SKU: A0.1266105

Prepare to be transported to a realm beyond the imagination, where mythical creatures dance, dragons soar, enchanted forests whisper and heroes embark on epic quests. Embracing the theme of fantasy, this piece conjures the very essence of grandeur and mystery. 

The spirited dance section weaves through changing meters of 6/8 and 3/4 with a quick change into the complex meter of 7/8. The piece begins with a solo for violin, which is joined by solo flute before the whole orchestra enters in on the fun. Your percussionists will love it too, with a particularly challenging part for drum-kit. The middle section offers a quiet contrast with vibraphone and piano (or harp). 
Duration 4:30.

SKU: A0.730401

Tenor Aria From the Hillside from the 21st Century Opera ON THE WINGS OF THE SCARLET MESSENGER (Based on the Henry James novel, On the Wings of a Dove) here with full orchestral accompaniment. (Full score in concert pitch, voice, and individual parts included)  This accompaniment can also be used with the solo and male ensemble that is contained in the full vocal score.

Instrumentation:  pic, fl12,ob12,eh,cl12,bcl,tenor sax, bsn12,hrn1234, trpt 12, trmb, btrm, timp, hand cym/egg shaker, hrp, voice, strings

Duration: 4:00 minutes  (Sample here begins with extra measure) 

Video presentation at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u47yb4kiE0Y

Curious? Listen to the complete opera playlist en demo at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rr5x_aXnUMM&list=PLEcbVsA36MCvHG_MTBdv7x2UNjwG27sMa

Adaptation, Libretto, and Music by James Nathaniel Holland Performance: James Nathaniel Holland, Tenor Orchestra: CH Symphony Group (Complete Duration: 2 hours)

BRIEF SYNOPSIS: In the urban capital of Soon Rafa, lovers Mariana (Soprano) and Kai (Bass) cannot be together because of Mariana's disapproving wealthy Aunt (Mezzo-Soprano). Torn between love and financial security, an unlikely opportunity arises when a dying rich Occidental, Justin (Tenor) reveals his romantic interest in Kai. The couple plot a pretense to inherit Justin's money and be free to marry and live together. This aria occurs in Act I, Scene 2. Justin (tenor) has just hired a group of porters, including Kai (bass), to guide him through the jungles of the island to photograph the mythical bird, the Scarlet Messenger. Although the men insist it is a legend, Justin inspires them to persevere with him.

Aria Libretto, Justin (tenor singing):
From the hillside, something breaks free.
Is it real? Or just illusion?
Oh how I have to see you, feel that beauty.
Upon your wings our souls must one day fly to heaven.
Never doubt that you can find him, hiding among your dreams.
For when you feel all hope is gone, that's when you spot his red wings, fiery bright. (to the group of porters)
So come with me, all's not in vain. It is real, just not illusion.
The day is fading fast, oh, so quickly.
We'll be the first to see that blazing path of fire.
The Scarlet Messenger!
Oh how that would be the greatest gift of my life.

 Composer website: http://lacoronadelossantos.net/jamesnathanielholland.html

 Music, Lyrics, Performance Copyright 2017 James Nathaniel Holland.

SKU: A0.730496

FULL ORCHESTRAL SCORE (CONCERT PITCH)
Most current revision of libretto and edits with measure numbers and section (scene/aria) headings for easier rehearsal. Contains vocal lines. Piano Vocal Score, Instrument Parts 1 (Woodwinds and Brass), Instrument Parts 2 (Strings, Harp, and Percussion) all sold separately. Rehearsal letters line up with vocal piano score.
Instrumentation: picc, fl12, ob, eh, cl12, tensax, bsn12, hrn12, tpt12, trom12, tba, perc, harp, strings
OPERA SYNOPSIS:A mythical country, somewhere lost in time and space; two factions, a clandestine, militant hate group and the country's elites are in engaged in an age old cycle of violent conflicts to gain rule the country.  Germain, a young man with mysterious origins, and of neither side, by fate meets the newly elected Prime Minister (of the elites) and is deceived by his flowery talk of love that surpasses any difference or this world.  But this is not to be a happy ending. The leader of the hate group takes this perfect opportunity to try to assassinate the PM. When the attempt fails, the blame falls on Germain and leads him to his imprisonment and eventual death.
GERMAIN, A Dreamer (Lyric Baritone)
CHERYL, A tavern owner and girlfriend to Talleyrand (Soprano, Coloratura)
TALLEYRAND, Minister of District Thirteen, Secret leader of the Dissidents (Bass)
ALEXANDER, The newly elected Prime Minister of Timbaksha (Tenor)
TAMINA, Alexander’s wife (Soprano)NADINE, Minister of District Five (Alto)URCHIN, A Young Teen (Male or Female Voice)
WALLACE, Minister of District Nine (Baritone)
OFFICER (Baritone)
CHORUS: DISSIDENT, GUESTS, SERVANTS, CROWD, OFFICERS.

SKU: A0.994904

This is a setting of the Oscar Wilde poem Endymion which tells a story from Greek mythology of a beautiful shepherd boy who captures the affection of the moon goddess, Selene. This includes the string orchestra arrangement of the accompaniment which may be used in place of the original piano accompaniment.

Choral parts are available separately.

