A technique much employed by Verdi is to alternate main scenes of a drama with others which allow the listener to relax temporarily. These moments are often entrusted to the choir (as in the case of the well-known Rataplan in La forza del destino ). In Trovatore the soldiers’ chorus precedes the scene of the capture of the gipsy woman Azucena by Conte di Luna’s men. The soldiers are about to attack the fortress of Castellor in which Manrico (the troubadour) and Leonora together with many other rebels have found shelter. The very easy-going choir is in blunt contrast to the following scene in which Ferrando the loyal squire of Conte di Luna recognizes theold gipsy woman. This recognition marks the beginning of wicked developments for all protagonists in this drama.

Austrian composer Otto M. Schwarz was asked to write an encore piece with which the band could really show off. Featuring all the sections of the band in turn accompanied by a driving funky rhythm Last Call will ensure your audience are dazzled by your players’ skills!

Sinofinia dall'opera- The Barber of Seville is based on the first of Beaumarchais‘ (1732- 1799) two sequential plays The Marriage of Figaro being the second although unusually the overture does not contain any themes from the ensuing opera. The music however is sparkling and tuneful encompassing the ‘spirit‘ of the story that is about to unfold. The overture follows the form of the classic Italian style with a slow introduction followed by a brilliant Allegro. Of course the famous crescendo so typical of Rossini’s works is also present.

French Romantic Pieces for Flute and Piano-This collection contains works from the so-called “Belle Époque” the time period right around the turn of the 20th century which have been arranged for flute and piano by Franco Cesarini. It includes pieces by Dukas and Massenet two early works by Ravel that are on the cusp of the impressionistic period and compositions by Bizet and Saint-Saëns which represent the late-romantic period. The book comes with a CD which contains a demo of each piece followed by the piano accompaniment which you can play along with.

Messengers of Light (“Les messagers de lumière”) est une œuvre de commande pour l’Orchestre d’Harmonie Swarovski de Wattens en Autriche (Tyrol). Le nom de Swarovski est célèbre dans le monde entier pour ses cristaux au design unique. Cette matière si pure et si étincelante n’est à l’origine que sable eau et feu. Mais lorsque l’alchimie entre ces trois composantes est parfaite la pierre révèle la poésie de la précision à travers un facettage une forme de taille et des couleurs spectaculaires. Ce n’est donc pas une coïncidence si l’empire Swarovski a puisé dans la mythologie grecque pour associer ses cristaux de lumière aux trois Grâces - Aglaé Euphrosyne et Thalie -symboles de splendeur de joie et d’abondance. Du mythe à la musique il n’y avait qu’un pas à franchir.La légende a fait des Grâces les filles de Zeus et de l'Océanide Eurynomé. Elles personnifient la beauté épanouie l’harmonie et le charme. Inséparables elles sont au nombre de trois nombre divin que l’on associe à la Trinité ou encore aux anges Gabriel Raphaël et Michel présents dans la religion chrétienne et dans l’islam et symbolisés musicalement dans le développement de cette œuvre par le chant médiéval Es sangen drei Engel (“Trois anges chantaient”). La ligne mélodique du chant sert de fil conducteur. Elle jalonne et unifie la structure de l’œuvre.

Messengers of Light (“Les messagers de lumière”) est une œuvre de commande pour l’Orchestre d’Harmonie Swarovski de Wattens en Autriche (Tyrol). Le nom de Swarovski est célèbre dans le monde entier pour ses cristaux au design unique. Cette matière si pure et si étincelante n’est à l’origine que sable eau et feu. Mais lorsque l’alchimie entre ces trois composantes est parfaite la pierre révèle la poésie de la précision à travers un facettage une forme de taille et des couleurs spectaculaires. Ce n’est donc pas une coïncidence si l’empire Swarovski a puisé dans la mythologie grecque pour associer ses cristaux de lumière aux trois Grâces - Aglaé Euphrosyne et Thalie -symboles de splendeur de joie et d’abondance. Du mythe à la musique il n’y avait qu’un pas à franchir. La légende a fait des Grâces les filles de Zeus et de l'Océanide Eurynomé. Elles personnifient la beauté épanouie l’harmonie et le charme. Inséparables elles sont au nombre de trois nombre divin que l’on associe à la Trinité ou encore aux anges Gabriel Raphaël et Michel présents dans la religion chrétienne et dans l’islam et symbolisés musicalement dans le développement de cette œuvre par le chant médiéval Es sangen drei Engel (“Trois anges chantaient”). La ligne mélodique du chant sert de fil conducteur. Elle jalonne et unifie la structure de l’œuvre.

