Town Hall Overture is a lively piece based on the Dutch folksong with a nonsense text about a June bug. In Rob Goorhuis’ composition the melody is initially played complete and in unison after which the theme is reworked in various ways and in different time signatures. A performance sure to provide entertainment for musicians and audience alike!

Different from the usual and thus a highly recommended spectacular composition for rapper and band. Anders dan anders en daarom een aanrader van de eerste orde is deze spectaculaire compositie voor rapper met blaasorkest. Rap en blaasorkest? Is dat mogelijk? Jazeker luister maar.

Arctic Funk might just as well have been a flashing sequel to a scene from Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story. Popular music but with a difference as indicated by the title. The work's quiet section temporarily soothes down the heated passion of its two corner movements but everywhere else action is required throughout. The work was commissioned in 1991 by Troms? Brass. Situated just above the Polar Circle Troms? is one of Norway's northernmost towns. Topographically the town probably comes across as freezing cold but Troms? is famous for its 'warm' night-life. The Composer: In Arctic Funk you might get a feeling of a party that takes place betweenice-rocks and snow-capped mountains.

Rock music is always a success. And when it is supported verbally as it is done in this composition the party can begin. Bobby is a friendly circus animal that has seen a lot of the world. There is nothing left to wish for and his freedom from worries radiates from this rock march by Andreas Ludwig Schulte.

This work by Goff Richards was written in the eighties and is best known under the name Demelza in a version for Tenor horn. Marten van der Wal made an arrangement for solo instrument and band (there are different transpositions of the solo part included). The melody is very special and processes in a beautiful way in the composition .

A majestic opening which gets a thoroughly sparkling musical follow-up captivating ensemble and a very well-known hymn are the ingredients of Keep me praising by Andrew Mackareth from the English town of Nuneaton. His music sets itself apart through it scintillating vitality and spontanity. His feeling for style and melody makes this flashing work into a beautifully balanced composition which will undoubtedly find its way into the concert-stage. Influences from both jazz and rock furthermore make it an absolute hit. Een majestueuze opening een spetterend vervolg bekende hymnes en technische uitdaging zijn de ingrediënten van Keep me Praising. De muziek vanAndrew Mackereth uit het Engelse Nuneaton kenmerkt zich door veelzijdigheid. Gebaseerd op Sing Hosanna en Praise my soul. Een aanrader!

Inspiring popular music from the Ukraine. Perhaps one would only expect original folk-music to come out of this part of Europe but nothing could be further from the truth. By the Way is a delightfully swinging little piece which allows you to pull out all stops: a very welcome addition to the popular genre indeed. Your musicians will have great fun in performing this little piece.

The heat of South America radiates from this delightful cha cha which incorporates the exotic sound of Latin-American percussion instruments. This light and sparkling work will be the hit at your next concert!

Obviously the music of John Williams is beyond comparison but subconsciously one's thoughts do drift into that direction. Fanfare for the Sun is a radiant fanfare from the pen of Carl Wittrock. Nearly three minutes utmost concentration are required of your musicians to have them display stunning feats of technical brilliance. A moment of calm in this masterly composition is the vivacious and entertaining dialogue of clarinet bassoon oboe and flute in the middle-section. The work was written as a commission by the Melomaan Foundation on the occasion of its anniversary. Een vergelijking met de muziek van John Williams mag uiteraard niet gelegd worden maar onbewust gaan de gedachten wel in die richting. Fanfare for the Sun is een stralende fanfare van de hand van Carl Wittrock die zijn voorliefde voor de filmmuziek niet onder stoelen of banken steekt. Rustpunt in deze korte doch magistrale compositie is de levendige en onderhoudende dialoog tussen klarinet fagot hobo en fluit in het middendeel. De componist schreef dit werk in opdracht van de Stichting Melomaan (Nederland) ter gelegenheid van haar jubileum.

A Pop Festival in three parts: 1. Purple Pop - Great heavy rock with some modern sound here and there. Attention to the syncopation! 2. Pink Pop - A dreamy ballad with an open ending. 3. Plastic Pop - Finale with heavy percussion!

