Philip Harper provides a new work for the First Section with 'St James's — A New Beginning'.

 

It has been commissioned by St James's Church in Piccadilly in support of the Wren Project to mark the 300th anniversary of the death of the acclaimed British architect Sir Christopher Wren (1632-1723).

 

The Parish church was designed by Wren around 1672 and consecrated in in 1684.

 

His iconic London masterpiece is St Paul's Cathedral, in which he is buried with a tombstone epitaph: "Reader, if you seek his monument — look around you."

'Lakeland Variations' by Philip Sparke was commissioned by the Seeländer Jugend Brass Band to celebrate their 20th Jubilee course in the summer of 2022. The premiere was conducted by Michael Bach.

 

The region of Seeland (Lakeland) lies in the north-west part of Switzerland and is famous for its three lakes of Morat, Neuchâtel and Bienne.

 

The work comprises an introduction and 5 variations based on motifs contained in the opening bars; the lakes represented by the three notes of the opening timpani solo, the intervals of which, a fourth and a second — together with a cornet figure in bar 4 — form the basis of all the following variations.

Set as the THIRD SECTION test piece for the 2023 National Finals of the British Brass Band Championships in Cheltenham in September 2023

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The Lost Village of Imber was commissioned by Bratton Silver Band in 2019 in celebration of 160 years of the band; 1859-2019. Structured in three movements, the complete work was premiered by Cory Band at Wiltshire Music Centre in February 2020.

 

The village of Imber on Salisbury Plain had been inhabited for over one thousand years when it was evacuated in 1943 to make way for military training in the Second World War. At the time, with preparations for the Allied invasion of Europe underway, most villagers put up no resistance, despite being upset, with the belief that they’d return once the war had concluded. To this day, Imber and its surrounding land remain a military training ground. The villagers never returned, and just the shell of what was once a community remains. Structured in three movements, it is on this very real story that the work is based, setting out the series of events of 1943 in chronological order. The first movement, On Imber Downe, portrays a sense of jollity and cohesiveness – a community of individuals living and working together before news of the evacuation had broken. Sounds of the village are heard throughout, not least in a series of percussive effects – the anvil of the blacksmith; the cowbell of the cattle and the bells of the church. The second movement, The Church of St. Giles, begins mysteriously and this sonorous, atmospheric opening depicts Imber in its desolate state and the apprehension of residents as they learn they have to leave their homes. Amidst this is the Church, a symbol of hope for villagers who one day wish to return, portrayed with a sweeping melodic passage before the music returns to the apprehension of villagers facing eviction around their sadness at losing their rural way of life. In complete contrast, the third movement, Imemerie Aeternum, portrays the arrival of the military, complete with the sounds of the ammunition, firing and tanks – sounds which were all too familiar to those living in the surround areas. To close, the Church of St. Giles theme returns in a triumphant style, representing the idea that the church has always been, even to this day, a beacon of hope for the villagers and local community – both the centrepiece and pinnacle of a very real story. The work was commissioned by Bratton Silver Band in celebration of the band’s 160th Anniversary, with funding from the Arts Council National Lottery Project Grants Fund and the Brass Bands England Norman Jones Trust Fund.

Set as the THIRD SECTION test piece for the 2023 National Finals of the British Brass Band Championships in Cheltenham in September 2023

The Lost Village of Imber was commissioned by Bratton Silver Band in 2019 in celebration of 160 years of the band; 1859-2019. Structured in three movements, the complete work was premiered by Cory Band at Wiltshire Music Centre in February 2020.

 

The village of Imber on Salisbury Plain had been inhabited for over one thousand years when it was evacuated in 1943 to make way for military training in the Second World War. At the time, with preparations for the Allied invasion of Europe underway, most villagers put up no resistance, despite being upset, with the belief that they’d return once the war had concluded. To this day, Imber and its surrounding land remain a military training ground. The villagers never returned, and just the shell of what was once a community remains. Structured in three movements, it is on this very real story that the work is based, setting out the series of events of 1943 in chronological order. The first movement, On Imber Downe, portrays a sense of jollity and cohesiveness – a community of individuals living and working together before news of the evacuation had broken. Sounds of the village are heard throughout, not least in a series of percussive effects – the anvil of the blacksmith; the cowbell of the cattle and the bells of the church. The second movement, The Church of St. Giles, begins mysteriously and this sonorous, atmospheric opening depicts Imber in its desolate state and the apprehension of residents as they learn they have to leave their homes. Amidst this is the Church, a symbol of hope for villagers who one day wish to return, portrayed with a sweeping melodic passage before the music returns to the apprehension of villagers facing eviction around their sadness at losing their rural way of life. In complete contrast, the third movement, Imemerie Aeternum, portrays the arrival of the military, complete with the sounds of the ammunition, firing and tanks – sounds which were all too familiar to those living in the surround areas. To close, the Church of St. Giles theme returns in a triumphant style, representing the idea that the church has always been, even to this day, a beacon of hope for the villagers and local community – both the centrepiece and pinnacle of a very real story. The work was commissioned by Bratton Silver Band in celebration of the band’s 160th Anniversary, with funding from the Arts Council National Lottery Project Grants Fund and the Brass Bands England Norman Jones Trust Fund.

Goff Richards' uplifting composition was commissioned in 1983 by the Saddleworth Festival of the Arts with a remit that it should "illustrate the link that exists between Saddleworth, England and Saddleworth, Australia."The latter was a township laid out by a Saddleworth emigree James Master who arrived in Australia in 1836.

 

The overture is based on English and Australian themes — from 'Pratty Flowers', 'Hail Smiling Morn'' and the 'Mowin Match Song' to 'Waltzing Matilda' and 'Advance Australia Fair'.

 

The work was subsequently used as the 1985 Fourth Section National Final set-work, and has been used played around the globe since — including the Australian, Dutch, Belgian and Norwegian National Championships as well as the National Youth Championships of Great Britain.