Franco Cesarini composed this beautiful fanfare for the 150th anniversary of the Swiss Railroad. In this piece Franco Cesarini reveals the brilliance of the brass the softness of the woodwind and the dexterity of the percussion section. The rich dynamics of this festive piece will brighten up any occasion.

Cesarini composed this work as a tribute to the memory of Darius Milhaud born a century earlier in Aix-en-Provence France. The premiere conducted by the composer was presented by the Civic Philharmonic of Balerna in December 1992. The titles of the four-part suite include: La Villageoise (The Village Maiden) Le petit berger (The Little Shepherd) La Princesse (The Princess) and Le Lutin (The Imp). The numerous musical reference themes begin with five folksongs from the Provence region and continue with melodies written by French composers of the seventeenth century. Additional interest is created by the use of old dance forms (Ronde Musette Pavane and Farandole) toillustrate each historical character.

Three Byzantine mosaics to be seen in churches in Venice and Palermo inspired Franco Cesarini to compose this work. He took the musical motives from Gregorian chants. The mosaics concerned deptic the following extracts from The Gospel According to St. Matthew. I. The NativityThe Magi from the East: Where is the newborn King of the Jews? For we have seen his star in far-off eastern lands and we have come to worship Him. II. The Temple of JerusalemAnd look! The curtain secluding the Holiest Place in the Temple was split apart from top to bottom: and the earth shook and rocks broke and tombs opened and many godly men and women who had died come back to life again. III. Angelof the ResurrectionAn angel of the Lord come down from heaven drew near rolled away the stone and sat upon it. His countenance was lightning and his attire white as snow.

With Convergents Franco Cesarini has succeeded in composing a piece suitable for both concerts or contests which whilst not being too difficult still has the feel of a major work. This extremely rhythmical piece is built upon three themes which after being introduced in turn finally converge into the triumphal finale of the work. This scintillating workwill be a definite enrichment to the repertoire of your concert band.

En 1848 Johann Strauss père (1804-1849) compose la plus célèbre de ses dix-huit marches la Marche de Radetzky . Cette œuvre pétillante commémore la victoire du Feld-Maréchal autrichien le Comte Radetzky sur des insurgés Italiens lors de la bataille de Custozza. Cette marche souvent interprétée lors des Concerts du Nouvel An ou à l’occasion de grands concerts de gala est connue dans le monde entier.

Aber Heidschi Bumbeidschi was originally a traditional lullaby from theGerman region of Bohemia. It?s beautiful smooth moving melody hasensured that this tune has become popular outside of the German speaking countries. Today it is mainly performed at Christmas as a traditional Christmas crib song. With this lovely arrangement youcan create a beautiful moment of peace and contemplation in yourChristmas concert!

Aber Heidschi Bumbeidschi was originally a traditional lullaby from theGerman region of Bohemia. It?s beautiful smooth moving melody hasensured that this tune has become popular outside of the German speaking countries. Today it is mainly performed at Christmas as a traditional Christmas crib song. With this lovely arrangement youcan create a beautiful moment of peace and contemplation in yourChristmas concert!

Giuseppe Verdi is one of the most famous composers of Italian opera. Here Cesarini has masterfully arranged Nabucco .

Grande Fanfare is a powerful fanfare for a festive occasion! The brass section opens the work and leads into a majestic hymn in the middle section accentuated with subtle trumpet ornaments. The closing section conveys a sense of grandeur and dignity: the perfect work to musically enrich any special occasion. This work was written to celebrate the 50th birthday of the composer’s long-time colleague to whom the composition is dedicated.

A Tribute to KLM's Uiver-In 1934 the city of Melbourne celebrated its centenary and marked the occasion with the MacRobertson International Air Race. KLM’s entry was its first DC-2 PH-AJU ‘Uiver’ (Stork) which took off on 20 October 1934. Shortly before the finish the plane had to make an emergency landing due to poor weather conditions. The following morning the entire town turned out to dig the aircraft out of the mud enabling to resume its flight. Nonetheless the distance was covered in three days 18 hours and 17 minutes: a winning performance! This programmatic piece tells the story describing the start of the engines in bar one the flight over the clouds the thunderstorm theemergency landing and many more scenes!

Poem for Solo Horn and Concert Band-The thematic background of this concert work is found in Norse mythology. The Gjallarhorn—the ‘resounding horn’—is the horn of Heimdall the radiant guardian of Bifröst. This is the rainbow bridge that leads from Midgard the world inhabited by people to Asgard realm of the gods.

This work was inspired by a French astronaut and saxophonist who played his saxophone while aboard the International Space Station! During the piece the audience joins the ‘Proxima’ mission step by step on the journey into space. This is a challenging and inspiring composition for a concert or a contest.

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