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£36.50A Road Less Travelled By (Brass Band - Score only) - Sparke, Philip
A Road Less Travelled By was commissioned by Palangos Orkestras for the Championship Section of the 2020 European Brass Band Championships held in Palanga, Lithuania.The following was written by the composer, Philip Sparke:The title alludes to a poem by American author, Robert Frost, which appeared in his 1916 collection, Mountain Intervals: The Road Not Taken.In common with most of my larger works, this piece in not programmatic, but purely abstract; there is no extrinsic musical story. The choice of title shares my view of how composers can often develop. There can be no 'destination' in a composer's career, but rather a continuing journey to an unknown place. From piece to piece a composer needs to decide his or her next steps, never really knowing where they might lead. As Frost so eloquently describes, these sorts of instinctive decisions guide all our lives.Set in three movements, which play without a break, A Road Less Travelled By opens with a Moto Perpetuo firmly rooted in classical language, form and syntax. A continuous river of semiquavers, veering from melody to accompaniment and back again, adds drive, every and motion. The second movement, Nocturne, is in the form of a free fantasia; solos for vibraphone, flugel horn and euphonium set the stage for a central cornet solo, quietly echoed by the full band. A triumphal climax is reached before the movement dissolves into a Scherzo Finale. Mercurial and quixotic in nature, this third movement starts jovially until trios for trombones and horns darken the atmosphere. A change of mood and meter leads to a reprise of the opening and a return of the cornet melody, this time accompanied by figures derived from the scherzo theme. A brief coda based on earlier material drives the piece to a close.Duration: 15.30
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£40.00Losgaintir. For solo Baritone/Euphonium and brass band
Recommended - Championship to 2nd Section Written for Katrina Marzella and the Black Dyke band, Losgaintir (or Luskentyre in English) is one of my favourite places in Scotland. Losgaintir is on the west coast of the isle of Harris in the Outer Hebrides and has an outstanding beach widely regarded as one of the most beautiful in the world. Losgaintir is a wonderful place to be on warm sunny days with its long stretch of white sands, aqua marine seas, the incredible mountain backdrop of south Lewis and the uninhabited island of Taransaigh in view. The weather in Harris is notorious for changing very quickly and this piece tries to reflect this. Although idyllic on a calm, sunny days, on stormy days Losgaintir's character becomes dark and foreboding, with low dark clouds and sweeping winds from the Atlantic creating a dark, brooding atmosphere. The opening melody (written modally like a traditional Scottish Gaelic air) depicts the calm serenity of Losgaintir on a beautiful summer's day. The character of the fast section that follows portrays winter in Losgaintir during a tempestuous storm with bracing winds. Includes score & parts Also see: Losgaintir for Solo Baritone/Euphonium & Piano
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£19.95Islands in the Sky (Brass Quartet)
Islands in the Sky (2012) is a three-movement work for Euphonium Quartet. Written in June 2012, the title is a metaphor of mountains, suggesting that they're so tall they're islands in the sky. The sublime Euphony Euphonium Quartet who the work was commissioned by were successful in gaining a place in the International Tuba & Euphonium Conference Ensemble Competition, held in Linz, Austria; a country particularly noted for its fair share of the Alps which proved the basis of the work.The first movement is a fierce journey on a glacier's edge - the drama of the music and constant rhythmic drive throughout suggests danger and the unknown. The second movement is calm and reflective, inspired by a beautiful Alpine Sunset, slowly going down between mountains and pine trees. Finally, the third movement takes the listener on a journey up the mountain to the peak, upon which a grandioso section is heard with the soaring melody that has been building up throughout the movement played in its entirety.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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