Concert Band - Level 4 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1383663 Composed by Francois Borne and Georges Bizet. Arranged by Harry Walker. 19th Century,Classical,Contest,Festival,Opera,Romantic Period. 205 pages. SCORE EDITIONS #968118. Published by SCORE EDITIONS (A0.1383663). Borne was a flutist with the principal opera company in Bordeaux as well as a composer and professor at the conservatory in Toulouse. Expert in both instrumental technique and in the development of the flute as an instrument, he is still recognized for his technical contributions to the Böhm flute. His Fantasie Brillante on Themes from Bizet’s Carmen is by far his most famous composition. Borne’s setting of Carmen’s luscious melodies – like those by Sarasate for the violin, and by Busoni and Horowitz for the piano – combine the virtuoso’s understanding of the solo instrument with a flair for the dance rhythms and passionate colors of the opera. Borne fills his setting with spectacular arpeggios that require fleet fingering and consummate breath control. Carmen’s brilliant Habanera, a traditional dance that she performs with castanets (and with abundant flirting), anchors the work. But the mood of Borne’s Carmen is far brighter than that of the fatalistic Gypsy girl of Bizet’s opera. In Borne’s showpiece, a set of brilliant variations on her showy Habanera leads to a triumphant close – in marked contrast with the opera’s violent, tragic ending. In this version, the composition was arranged for Solo Flute and Concert Band by Harry Walker.
