The Southwark Consorts of Winds

We have played the following pieces

• Jan Van der Roost - Puszta arr. Maarten Jense
• W A Mozart - The Marriage of Figaro, Overture arr. Lucien Cailliet
• Paul Harvey - Baritone Concertino
• J.S. Bach - Fugue in B flat (arr. N. Coombs)
• Chris Allen - Chalumeau
• Paul Harvey - Dances of Atlantis
• Nicolas Gilbert - Five Rooms in an Imaginary Doll's House
• Cedric Peachey - Fugal Fantasia
• Segei Rachmaninow - Vocalise arr. Anthony Bailey
• Gordon Jacob - Introduction and Allegro
• Jan van der Roost, arr. Maarten Jense: Puszta
• Edvard Grieg - Three Lyric Pieces arr. Anthony Bailey
• Alan Taylor - Voices
• John Dowland - Lachrymae
• Marisol Gentile - Aire de Fuga
• Luis Menacho - Consonanze Stravaganti - Extravagent Consonance
• Louis J A Lefebure-Wely - Sortie
• Michael Ball - Concertino
• J S Bach - Little Organ Fugue
• Gordon Jacob - Wind in the Reeds
• Giovanni Palestrina - Pope Marcello Mass

Jan van der Roost is a Belgian composer. Puszta is a two movement piece written in 1987. The melodies display characteristics of gypsy music, being of a melancholy mood, though they are original. The first movement is fast and furious, with a more lyrical middle section, and the second is slower and rhythmic, though with faster, repetitive sections and coda.

This well known energetic overture was arranged for clarinet choir by Lucien Caillet. Caillet was himself a clarinetist and demonstrates his understanding of the instrument, showcasing the various timbres of the clarinet choir - imitating the piccolo with the Eb clarinet and the low strings and brass with the bass and contrabass. At at fast pace the challenging scale passages and contrasting classical dynamic markings result in real contrasts of light and shade. Above all the overture encapsulates the fun and wit of Mozart's 1786 opera.

Paul Harvey's baritone concertino was written for his friend David Lawrence, a soprano and baritone saxophone player in the London Saxophone Quartet - a group which Paul led on soprano saxophone for its 16 year existence (1969-85). Paul Harvey was born in 1935 in Sheffield, he subsequently studied clarinet and composition at the Royal College of Music in London. The majority of his career was spent as Professor of Clarinet at Kneller Hall, the Royal Military School during which time he wrote or arranged numerous pioneering works for clarinet and saxophone ensembles.

The Concertino demonstrates the versatility of the baritone saxophone often earmarked as the rhythmic driver of saxophone ensemble music. The one movement piece is divided by tempo into 3 thematic sections. The slower opening section, in 4/4 time, pays homage to the early classical genre of the concertino. A rich baroque-esque tutti from the accompanying clarinet choir introduces the lyrical capabilities of the solo instrument through a number of impressive cadenzas.

The section gains momentum through an exciting accelerando leading us to the second section - light and dance-like, written in punchy 5/8 time. Harvey's joyful theme resonates through all the clarinet parts and the soloist, resulting in several contrasting and melodic dialogues between the upper clarinets and the low baritone. The final section of concertino, written in 3/4, marries the classical genre with 20th century. After bold harmonies and frantic passages from the soloist the piece climaxes with an allargando.

In a fugue, instruments start playing one at a time, playing the same melody but at different pitches. This melody is then heard throughout piece, in conjunction with other melodies. Instruments will drop out at various points during the piece, and then rejoin, so that the texture of the music constantly changes. The golden age of the fugue was the Baroque era, and Bach was possibly the greatest master of the genre.

This piece has three movements: 'Giocoso' (joyful), 'Pensivo' (thoughtful) and 'Scherzando' (playful). Contrasts between lyrical melodic writing, rhythmic, syncopated writing, and ,sudden changes between loud and quiet are a continual feature. Chris Allen has had a varied career as orchestral and solo performer, teacher, and composer.

Paul Harvey was Professor of Clarinet at the Royal Military School, and was commissioned to write this piece by the University of Arizona Clarinet Choir. The idea of the title was to suggest "Mid-Atlantic" associations, but the folk style hints at a latter-day Kodaly collecting themes from the submerged continent. There are three continuous sections, the first growing out of fifths, whole tone scales, and dance rhythms. The middle section features two "Semi-Choruses" from within the clarinet choir. In the final section the composer seeks to portray the frenetic dancing of the doomed inhabitants as their city sinks beneath the waves.

