Par BRAHMS JOHANNES. Brahms? elegy Nänie op. 82, based on the poem by Friedrich von Schiller, was composed in 1880/81 following the death of the painter Anselm Feuerbach, whom Brahms greatly admired. In contrast with the poem, Brahms? Nänie ends full of hope: after earthly decline, beauty can live on in art. As in his Deutsches Requiem op. 45, in Nänie Brahms creates a musical connection between m…

Par PART ARVO. Arvo Pärt has been fascinated by the life and work of St Silouan of Athos (1866-1938) for many years. As early as 1991, the writings of Silouan inspired Pärt to his composition Silouan's Song, 'My soul yearns after the Lord ...' for string orchestra. Pärt's new work Adam's Lament is once again based on a text by Silouan, in which the monk laments Adam's pain over the loss of paradis…

Franz Schubert's Impromptus and Moments musicaux are among the milestones of piano music and are a reuglar feature in music lessons and concert performances. This new edition brings all Impromptus and Moments musicaux together in one volume in a practice-focused manner. The musical text of the 'Impromptus' is based primarily on the composer's autographs as well as on a copy of the Witteczek-Spaun …

Par BULLA STEPHEN. Blues to the MAX! With lots of drive and down home blues harmonies, KENNESAW MOUNTAIN BLUES will latch on to your audience for keeps. Very accessible to Grade 2 1/2 bands, this is one of the most enjoyable pieces you’ll find for any level of ability. If you have a kickin’ drumset player, so much the better. Every section has gratifying parts to play, and the easy mixed-meter sec…

szenische Kantate. Par GRAMSS KNUT. A royalist French peasant happens upon a picturbook cheese. Of course, he wants to bring it to the king, which is a difficult undertaking, given the long distance and the need to preserve the condition of the cheese… The happy ending is never in doubt. The unison choir has quite a bit to do, but the text and melodies are quick to learn… the musical accompaniment…

Par MACMILLAN JAMES. A setting of passages from the Book of Revelation, with particular reference to the angels who appear with seven trumpet blasts, heralding a series of apocalyptic scenes. Commissioned by Jeffrey Skidmore, director of Ex Cathedra, and first performed by them at Birmingham Town Hall in 2015. The composer states, ?There is a vividness and strangeness in these dramatic texts, whic…

Ed. Critica A. Borin. Par VIVALDI ANTONIO. Casa Ricordi Milano in partnership with Fondazione Giorgio Cini, Venezia (Istituto Antonio Vivaldi). Critical edition by Alessandro Borin. The six Concerts op. VI for violin, strings and continuo by Antonio Vivaldi were published in Amsterdam by Roger in 1719. Although the contribution of Vivaldi was probably modest – even to assume that the collection wa…

Composer David Brunner has a gift for setting texts in melodic phrases with gentle contours and with a lyrical style. He has done exactly that with this text by Victorian age poet and essayist Bessie Rayner Parkes. Parkes was a prominent English feminist and campaigner for women's rights who found music everywhere - in birds, flowers, winds and waves - but mostly in earnest human voices raised in …

Par FORBES L'ESTRANGE JOANNA / L'ESTRANGE ALEXANDER. Commissioned by Finchley Children?s Music Group, Winter Songs by Joanna Forbes L?Estrange and Alexander L?Estrange comprises three contrasting songs for upper voices and piano accompaniment, setting lyrics by Joanna. Each song presents a view of winter which, for different reasons, implores us to value kindness and compassion above all else. Hib…

Ed. Critica A. Borin. Par VIVALDI ANTONIO. Casa Ricordi Milano in partnership with Fondazione Giorgio Cini, Venezia (Istituto Antonio Vivaldi). Critical edition by Alessandro Borin. The six Concerts op. VI for violin, strings and continuo by Antonio Vivaldi were published in Amsterdam by Roger in 1719. Although the contribution of Vivaldi was probably modest – even to assume that the collection wa…

Par LÉVINAS. Ecrire un concerto aujourd'huiLa constitution de l'orchestre symphonique a obéi depuis la fin du XVIII siècle d'une part à la structure du système tonal, et d'autre part au développement de la recherche du timbre par les compositeurs, en étroite relation avec l'évolution des lutheries. Le concept même d'orchestration aurait débuté à la fin du baroque avec les fils Bach, Mannheim et Mo…

Par COURT DOUGLAS. This energetic and descriptive piece takes us musically to Newport, Rhode Island, where a bright and breezy day lures some of the world's great sailing yachts out for a romp on the waves. Douglas Court's wonderful depiction of a joyous adventure on the water will thrill your audience and be a bright spot in your next concert. Lighthearted, but with plenty of solid musical concep…

Par KNUSSEN OLIVER. Higglety Pigglety Pop! is the second of Knussen ’s two extraordinary fantasy operas created in collaboration with the acclaimed author Maurice Sendak. Composed between 1984-5 but finding its final form, after a number of substantial revisions, in 1999, the opera – subtitled ‘There Must be More to Life’ – is the story of a well-fed Sealyham terrier, Jennie, who escapes boredom t…

The Top Ten Contemporary Classical Pieces To Play On Piano is part of a series that has been specially designed to help pianists of all levels to find the repertoire they really want to play. This volume contains 10 of the very best contemporary pieces for solo Piano.Some people associate classical music very much with the historic past, but there is a wealth of contemporary music out there from a…

Demanding salon music for string quartet (with double-bass ad libitum) is provided by Wolfgang Birtel in his 'Latin Dances' with four titles which can be played individually or as a little suite. The first dance is the chorinho 'Não me toques' by Zequinha de Abreu (1880-1935) who not only wrote 'Tico Tico' but also other rousing pieces of music. Ernesto Nazareth (1863-1934) is considered to be the…