The world's most important sports event inspired Schulte to compose a magnificent new concert piece. In three parts he successively describes the opening ceremony (musical entry of the athletes) the hymn for the winner (an alluring ballad) and the party following the closing ceremony (rock party) during which all tensions disappear. Enter the world of the Olympic Games and enjoy!

Czech composer Antonin Dvorak is best-known for his beautiful string-quartets his symphonies (especially nr.9 'From the New World') and his Slavonic Dances Op. 46 and 72. Dutch composer and arrranger Jan Bosveld adapted two dances (nrs. 4 and 7) from his opus 46 to the wind-band medium. Alternating between the virtuoso and the melancholy these lovely little pieces for orchestra above all provoke responses of instant recognition with your audiences. Uit de Slavische Dansen Opus 46 bewerkte Jan Bosveld op kleurrijke wijze de 4e en 6e dans. De weemoed passie en vreugde straalt af van zijn prachtige muziek en nu dus ook voor concertband.

‘Songs of Sorrow and Joy’ is een bonte suite van liederen zonder woorden. Ik heb geprobeerd enerzijds de clichématige identiteit van de melodieën niet uit de weg te gaan anderzijds heb ik middels harmonische en vormtechnische ingrepen getracht voor een flink aantal verrassingen te zorgen die deze emblematische gestaltes van het muzikale basismateriaal in een ander daglicht plaatsen opdat het geheel de platgetreden paden van de blaasmuziek overstijge. Voorts heb ik mijn best gedaan om voor iedere instrumentengroep een partij te schrijven die op muzikaal en technisch gebied uitdagingen bevat. Micha Hamel

Bessarabia is an area of south-eastern Europe (modern-day Romania Moldovia and the Ukraine) in which numerous “Shtetl ” or small Jewish towns have been established over time. Bessarabyanke is a remarkable Yiddish themed work for concertband composed by Sjaak van der Reijden. An ideal piece to close a concert with or perhaps play as an encore.

Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908) came from an aristocratic family which lived near Novgorod. When he appeared to be musically gifted as a child his parents did not hesitate one moment to map out a more honourable profession for him – he wasto make a career in the navy as a marine officer. Rimsky-Korsakov however succeeded in secretly studying the cello next to his studies at the Naval Academy at St Petersburg. Through his cello teacher he came into contact with the composerBalakirev. In this way he suddenly became a member of The Mighty Five (a group of Russian composers consisting of Balakirev Moussorgsky Cui Borodin and Rimsky-Korsakov himself). Rimsky-Korsakov turned out to be so talented that he evenbecame a teacher at the St Petersburg Conservatory. ‘Procession of the Nobles’ comes from the opera-ballet ‘Mlada’. The opera has a remarkable history for between 1868 and 1870 five different composers worked on this project. The finalresult was never executed however. Twenty years later Rimsky-Korsakov started work on the opera once more and composed his own version of Mlada.The theme of the opera is a tragic love story that is set in the early Middle Ages in a realm on theBaltic Sea. In ‘Processsion of the Nobles’ all the princesses of the country gather for a grand feast on the occasion of the summer holidays.

Rock music is always a success. And when it is supported verbally as it is done in this composition the party can begin. Bobby is a friendly circus animal that has seen a lot of the world. There is nothing left to wish for and his freedom from worries radiates from this rock march by Andreas Ludwig Schulte.

Timothy Travis composed this wedding march for a relative. This march in an Italian format brings the warmth of a southern European wedding party (matrimonio) within reach.

The assignment to write a test piece for the National Brass Band Championships ended up also being a ‘test piece’ for myself as a composer. Although being quite familiar with the Brass Band phenomenon as a composer I still have the feeling ofbeing an outsider. Delta Energy turned out to be a non-program composition. The Brass Band as orchestra form is depicted musically in this piece. All the specific characteristics are portrayed in varying settings. Solo passages for Euphonium Flugelhorn and Cornet alternating with extensive tutti-passages and of course technical highlights form the ingredients for this work written in rhapsodic form. The title “Delta Energy” is derived from a project of the N.V. NederlandseGasunie in Groningen which also contributed in making this composition possible.