SKU: A0.1040096

One of the Masterpieces of Chinese Music of 20th Century The magnificent cave art at Dunhuang, in Western China sets the stage for the ballet, “Dream of Dunhuang�. In the middle of the vast wastes of Western China, lies the oasis of Dunhuang, situated in today‘s Gansu Province. Since the Western Han Dynasty(202BC-8AC), Dunhuang was an important trading and cultural center on the famous “Silk Road’, the ribbon of communication which fostered the historic ties between East and West. In the East was China, source of treasured trading articles such as silk; in the West, the �road“ branched to Venice, and north to what is today‘s Russia. The mural led caves at Dunhuang, which were begun the Northern Wei dynasty(336AD), and developed over one thousand years into the Qing Dynasty, re presents one of the world‘s richest cultural treasures. Drawing on bothn Western(Indian and Persian) as well as Chinese tradition, the caves, of which 492 remain intact, were decorated as a mines of religious devotion, with the initiation of Buddhism into China. The subjects of the murals, such as devise, demons, apsaras and bodhisattvas, represent the entire pantheon of Buddhist mythology, yet are also significant in their representation of muti-racial and muti-cultural influences, standing as an important testament to the age old exchange between East and West. A fabricated fantasia, the story of the ballet was inspirited by the famous artist, maestro Chang Shu-hong, who dedicated his whole life to Dunhuang. One of the Huang An-lun‘s major compositions with the play written by Xu Qing-dong, the score of “Dream of Dunhuang� was completed in mid-1979. The ballet has been dedicated to the composer‘s closest friends, Canadian writers John Fraser and Elizabeth MacCallun. Up to the date this CD being released, the ballet has never got a chance to performed in mainland China. Nevertheless, its music has been wildly performed and warmly received around the world. The Singapore premiere of its suite No.1 was performed by the SSO, conducted by Maestro Lim Yao. It has been also chosen as one of the “Master Piece of Chinese Music in 20th Century� in 1993. The world premiere of the complete ballet was performed successfully by the Russian State Ballet of Moscow, directed by its artist director, Vyatcheslav Godeyev, in 1994. Choreographed by Chen Min, it was took place in Taiwan with the Taiwan Symphony Orchestra, conducted by maestro David C.H.Chen. In 2002, ROI of Hong Kong has released the CD of the whole ballet, performed by the Russian Philharmonic Orchestra of Moscow. This is also the audio file attached. Before this recording conducted by the composer himself, the entire score was also performed by the Bolshoi Symphony Orchestra of Moscow in1995. The YouTube video was the World Premiere in Taiwan by the Russia National Ballet with the Taiwan symphony Orchestra, conducted by David Chen in 1994. The ballet, “ Dream of Dunhuang� depicts two young artists seeking the ultimate experience in love and expression. This two lovers arrived at desert and with the guidance of the celestial maiden, they discover the miracles of Dunhuang. It‘s divided into three acts: Act I: Desert, Act II: Cave, and Act III: Mogao cave.

SKU: A0.1027197

A symphonic fantasia in four movements for orchestra; based on Hawaiian mythology.

SKU: A0.1373686

This extended work represents four Gods and Goddesses in Greek mythology. This piece follows a four-movement structure and the movements are as follows: 

Mvt. 1 - Zeus
Mvt. 2 - Aphrodite
Mvt. 3 - Hades
Mvt. 4 - Athena.

SKU: A0.1018940

Programme Notes:

 This composition was written to be considered for pairing alongside Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony #3, the Eroica, but can stand on its own virtues as an intense and slow meditation on heroism. The music is like a boiling pot on the stove that’s just began to overflow its bubbles.

 The first part of the title, kommos, is a Classical Greek term from Attic dramaturgy, literally meaning striking but specifically referring to beating oneself up during lamentation--ripping at the hair, gouging out the eyes--like Oedipus--slapping the forehead, and other acts amid moments of extreme emotional turmoil. For example, from Aeschylus's play Agamemnon, a character bewails: Apollo, Apollo! God of the Ways, my destroyer! For you have destroyed me-and utterly [...]What is this fresh woe [...]what monstrous, monstrous horror, beyond love's enduring, beyond all remedy? And help stands far away! We can easily imagine physical accompaniment to the script; rather than bottling up the pain, the hero lets it all explosively come out.  

 The second part of the title, When the world moved on, is an epigraph taken from American author Stephen King’s The Dark Tower epic. The primary setting of the novel, a world similar in many ways to our own, is experiencing a dark age where the glorious past is all but a distant memory and all good things are referred to wistfully as occurring, When the world moved on. Yet, the main protagonist, Roland, the last gunslinger, emphasizes that it is not just a figure of speech, but the literal distances between destinations have increased, the positions of the stars have changed, as well as the occurrence of other unnatural phenomena. The world has become a gulf of isolation from all corners.

 Taken together, this piece is a lamentation for when the world moved on. Truly completed on Yom Kippur during the Covid-19 Pandemic, being unable to fast or go to synagogue, this is my atonement.

About the Composer:

 Benjamin Sajo (b. 1988) is a Canadian composer of contemporary classical music, as well as an educator. Since developing a fiercely independent creative voice upon the completion of his studies at Western (2010) and McGill Universities (2013), he continues to find inspiration from the intersection of mythology, art, and nature upon the contemporary human experience. In 2019, he released his premiere album of original music, The Great War Sextet: Canadian War Poetry with Trombone & Strings, with support from the Ontario Arts Council. He is a member of SOCAN and the League of Canadian Composers.