Results
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£29.50Eden (Score Only)
This work was commissioned by the Brass Band Heritage Trust as the test piece for the final of the 2005 Besson National Brass Band Championship, held at the Royal Albert Hall, London.The score is prefaced by the final lines from Milton's epic poem Paradise Lost (completed in 1663), in which Adam and Eve, expelled from Paradise, make their uncertain way into the outside world:"...The world was all before them, where to chooseTheir place of rest, and providence their guide:They hand in hand with wandering steps and slow,Through Eden took their solitary way."My work is in three linked sections. In the first, the characters of Adam, Eve and the serpent guarding the Tree of Knowledge are respectively represented by solo euphonium, cornet and trombone. The music opens in an idyllic and tranquil mood and leads into a duet between euphonium and cornet. Throughout this passage the prevailing mood darkens, though the soloists seem to remain oblivious to the increasingly fraught atmosphere. A whip-crack announces the malevolent appearance of the solo trombone who proceeds to engage the solo cornet in a sinister dialogue.The second section interprets the Eden story as a modern metaphor for the havoc mankind has inflicted upon the world, exploiting and abusing its resources in the pursuit of wealth. Though certainly intended here as a comment on the present-day, it is by no means a new idea: Milton himself had an almost prescient awareness of it in Book I of his poem, where men, led on by Mammon:"...Ransacked the centre and with impious handsRifled the bowels of their mother earthFor treasures better hid. Soon had his crewOpened into the hill a spacious woundAnd digged out ribs of gold."So this section is fast and violent, at times almost manic in its destructive energy. At length a furious climax subsides and a tolling bell ushers in the third and final section.This final part is slow, beginning with an intense lament featuring solos for tenor-horn, flgel-horn and repiano cornet and joined later by solo baritone, soprano cornet, Eb-bass and Bb-bass.At one stage in the planning of the work it seemed likely that the music would end here - in despair. Then, mid-way through writing it, I visited the extraordinary Eden Project in Cornwall. Here, in a disused quarry - a huge man-made wound in the earth - immense biomes, containing an abundance of plant species from every region of the globe, together with an inspirational education programme, perhaps offer a small ray of hope for the future. This is the image behind the work's conclusion and the optimism it aims to express is real enough, though it is hard-won and challenged to the last.John Pickard 2005
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£29.50Lovely Jubilee
2012 marked a year of celebration for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. Now with this special patriotic release, your band can to pay tribute to all that is great about Great Britain. There's fun to be had with suggested choreography featured during "The British Grenadiers" and a salute to the "Men Of Harlech" (along with some other surprises!) before the gorgeous tune 'Suo Gan' takes the limelight. Of course, your audience will most likely join in the fun too, with music such as 'Land Of Hope & Glory' & 'Rule Britannia!' to finish, this item will surely leave your audiences on a patriotic high. This is the perfect item for concerts and contests, a must have in this years concert program.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£82.95Vivat! (Score and Parts)
VIVAT! was commissioned by Kapitol for the 2012 National Championship of Great Britain first section final as a celebration of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. The work is split into three contrasting sections that run continuously, with music derived from elements of Parry's coronation anthem I Was Glad. In Memoriam evokes the noble but gentle personality of the Queen's father, George VI. Opening with an atmospheric baritone solo (and later featuring solo horn, flugel, euphonium & solo cornet), the music explores themes of grief, sentimentality and hope. Coronation, a fanfare and subsequent theme, is grandiose in style capturing the spirit and excitement of British pomp and ceremony.The closing Jubilate is a celebration of life and family values, Vivat being the Latin for life or long live. The music passes through moments of tension, virtuosity, humour and jubilance before a finale constructed from connected musical fragments drawn from throughout the work, forming (for the first time) Parry's majestic I was Glad theme.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£44.95Vivat! (Score Only)
Commissioned for the 2012 1st Section Finals as a celebration of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, the work is in three contrasting continuous sections and the music is derived from Parry's coronation anthem, I Was Glad. The sections are: In Memorium, evoki
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£94.95Whitsun Wakes (Score and Parts)
Whitsun Wakes was commissioned by the BBC and first performed by Black Dyke Band, conducted by James Watson, in Manchester's Bridgewater Hall on 26th May, 1997 as part of the BBC's 'Music Live' Festival. It was subsequently selected as a test piece for the British Open Championship which was scheduled to be held on 6th September 1997 at Birmingham's Symphony Hall. Unfortunately this was the day of the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales and so the British Open was postponed until 17th January, 1998. However the greatest irony is the fact that although this piece takes its inspiration from the Manchester area it was destined to be played at the first British Open Championship to take place outside Manchester.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£44.95Whitsun Wakes (Score Only)
Whitsun Wakes was commissioned by the BBC and first performed by Black Dyke Band, conducted by James Watson, in Manchester's Bridgewater Hall on 26th May, 1997 as part of the BBC's 'Music Live' Festival. It was subsequently selected as a test piece for the British Open Championship which was scheduled to be held on 6th September 1997 at Birmingham's Symphony Hall. Unfortunately this was the day of the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales and so the British Open was postponed until 17th January, 1998. However the greatest irony is the fact that although this piece takes its inspiration from the Manchester area it was destined to be played at the first British Open Championship to take place outside Manchester.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days