Arr. Wil Van Der Beek. Par TCHAIKOVSKI PIOTR ILITCH. Tchaikovsky is best known for his purely instrumental compositions. However, we must not underestimate him as a composer of operas. Many of his operas such as ¬Pique Dame and Eugene Onegin are still performed regularly throughout the world. Eugene Onegin (also called Jevgeny Onegin), composed in 1877-1878, was not called an opera by Tchaikovsky …

Par VAN DER ROOST JAN. ‘Toccata Festiva’ was commissioned in 1994 by the Dutch Brass Band Championships. The wind band version was made a year later by the composer himself. Historically speaking, the toccata is considered to be one of the first independent instrumental forms for keyboard instruments. Originally the toccata was typically more or less improvised, later this musical form was given a…

Par BERLIOZ HECTOR. When Berlioz won the Prix de Rome in 1830 he had already composed several major works such as the Symphonie Fantastique. Indeed, he became the essential French romantic composer. The Hungarian March is taken from the fourth act of The Damnation of Faust, a dramatic legend composed in 1846 and sometimes performed in the form of an opera. Previoiusly Berlioz had given it the sub-…

Par BARNES JAMES. Risoluto is a music term of Italian derivation, first appearing in the mid 1700s. A great many musical terms such as this are in Italian, because many of the important composers from the Renaissance to the Baroque were from the geographic area known today as Italy and spoke some form of Italian. Consequently, performance markings in their published music, widely disseminated thro…

The quartet in a minor is one of the chamber music works with which Schubert wanted to 'pave the way to the great symphony? in spring 1824. At the same time he was paving his way to a wider audience, as the 'Rosamunde? Quartet was the first and only string quartet that was not only publicly performed in Schubert's lifetime but also published in parts. It is fortunate for us that this was the case …

This spirited composition for concert band is inspired by Mill Mountain, which is located on the outskirts of Roanoke, VA and provides a wonderful elevated view of both the city of Roanoke and the beautiful Shenandoah Valley. Of particular interest, the mountaintop contains a structure known as the Mill Mountain Star, the world's largest freestanding illuminated man-made star, visible for 60 miles…

Par SAKAI ITARU. Der Komponist Itaru Skai fand die Inspiration zu diesem Stück in der wunderschönen Landschaft von Yakushima, einer Insel im Südwesten Japans. Yakushima besitzt tiefe Wälder mit mehr als 1000 Jahre alten Bäumen. Der älteste Baum, Jomon-Sugi, ist 7200 Jahre alt. Itaru Sakai schrieb Legacy of the Woods (Das Vermächtnis der Wälder) als Ermutigung, das unbezahlbare Geschenk der Natur w…

Par BERLIOZ HECTOR. Der ‘Ungarische Marsch’ ist aus La Damnation de Faust (‘Fausts Verdammnis’), einer 1846 komponierten, dramatischen Legende in vier Teilen. Hector Berlioz schrieb das Werk, welches zu seinen Lebzeiten nur konzertant, und erst später szenisch aufgeführt wurde, nach einer Übersetzung von Goethes Faust. Der turbulente vierte Teil enthält diesen temperamentvollen Marsch, den Tohru T…

Par BULLA STEPHEN. This work is based on the 19th century American hymnmelody ‘Resignation’ which is also known as Psalm Tune(Psalm 23) based on the words ‘The Lord Is My Shepherd”. It is in the form of a theme and variations with each ofthe four variations evoking different moods using afragment of the original tune. An evocative and joyful workthat will make a welcome addition to your concert re…

The quartet in a minor is one of the chamber music works with which Schubert wanted to 'pave the way to the great symphony? in spring 1824. At the same time he was paving his way to a wider audience, as the 'Rosamunde? Quartet was the first and only string quartet that was not only publicly performed in Schubert's lifetime but also published in parts. It is fortunate for us that this was the case …