Elegy For Band. Par SPARKE PHILIP. The initial idea was for a millennium piece, which it is, but rather than add to the many celebratory pieces that have understandably been written to salute the 3rd millennium, Philip Sparke thought it would perhaps be appropriate to think about the aspects of life that are constantly with us (such as faith and philosophy) rather than the exciting changes that th…

Kantate Zum Ratswechsel In Leipzig. Par BACH JOHANN SEBASTIAN. Bach's first cantata for the election of the Leipzig town council, composed in August 1723, is one of his most splendidly scored work from his Leipzig period. The choice of opening, with the 'representative' form of a French overture, was suited to a festive orchestral scoring. Two choral movements frame a middle section which consists…

Concerto for Brass Band. Par SPARKE PHILIP. Perihelion was commissioned by the Cory Band as their own-choice piece for the 2013 European Brass Band Championships, held in Oslo, Norway. Winning the set piece section of the contest and coming second to Eikanger-Bjorsvik Musikklag with their own choice selection, Cory went on to become European Champions for the fifth time. Cory MD Philip Harper had …

This piece reflects Janácek's memories of childhood and youth in his native Hukvaldy and the Augustinian Abbey in Brno. Kry?tof Maratka, a Czech composer resident in France and a great admirer of Janácek, has arranged the original version to produce a welcome addition to the string quartet repertoire.Youth for wind sextet, is a masterpiece from Janácek's late period (1924). Maratka has successfull…

Mezmer for string quartet is an adaptation of the last movement of Re-Collecting ASTORoids, an earlier suite for orchestra from Kats-Chernin. Commissioned by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, the suite was written in tribute to Astor Piazzolla and is clearly inspired by tango, though Kats-Chernin uses various rhythms as her source of inspiration. Mezmer is a miniature and has an intimate, smoky fe…

Par HADERMANN JAN. Twins is a composition about two children, born at the same moment, growing up together yet with totally different characters. One twin is sensitive and introverted whilst the other is much more lively and energetic. This is reflected in the musical motifs of the piece. The quiet first melody which gains tension through continuous transposition is succeeded by the joyous rocking…

With his sonatas op. 31 composed in 1802 Beethoven for the last time grouped together piano sonatas under one opus number. The centrepiece of the collection is undoubtedly the dramatic Sonata in D minor nicknamed 'Tempest' which already fascinated his contemporaries. According to Anton Schindler, who asked the composer about the 'key' to this work as well as to the sonata op. 57 ('Appassionata'), …

Gerhard Graf-Martinez is a passionate flamenco guitarist and teacher. The wealth of his knowledge is captured in this two-volume work, which also reflects valuable experience gained from his activities as a tutor at national and international seminars and workshops. The audio downloads enclosed in volume 1 include all compositions and practice pieces for volume 1 and are not only a pure pleasure t…

Overture. Par MOZART WOLFGANG AMADEUS. In 1786, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart composed his wonderful opera Le Nozzi di Figaro. In the opera Count Almaviva tries to seduce the fiancée of Figaro, his valet. Eventually, through four acts full of complicated intrigue, he is outwitted. In his music, Mozart, at times in a humorous way, reflects the numerous social and erotic intrigues with both empathy and in…

Passionskantate. Par HOMILIUS GOTTFRIED AUGUST. He was without argument our greatest church composer, wrote the lexicographer E. L. Gerber a few years after Homilius's death in 1785. As a result of the destruction of the Kreuzkirche during the Seven Years War, the longtime Kreuzkantor, a pupil of Bach, performed his professional musical duties primarily at the Frauenkirche in Dresden. The Passions…