Australian Concert Bands

Every music forum needs one of these threads.

What pieces/composers/style of music do you like playing or listening to?

I'll start:

Concert Band
Fantasy on a theme of Paganini - James Barnes
Symphony No. 4 - Alfred Reed
Most works by Johann de Meij

Brass Band
The Year of the Dragon - Philip Sparke
Contest Music - Wilfred Heaton

Orchestral
Anything by Shostakovich
Most of Stravinsky's non-serial works
Many other works too numerous to name.

Have fun!

-Robert

Welll...Since I travel as the Bass Trombonist & Librarian for The Mantovani Orchestra www.themantovaniorchestra.com I guess I would like this music....LOL

i appreciate good music from all three, the current arrangements available for brass and concert bands is really a breath of fresh air which enables lower grade bands to put together a top concert programme which the average person in the street will stop and listen to, which is helping to keep the influx of younger players coming up through the ranks
anyway back on thread

concert bands anything its all good
brass cant go past year of the dragon and russlan and ludmilla
orchestral mozart and dvorajk are my fav composers

opera until that welsh wizard paul potts came on the scene i
treated opera like a rabid dog. but this guy is good

Bobatron wrote:Concert Band
Fantasy on a theme of Paganini - James Barnes
Symphony No. 4 - Alfred Reed
Most works by Johann de Meij

North West just played the Fantasy Variations at States, and we did Wind in the Willows by Johann de Meij at a concert earlier in the year. Both fantastic works!

My all-time favourite concert band piece is Invocation and Toccata (especially the Tokyo Kosei recording) by James Barnes. I first heard it as a B grade test piece sometime around '98. I love the dark, ominous sounds created by the band. Spine chilling stuff.

A more recent fave is Yiddish Dances by Adam Gorb. Playing that was simply the most fun I've ever had sitting in a band. The last 30 seconds or so of the last movement is hard to beat for pure fun! You can hear a resonably good (no offense if this is your band!) recording of it here. The Pyramid Concert 2/26/04 is probably the best one to choose.

Graham Wharton wrote:i appreciate good music from all three, the current arrangements available for brass and concert bands is really a breath of fresh air which enables lower grade bands to put together a top concert programme which the average person in the street will stop and listen to, which is helping to keep the influx of younger players coming up through the ranks

Just a further note on your comment.

I think it was also very promising to see the success and quality of the Australian test pieces on show at the recent NSW State titles. I saw/played in three 3 grades (Junior and Senior A Grade brass and B grade concert), and the test pieces of these three grades were well considered and provided an excellent challenge to the bands.

Again, off topic, but I'm sure you will all agree this is very important for Australian music.

I'd have to say anything by Jacob de Hann is really good.

Oregon is an all time favourite, followed closely by The Saint and the City

Some other good ones are Pacific Dreams and Inspiration

dance movements is legendary but freakin hard.... arguably the hardest concert band piece ever written

yes matt!! yiddish dances... how much fun was that?!

Too much fun!

Good to see you here!

It's very hard to narrow it down but I'll name a couple of my favourites.

Concert Band

El Camino Real
Armenian Dances
Dance Movements
The Holst Suites

Oregon and Firebrand are great lower level pieces


Brass Band

Between the Moon and Mexico
Year of the Dragon
Essence of Time

Triptych and Tameside Overture are great for the lower grades.

Hello Cliffy, I agree that Year of the Dragon is a really good test piece. I hate test pieces that are all noise and no real music. Fancy being an adjudicator when there are lots of Bands playing a piece that is not pleasant to the ears!!

Add to the concert band list:
ESPRIT de CORPS

SEAGATE OVERTURE

THE LIGHT ETERNAL

REJOUISSANCE (Fantasia on Ein Feste Burg)

I like anything by Alfred Reed and as well as Handel in the Strand and Panis Angelicus...

Panis Angelicus is really nice. We played that a nats a couple of years ago. Sounded really nice!

Ben...feel free to share those files with any who ask.

I have to agree on the concert bands that Yiddish Dances is fantastic! Absolutely killer Eb Clarinet solos, with a great cadenza like middle movement. Fun, raucous and challenging. Adam Gorb's pieces are always challenging (particularly for rhythm and nasty key signatures in places) but this one is the best, I think. His trombone concerto 'Downtown Diversions' is also amazing!

As brass bands go, I'm quite fond of the Year of the Dragon (Sparke) although the transcription for wind band is also excellent (imagine a cor anglais solo in the 2nd movement). I also like most brass arrangements of my favourite hymn Eventide (or Abide with me as its also known).

I also like Danceries by Kenneth Hesketh for wind band. Played this with the Elder Con Wind Ensemble - thoroughly enjoyed it.