Product Description
Originally written as part of my final year composition portfolio at Salford University, Aurora Borealis is a tone poem for brass band, intended to evoke imagery and sensations of the Northern Lights, and the arctic North. As listeners, we're taken from the initial emergence and fanfare of the titular lights, through a further meditation on the original theme, to scenes of chaotic, tumultuous seas. The commotion eventually builds to a sweeping view of a vast, snowy, yet bleak landscape to build yet again into the piece's finale and restatement of the original theme.
Musically, the piece takes inspiration from the tradition of brass band contest music there are several nods to composers such as Peter Graham, Philip Sparke, Eric Ball and John McCabe. At the time I was starting to discover an interest in extended harmony and bitonality, which can be found in brief moments of the music.
I eventually entered the piece into the 2014 Fodens Composition Competition, where it claimed 1st place. The piece was used for the Allan Withington International Conducting School, and eventually was performed by Fodens Band at the Birmingham Symphony Hall a performance which was broadcast on BBC Radio 2's 'Listen to the Band' program.
This product was created by a member of ArrangeMe, Hal Leonard's global self-publishing community of independent composers, arrangers, and songwriters. ArrangeMe allows for the publication of unique arrangements of both popular titles and original compositions from a wide variety of voices and backgrounds.