)."Celebration for band" tries to give a picture of the environment and life around a band like this, with both factory noise and the natural world (Pastorale), as well as the challenges and development of the band itself.The composition is built up of five connected episodes:- Fanfare and Prologue (concludes with a feeling of the untamed power of the river) - Pastorale I: " At the river"- Intermezzo: " The Factory" (starts with the opening of water for the turbines: snare drum. Factory whistle and bell call to work, and the spinning and weaving machinery starts up.)- Pastorale II: " Summer evening on the fjord." - Finale: " Challenge and Progress"
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
-
£70.00
Macbeth - Peter Meechan
Commissioned by the Scottish Brass Band Association for the 2007 Scottish Open Championship, Macbeth takes itsa inspiration from the Shakespeare play of the same name. Character portraits (Of the three witches as well as Macbeth himself), abstractions (The lament), and scenes (Macbethas final battle with Macduff) make up the nine sections of the piece.i: WitchesThe prophecies of the three witches are an integral part of the play, and in this opening section, these mysterious characters are represented by three different sections of music that introduces the listener to the musical material of the piece.ii: DaggerMacbethas aIs this a dagger I see before theea speech, where an imaginary dagger leads him to contemplate the pending murder, builds in intensity before the bell tolls at itsa conclusion - a sign from Lady Macbeth that Duncan is now alone.iii: General MacbethA character portrait of Macbeth - a fearless General who has led his armies to defeat foes from all over Europe. His ambition and flair that make him such a great General are also the characteristics that lead to his eventual downfall.iv: Contemplations of Lady MacbethAlone and mad, Lady Macbeth ponders all that has gone, before taking her own life.v: LamentAlthough the play tells of Macbeth not feeling the pain of his wifeas death, this lament ponders not only her death, but the tale as a whole.vi: Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrowIt is in this final soliloquy that we see the ultimate tragedy of Macbeth - the realisation that his life is ultimately worthless.vii: A spell still castThis acts as an prologue to section eight, restating the original awitchesa music, before heading into Macbethas final battle.viii: Final BattleMacbethas final battle, where he locks swords with Macduff.ix: Not of woman bornMacbethas realisation that the witches have misled him comes all too late, as Macduff beheads Macbeth, fulfilling the last prophecy.
Estimated dispatch 12-14 working days
-
£119.50Me and Mrs. Jones - Kenneth Gamble
Me and Mrs. Jones was written by Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff and Cary Gilbert in 1972, and was first recorded by Billy Paul on the album 360 Degrees of Billy Paul. The song is about a man who has an affair with Mrs. Jones, and how the two secretly meet every day in the same cafe, even though they may know it's not quite right: "We got a thing going on/we both know that it's wrong/but it's much too strong/to let it go now." Paul has stated that he was sure the song was going to be a hit even before it was released, as "it's a song everyone can relate to", but already from the start the lyrics were considered somewhat controversial and the song were banned from several radio stations. Nevertheless, it became one of the best-selling singles of 1972 and Paul received a Grammy for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance.Well known is also Michael Buble's version of the song, released on the album Call Me Irresponsible in 2007. It is his version that has been the inspiration for this arrangement, which brings out even more of the jazz elements Buble has found in the song. The arrangement is quite demanding for the ensemble, and requires great rhythmic precision in particular.
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
-
£45.60Bleak Forest - Andreas Ziegelbäck
Bleak Forest is a piece for smaller concert bands and offers the musicians above all space to improve their sound and their effect playing. The technical requirements are therefore deliberately kept low. With this piece, the composer won the VLAMO International Composition Contest 2022. Thematically, the work is influenced by the composer's childhood memories. In his hometown there was a dark and mysterious forest, that seemed to the children in the small village to be magical. Without a reasonable explanation, every trip into the woods was exciting and somewhat terrifying. There were tales of dangerous animals, which can be heard at the beginning of the piece, as well as magical beasts. The magic of the forest is depicted musically from bar 70 in the andante section. The snapping of the fingers represents single raindrops. From bar 99 onwards, we hear the trek home, with the occasional moments of trepidation as the children spook each other with their fanciful tales. In the end, though, we arrive safely at home because after all, magical beasts only exist in fairy tales... don't they? Andreas Ziegelback studied music education at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg, and history at the Paris Lodron Universitat, Salzburg. In addition to his studies, he trained in ensemble conducting for wind orchestra with conductor and composer Thomas Doss. It was Doss who sparked Ziegelback's interest in composing. In 2021, Andreas Ziegelback completed his composition studies with Johannes Maria Staud. In 2020, he took part in a brass band composition masterclass in Bern with Oliver Waespi, followed by a premiere by the Swiss Army Brass Band.
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
-
£131.00Magdalena Bay - Gauthier Dupertuis
While admiring many masterpieces at the Louvre Museum in Paris, Gauthier Dupertuis' attention was drawn to a less famous painting: Magdalena Bay, by French painter Francois-Auguste Biard (1799-1882).The work depicts a magnificent snowy landscape on the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen. However, in the foreground, the presence of the wreckage of a ship, bodies covered in snow and a visibly dying character make us understand that tragic events took place there. Thus, a strong contrast is formed between death and the sublime, between the desolation of the survivors of the shipwreck and the magnificence of the landscape. When we look in more detail at the painting, we notice that footprints have been made in the snow: so, could someone have gone to get help? This little glimmer of hope makes the picture even more touching. In this work, Gauthier Dupertuis tried to describe the different elements of the painting, using contrasting sections and dissonances (in particular, the conflict between the minor and the major) to convey the duality between death and the sublime. The work also attempts to highlight a wide palette of orchestral colors, from the most shimmering lines to the darkest low brass colours. In 2024, Magdalena Bay was awarded the first Prize as well as the band Prize at the 9th European Composition Competition for Brass Band, which was held in Palanga (LT). It was premiered on May 2, 2024 by The Cory Band, conducted by Philip Harper.