This piece was commissioned by the Clarinet Consort of the Southwark Consorts of Winds, and was composed in 2005. Nicolas Gilbert is a French Canadian composer who lives in Montreal. His works have been performed all over the world, and he is currently composer in residence of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The title is self-explanatory but what is interesting is that the composer does not indicate what the rooms are in the imaginary doll's house, leaving the listener to guess. However, it would also appear from the general mood of the music that in the composer's eyes a doll's house might perhaps not be just an innocent child's toy!

A Vocalise is a wordless song for a singer. This piece is here arranged for solo clarinet and clarinet choir. It displays Rachmaninov's well-known gift for writing memorable melodies.

Gordon Jacob has been well-known as a composer of accessible wind music for many years. This light piece starts with a slow, melodious introduction and continues with the main section, which has a sprightly dance-like character. It ends with a virtuosic fast section. Throughout the piece different groups of instruments within the ensemble are used to create different textures.

Jan van der Roost is a Belgian composer. Puszta is a two movement piece written in 1987. The melodies display characteristics of gypsy music, being of a melancholy mood, though they are original. The first movement is fast and furious, with a more lyrical middle section, and the second is slower and rhythmic, though with faster, repetitive sections and coda.

• (i) Arietta
• (ii) Norwegian
• (iii) At the Cradle

These pieces are three of many 'Lyric Pieces' originally written for the piano. Norwegian folk song is a strong source of inspiration for these pieces, as are similar miniatures by such Romantic composers as Schumann, Mendelssohn and Chopin. They are short, intimate pieces.

The piece is based on a shifting drone consisting of two chords of a different character superimposed on one another, broken by sudden exclamations. The exclamations each use all the pitches found in the drones, and their rhythms are taken from the vocal rhythms of the words of torture victims describing their ordeals.

The words used are those of victims of torture in China; Rwanda; Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; Cameroon; Abu Ghraib prison, Iraq; and Iran. Most of the words were found on the web site of the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture, and donations to their work are encouraged.

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John Dowland was one of the talented group of composers who worked in England and elsewhere late in the reign of Elizabeth I, and early in the reign of James I. Unlike his older contemporary William Byrd, he did not find permanent employment in Britain, and spent many years in Europe as an itinerant performer.

His viol consort music includes the well known Lachrimae, a set of seven short pieces, each of which begins with the same motif, before developing in a different direction. As one progresses through the set of pieces, the tonality become further and further from the original A minor, concluding in a very distant region. Their melancholy character reflects the composer's self description, Dowland semper dolens.

This is an arrangement for clarinet consort of a piece written early in the composer's career for two flutes, two clarinets, horn, and cello.

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This piece is based on an organ work by Giovanni Macque, a Florentine composer from the early Baroque period. The idea for the piece arose from a description of playing in a clarinet consort as feeling like being inside an organ while it is playing.

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Lefebure-Wely was a Parisian organist of the nineteenth century, and was the first organist of the cathedral of St. Sulpice. As such he was expected to play the organ and compose music for services. The 'Sortie' was originally composed for organ, and is his most frequently played piece today. Lefebure-Wely has been described as the Lloyd Webber of nineteenth century France, on account of the lighthearted nature of this and other of his compositions.The piece has been arranged for clarinet choir by Chrstopher Hooker.

Michael Ball was born in Manchester, and studied at the Royal College of Music, and also in Italy with Ligeti and Berio. This piece is characterised by extremely rhythmic writing, frequent changes of time signature and cross-rhythms. It was written for Berkshire Young Musician's Trust, and first performed in 1998.

In a fugue, instruments start playing one at a time, all playing the same melody, but at different pitches. This melody is then heard throughout piece, in conjunction with other melodies. Instruments will drop out at various points during the piece, and then rejoin, so that the texture of the music constantly changes. The golden age of the fugue was the Baroque era, and Bach was possibly the greatest master of the genre.

Gordon Jacob is one of the foremost composers of wind music in this country. This suite of pieces is in four movements: March, Humoreske, 'A Childhood Memory', and 'Ballet Russe'. It was commissioned by the British Federation of Music Festivals and first performed in Harrogate in 1993.

Kyrie, Christe, Kyrie II, Agnus Dei II

In the late sixteenth century the leaders of the Catholic Church were gathered for a Council at Trent in Italy, to purge the abuses which had grown up in the church and fight back against the Protestant Reformation. It was said that they might ban polyphonic music such as this. Palestrina certainly wrote this mass for the event, and it is said that, on hearing its beauty and clarity of word setting, they relented. The Mass was written for six voices.