SKU: SU.50600021
Imstrumentation : Solo Horn & Wind Ensemble Duration: Composed: 2004 Published by: Dunsinane Music Composer's Note: Great Scott! was commissioned by Mary Ann Craig, Director of Bands at Montclair State University for the MSU Wind Ensemble, and is dedicated to Mr. Jeffrey Scott. A work in one movement, Great Scott! may be heard as a stream of consciousness in the mind of the soloist. The work opens with the soloist quietly reflecting. The remnants of a dance tune are heard in the lower brass, as if from a radio, and the soloist unselfconsciously incorporates this material into his musings. He is joined by the ensemble, which reiterates and makes emphatic the soloist’s reflections. A variation of the dance tune, now integrated with the soloist’s ideas, is heard in the saxophones, soon joined by the French horn, gradually leading to a quieter section that again incorporates and expands the gathering musical materials. This leads to the central, lyric section of the piece—where the soloist returns to his initial musings, now amplified by the ensemble. This time, the dance music is not heard separately—in essence, it has been re-constructed by the soloist with contributions from the ensemble. A fanfare-like section follows, featuring brass and timpani. After a brief pause, the opening material is heard a final time, now with an active, rapid surface, as the piece rushes to a close.
SKU: SU.50600020
SKU: CF.CPS216
ISBN 9781491152423. UPC: 680160909926.
Cosmi c Expedition takes performers on a musical journey far across the galaxy via three main sections. This fanfare composition would be perfect for opening a concert. It has bold brass fanfare figures over textural woodwinds to start and then takes the listener on a sonic journey through a variation of harmonic colors, tambural and textural shifts.Cosmic Expedition takes performers on a musical journey far across the galaxy via three main sections. The first, a rather celebratory and triumphant fanfare in Bb major begins with the upper woodwinds and percussion creating a sound-screen, that is a busy texture consisting of a flurry of repeated notes over which the horns and alto saxophones present the opening theme. The sound-screen should be carefully balanced and give way to the melody at m. 5, which should be played extremely marcato. The timpani solo beginning in m. 11 must not be understated. A brief percussion interlude separates a restatement of the opening theme, this time with the addition of the trumpet, tenor saxophone, and euphonium, and a counter melody by the low winds. The percussion interlude is playful, light, but full of vigor and energy. An Ab in the low winds pulls the harmony towards G minor in m. 40 to start the second section, a more serious fanfare. Here, the marimba repeats an ostinato that is complemented by the bass drum and woodblock. The upper woodwinds with the xylophone and snare drum dance over the stern secondary fanfare. A longing call lead by the trombones, interrupted by a subtle snare drum beckons to the clarinets and horn who begin the third section of the piece at m. 68. This haunting melody in C minor is legato, and starkly contrasts all which came before it. A relentless concert tom-tom played with hard mallets keeps the momentum persistent, and a heartbeat-like pulse is felt from the tuba and baritone saxophone. The melody rises towards m. 84 when the brass harken back to the fanfare style before fading back into another lush woodwind strain.A recapitulation of the low winds’ call is heard at m. 100 which in this occasion intensifies into an emphatic statement by the battery percussion instruments. Now in Eb major, the opening fanfare theme is heard again once more before fading into the beginning of the piece’s conclusion.To end, the counter melody from the opening section duels with chromatic tension above before swelling to an arrival in the original key of Bb major. The full ensemble celebrates the piece’s resolution, and after a few crunchy power chords the journey is completed.
SKU: CF.CPS216F
ISBN 9781491153109. UPC: 680160910601.
SKU: SS.50600020
Composer's Note: Great Scott! was commissioned by Mary Ann Craig, Director of Bands at Montclair State University for the MSU Wind Ensemble, and is dedicated to Mr. Jeffrey Scott. A work in one movement, Great Scott! may be heard as a stream of consciousness in the mind of the soloist. The work opens with the soloist quietly reflecting. The remnants of a dance tune are heard in the lower brass, as if from a radio, and the soloist unselfconsciously incorporates this material into his musings. He is joined by the ensemble, which reiterates and makes emphatic the soloist's reflections. A variation of the dance tune, now integrated with the soloist's ideas, is heard in the saxophones, soon joined by the French horn, gradually leading to a quieter section that again incorporates and expands the gathering musical materials. This leads to the central, lyric section of the piece - where the soloist returns to his initial musings, now amplified by the ensemble. This time, the dance music is not heard separately - in essence, it has been re-constructed by the soloist with contributions from the ensemble. A fanfare-like section follows, featuring brass and timpani. After a brief pause, the opening material is heard a final time, now with an active, rapid surface, as the piece rushes to a close.
SKU: GI.G-CD-872
UPC: 785147087229.
New in the GIA WindWorks series... Contents: Scarecrow Overture (2004) - Double Play (2010) - Divertimento for Brass and Percussion (1958) Overture - Scherzo - Song - Slovak Dance - Crossing Parallels - Tango Variations (2009) - Arctic Dreams (1991) Inuit Landscape - Throat Singing with Laughter - Whispering Voice - Polar Night - Spring Light - The Hunt - Drum Dancer What critics say about the North Texas Wind Symphony... Audio Magazine: The performances are expert, and the sound—which ranges from single wind instrument solos to a full band replete with thundering timpani and bass drum that can be felt through a subwoofer—is as good as it gets. There’s a remarkable combination of presence and stage depth. Fanfare Magazine: The group is in a class all its own...Hats off to them...If you don’t respond to the music or to the performances (I’m sorry for you, if that’s the case), surely the audiophile-worthy engineering will get you. Corporon and his North Texas Wind Symphony are almost in a league of their own. —American Record Guide May/June 2012.
