Virtuosi Tasmania are delighted to bring you five outstanding musicians from the TSO. Fletcher Cox (trumpet), Mark Bain (trumpet), Claudia Legget (horn), Jackson Bankovic (trombone) and Rachel Kelly (tuba) will offer a dazzling program with works by Maurer, Grieg, Mozart and others.

And here they are (L - R): Fletcher Cox, Mark Bain, Claudia Legget, Jackson Bankovic and Rachel Kelly.

Program & Notes

Eric Ewazen - A Western Fanfare
Samuel Scheidt - Battle Suite (arr. Phillip Jones)
Ludwig Maurer - Three Pieces
W.A. Mozart - Ave verum corpus (arr. Fen Watkin)
Edvard Grieg - Suite for Brass Quintet (arr. Alan Civil)
Peter Warlock - Capriol Suite (arr. Jackson Bankovic)

American composer, Eric Ewazen wrote A Western Fanfare in 1997. It was commissioned by the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, California to celebrate its fiftieth anniversary. Lasting three minutes, the piece serves as a dynamic and captivating opener, exhibiting Ewazen’s signature rhythmic vitality and lush harmonies. It showcases the versatility of the brass quintet with a bold introduction, a graceful waltz-like middle section and powerful and energetic conclusion.

The Battle Suite is drawn from German composer, Samuel Scheidt’s Ludi Musici (1621): a collection of instrumental dance and battle pieces originally composed for mixed Renaissance ensembles such as viols, sackbuts, cornetts, and recorders. The three movements performed today were arranged for modern brass quintet by Phillip Jones in the late 20th Century. The first movement, Galliard Battaglia features a dancelike duel between the two trumpets. This is followed by a sombre and expressive Courant Dolorosa. The final movement is a cheerful Canzon Bergamasque, showcasing the contrapuntal prowess of Scheidt.

Ludwig Maurer’s (1789-1878) Three Pieces are a fantastic example of charming yet gentle early Romantic chamber music. One of the very first pieces written for brass quintet, this trio of movements showcases all five instruments and now exists in many other arrangements including for string ensemble.

Fen Watkin’s arrangement of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Ave Verum Corpus (1791) provides a beautiful moment of reflection in the middle of our program. Composed in the final year of Mozart’s tragically short life, Ave Verum Corpus (Hail, True Body) is a motet setting of the Latin hymn of the same name. Originally scored for choir, strings and organ, Mozart wrote this motet for his friend Anton Stoll, for the Feast of Corpus Christi, an important solemnity in many branches of the Christian church. Mozart wrote this motet while simultaneously writing his Requiem in D Minor and while he sadly never completed his requiem before his death, he thankfully did leave us with a complete and moving Ave Verum Corpus.

Edvard Grieg’s Suite for Brass Quintet is a smorgasbord of five movements from some of the Norwegian composer’s most popular works, compiled and arranged for brass quintet by British horn player Alan Civil. The five movements in this piece are Sarabande, Brurelåt or ‘Bridal Song’, Lullaby, Ballade and Wedding Day at Troldhaugen, each drawn from various different groups of Grieg’s works including 25 Norwegian Folk Songs and Dances, Norwegian Folk Tunes and Lyric Pieces Book VIII and the well-known Holberg’s Suite. Each work offers a different glimpse into what folk life was like back in 18th century Norway.

Peter Warlock’s Capriol Suite (1926) is a reimagining of Renaissance dance music, based on melodies from Thoinot Arbeau’s 16th-century treatise Orchésographie. Originally scored for string orchestra, the suite blends antique charm with quirky modern harmonies, showcasing Warlock’s ability to fuse historical inspiration with his own unique delivery of 20th-century flair. This version that we are playing today was arranged by our very own Jackson Bankovic - one of many of his successful brass arrangements.