Work
Fanfare of the Earth
for brass section
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About
Written for the 2004 Douglas Lilburn Trust Composition Prize competition, Fanfare of the Earth dates from my second year of undergrad at the University of Auckland. The première was by a scratch ensemble in the Prize Gala Concert. Due to the difficulty in scheduling and assembling 11 brass players (an unwieldy task I set myself mostly to prove I could), the one and only rehearsal finished 55 minutes before the gig. The performance was, as I remember, functional to put it kindly; dodgy to put it honestly; a bit shit, to be blunt.
Losing nearly all of my Sibelius files in a hard drive crash the following year, it was only on paper that this piece languished in my archives (a Bernadino wine box in my parents' attic). But when Lee Martelli, Education Manager of the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, mentioned to me that she's always on the look-out for brass music, I saw a chance to literally dust off and figuratively resuscitate it. Inputting it into Sibelius again (and reflecting on how that software has changed - what wonders Dynamic Parts and Magnetic Layout are!) I've made revisions, mostly to articulation, phrasing and dynamics.
The piece itself then? I suppose I should say something about it. So...
It's a fanfare... and it's written for brass... kind of does what it says on the tin, really. No complex layers here.
Difficulty note
intermediate to advanced
Performance history
15 Oct 2004: Performed by the Scratch brass ensemble with conductor Robbie Ellis at the Music Theatre, University of Auckland, in Auckland