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
-
£75.99Dreamcatcher - Otto M. Schwarz
Once upon a time in North America, there lived a mother and her small daughter in a tribe of Ojibwa Indians. The girl suffered from constant nightmares. The mother sought help from Spider Woman known as Asibikaashi, who took care of the children and people on the land. Asibikaashi span a magic web to protect the girl from these evil dreams using a branch from the meadow bent into a sacred circle, with a web woven from cord that had dried on sacred herbs, and with a hole in the middle to let good dreams pass through. The dreamcatcher, decorated with sacred feathers, only allowed good dreams to pass through; the bad dreams were caught in the web. If one awoke early in the morning and the rest of the sun's rays touched the dreamcatcher, the bad dreams would be burnt and turned into invisible stardust.This work contains well-known dream images: the dream of flying, the transcendental meeting with a deceased person, and the dream of running away on legs that won't run. Everything turns out well in the end, as the sun's rays burn off the evil and everything is forgotten.
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
-
£159.99Omaggio - Philip Sparke
Omaggio was commissioned by Steven Mead in celebration of his 60th birthday and in memory of his father, Rex. He gave the premiere of the brass band version in Rome in March 2022, accompanied by the Italian Brass Band conducted by Filippo Cangiamilla. The concert band premiere took place on 6th July that year as part of the 2022 Spanish International Tuba Euphonium Conference, accompanied by the Banda municipal de musica de Malaga. The concerto is set in 3 continuous movements, which are united by a recurring syncopated interval of a fifth. The first movement, FANTASIA, opens with this motive accompanying an extended monologue for the soloist. This is followed by a lengthy bridge passage by the band (piano), which is eventually joined by the soloist, who guides the music back to the opening soliloquy, leading to an energetic central section. This develops until the opening material again returns to introduce the second movement, BALLAD, which revolves around an expressive melody for the soloist, interspersed by accompanied cadenzas. The third movement, THE KING TRIUMPHANT, pays homage to Steven's late father, Rex, and its title alludes both to Rex's name ('Rex' being Latin for 'king') as well as his love of Eric Ball's Salvationist masterpiece, The Kingdom Triumphant. The finale is an energetic tour-de-force featuring an acrobatic 6/8 melody, which is interrupted twice by the magnificent hymn tune, Helmsley, which Ball uses so effectively in The Kingdom Triumphant. A galloping coda brings the work to a close.
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
-
£84.99Festivus Americas - Stephen Bulla
Dedicated to the North American Brass Band Association, this is music that is full of energy and dynamic extremes. In form it draws from the overture style, although the themes are self-existing and the piece is programmatic. Working well asa festival opener, it sets a mood of excitement. Following the rhythmic fanfares of the opening, the first theme is presented in the cornets followed by a return to the same rhythmic material. A second theme appears in the horn section and isdeveloped, changing into a darker and sinister form of the same motif. Eventually a Maestoso section is reached, full of sustained block chords in the cornets and trombones, as the rest of the band counters with cascading lines that weavestraight through the brighter instruments.
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
-
£74.99
Durkle Bandrydge Suite - Bruce Fraser
Durkle Bandrydge is the name of the composers imaginary world, but it could very well be anyones invisible dream world with a different name. In this very versatile suite by Bruce Fraser, 8 characters are featured, each with its ownpeculiarities, making Durkle Bandrydge such a colourful place. Do these characters differ that much from us? That is for you to find out! In the last part, all characters come together in a special way.Durkle Bandrydge exists at the end ofyour street. It is invisible to humans, but Durkle Bandrygators can watch us with great interest. The music will introduce you to some of the characters who live in this unusual place. The parts: Somnanbulyss, who is a giant trollguarding the entrance to Durkle Bandryde. At least, he is supposed to, but he tends to sleep most of the time. His music is therefore very slow moving and sleepy. Long Gwysteen is a tall, mysterious, and somehow sophisticated character,who walls around with a shell on his back. His music glides along rather gracefully. Squelfitch is a rather unpleasant and smelly character who lives in a bog, which is why his music sounds rather slimy and a bit like trying to walkthrough quicksand. Perfydlia is a meddling old woman, who gossips about everybody and squeals with sudden delight at the small exciting bits of tittletattle about others in the village. In the music you can hear her sudden little squealsof delight. Maryann Lovely is a beautiful young lady, graceful, gorgeous, absolutely devine, and her music is obviously just the same. Thistledoo Nicely is a lively character who spends and spends and spends with her credit card,buying the latest fashion and never worries about having to pay the bills. Her music reflects her excitement when shopping and het 'happy go lucky' approach to life. Marsyn Edginton is the Lord of the manor, the richest man in town, the'big cheese', the man with all the power and, of course, the biggest house. He is very grand and his music like he could be a king. Jimmy McScotsmyn is a red haired scotsman wearing tartan cap. He misses his home country terribly and eatslots of shortbread, oatcakes, scotch eggs, porridge and drinks an enormous amount of Scotch Wisky, which helps him to have fond memories of the kind of music he would like to dance to when he was a younger man. His favourite dance is a Jig andthis is the music he remembers. Grand March of the Durkle Bandrydgators. We hope that you have enjoyed meeting these characters from Drukle Bandrydge and would invite you to listen to all the villagers now march along in a grand parade -it is a pity that you can not see them, what is a wonderful sight. If you listen carefully, you will hear the melodies which belong to the characters as they march past. Oh what a grand spectacle!
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
View Music