The Odyssee tells the story of Odysseus the undaunted hero. In times long ago the blind poet Homer wrote this famous epic. The Odyssey follows the Iliad the story of the bloody war between the Greek and the Trojans. This battle endsafter ten years thanks to the Odysseys famous trick. the Trojan Horse. The Odyssey is not a war epic but a story about perseverance loyalty adventure and the survival instinct of its ingenious hero. In The Odyssey Homer describes howOdysseus the king of Ithaca had to endure another ten years of affliction after the ten years of war in Troy before he could finally return to his home land. During those years his wife Penelope had to try and keep her many admirers away.These men not only wanted het hand but also the kingship. To prove her husbands worth she played a trick: As soon as I have finished weaving this shroud for my father-in-law Laertes I will choose one of you to become my husband she promisedthem. But during the night she secretly loosened what she had woven during the day prolonging the time until Odysseus would finally return. After twenty long years when he finally stood at the door she wondered: Is this really my husband? Ishe an imposter? Cunningly she asked him to move the bed because only she and her husband know that the bed was immovable and was build around an old three trunk! Odysseus was deeply moved: this really was his wife his Penelope! Nearly threethousands years later the loyalty and strength of this character and all the dangerous adventures that Odysseus survived thanks to courage and intelligence still moves us today. Odyssee by Jan Bosveld is not just an adventure story butrather a characteristic piece in which memories of Homers story can be heard. The composition opens with a firm stirring theme describing our hero Odysseus in detail: This man is not to be taken lightly. The further development of thisshort introduction completes this character sketch: trustworthy perseverant and a genius. After that we can picture Odysseus on the lonely beach of Ogygia. Do the trumpets depict his memories of the war of Troy? Does he think of his wife as werecognise the weaving loom of Penelope in the murmuring eighth? In the solemn plaintive part that follows we can imagine Penelope feeling lonely sitting in the womens room with her servants.One of the girls plays the harp but that does notclear the sombre atmosphere. Then we can imagine seeing the sorceress Circe who changed Odysseus men into swine. After she gives a simple magic sign something follows that reminds us of the sound of pigs grunting. Then the Odysseus theme resounds:the hero comes to savi his comrades. Assisted by Hermes he forces Circe to lift the spell. The piece ends the same way as it began with an animated theme: Odysseus is still the same undefeated and not to be taken lighty!

Composed during the summer of 1988. Commissioned by The Norwegian Brass Band Club First performed in the Grieg Hall¬? at the 10th Anniversary Concert for the Norwegian Championship Bergen February 1989. EBML conducted by Michael Antrobus. The work is important for me because it was my first piece to be played outside Norway. Black Dyke/David King performed it and did a recording of it in 1991. The composer: In the original score I quote a Swedish bishop (Olaus Mangnus) who lived in the 15th century. He travelled around Scandinavia and drew maps - very important historic material. When he came to the north of Norway (where I come from) hedescribed the wind from the north as Ciricus: (something like) Worst of all winds is Circius that revolves(?= turn upside down) heaven and earth. (Well not a good translation I¬?m afraid). The fast sections reflects the mighty winds from the north. In the middle section I borrowed a folksong-like tune (by C. Elling a norwegian composer). The text (by Kristoffer Janson) tells about old times when the fishermen used open boats: they had to put their lives in the hands of God. De opening en het slot van dit werk beschrijven 'Circius' de wind die hemel en aarde verwoest. Het middendeel is een bewerking van het Noorse volkslied 'The fisherman's speech to his son'. De inhoud van het lied komt overeen met Circius. De vader verzoekt zijn zoon de krachten van de natuur te trotseren maar bovenal te respecteren. Een kort doch spectaculair concertwerk dat het gehele orkest in de greep heeft.