Easter Fantasy-Fantasia di Pasqua est une fantaisie basée sur des mélodies chorales pascales issues de la Renaissance. Un quatuor (cuivres/bois) joue un rôle primordial dans le développement de la pièce. La musique pascale étant essentiellement destinée à être interprétée dans un lieu de culte le compositeur préconise de placer le quatuor sur le balcon. L?effet de double chœur ainsi créé donne à la pièce un caractère varié et divertissant.

Spiritual-This deeply moving African-American spiritual is ideally suited for an Easter service. The score is in C. Douglas Smith has arranged this piece for 2 B flat trumpet/cornet a trombone/baritone/horn in F and a trombone/baritone with optional tuba.

The Yiddish word ‘Klezmer’ has been derived from the Old Hebrew words ‘Kley’ (tool instrument) and ‘Zemer’ (song singing making music).Klezmer is the traditional music of Jews from Eastern Europe.Yiddish musicians (Klezmorim) were regularly invited to come and play at Yiddish weddings as well as several other Jewish celebrations and festive occasions. Despite its close connection with traditional Eastern European folk music Klezmer music has succeeded in preserving its distinctive Jewish character. ‘Klezmer Discovery’ is a voyage of discovery through the richly varied music of the Jewish people from Eastern Europe.The introduction consists of a number of motives from differenttraditional melodies (a Mitzve Tenzel and L’cha Dodi) followed by a melody in 3/8th time (Kandel’s Hora). This dance melody originally came from Bessarabia (present-day Moldavia) and was taken along to America by Jewish musicians round 1900. Subsequently ‘Der Terk in Amerika’ a composition by famous clarinet player Naftule Brandwein can be heard. A number of fast cheerful dance melodies (bulgars) form the finale of ‘Klezmer Discovery’ (Lebedyk un Freylekh Lomir sich iberbetn and Sherele).

Three Klezmer Miniatures is Philip Sparke’s third work based on traditional Jewish klezmer melodies after Shalom! and A Klezmer Karnival. Klezmer music originated in the ’shtetl‘ (villages) and the ghettos of Eastern Europe where itinerant Jewish troubadours known as ’klezmorim‘ had performed at celebrations particularly weddings since the early Middle Ages. In Three Klezmer Miniatures Philip Sparke used the traditional tunes Sham Harei Golan Nigun Shel Yossi Tumbalalaika and Hava Nagila.

Christopher Columbus was born in Genoa in 1451. His father was a wool merchant. Originally he seemed destined to follow in his father?s footsteps and thus sailed the oceans to countries as far apart as Iceland and Guinea. In 1476 his ship was sunk during a battle off the coast of Portugal. Columbus saved his own life by swimming to shore. In 1484 he conceived the idea of sailing to the Indies via a westward sea route but it was only in 1492 that he was able to realize this plan. On this first voyage he was in command of three ships: the flag-ship called the Santa Maria the Pinta and the Ni?a. From Spain Columbus sailed via the Canary Islands to the Bahamas whichhe sighted on October 12th 1492. Without being aware of it Columbus discovered the ?New World? ? he thought he had landed in the eastern part of Asia. The motif from Dvoøák?s 9th Symphony ?Aus der neuen Welt? forms a little counterfeit history at this point in the composition. After this first voyage Columbus was to undertake another three long voyages to America. These voyages were certainly not entirely devoid of misfortune. More than once he was faced with shipwreck mutiny and the destruction of settlements he had founded. After Columbus had left for Spain from Rio Belen in 1503 he beached his ships on the coast of Jamaica. The crew were marooned there and it was only after a year that Columbus succeeded in saving his men and sailing back to Spain with them. In the music the misunderstanding about which continent Columbus discovered in his lifetime resounds for does this part in the composition not contain Asiatic motifs? Poor Columbus! In 1506 the famous explorer died in Valladolid.

Three Klezmer Miniatures is Philip Sparke’s third work based on traditional Jewish klezmer melodies after Shalom! and A Klezmer Karnival. Klezmer music originated in the ’shtetl‘ (villages) and the ghettos of Eastern Europe where itinerant Jewish troubadours known as ’klezmorim‘ had performed at celebrations particularly weddings since the early Middle Ages. In Three Klezmer Miniatures Philip Sparke used the traditional tunes Sham Harei Golan Nigun Shel Yossi Tumbalalaika and Hava Nagila.