United We Stand Divided We Fall

Concert Piece

United We Stand Divided We Fall traverses across Europe highlighting the disputes and political discourses that have occured in 2022, leading to the war in Ukraine. Commissioned by Allan Withington & Stavanger Brass Band for SIDDIS, 2022.

1. Left and Right of Centre - Based on Germany's economic prosperity, the piece begins with a septet performing an arrangement of the Tyrolean folk song, Wenn ich auf hohen Bergen steh. This is then amalgamated with a sudden march. The two themes fight for tonality, before ending with a large harmonious chord.

2. Town and Country Planning - A Marimba and Euphonium duet, inspired by the French Presidential race between Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Penn. The theme evokes third stream music in order to produce an online call dialogue betwen Le Penn and Macron with a juxtaposing medieval theme representing Le Penn's right-wing political views.

3. There Are Tanks But There Is Also Folklore - Is a rhythmically driven Balkan Fire Dance based on the continued pressure enforced by Putin's invasion of Eastern Europe. The piece features extensive percussion throughout as well as solos for Trombone, Euphonium, Flugel, and Solo Cornet.

4. Identity... Mille Grazie Paganini - A manipulation of the theme from Italian composer Paganini's lesser known Sonata No. 6 for Violin and Guitar, featuring the tenor horn as soloist.

5. Beautiful Balticum- This wistful melodic piece encaptulates the serenity of the Baltic states, but also reminds us of the fragility of this area.

6. Valour - A driven tribute to the bravery of the Ukrainian people. This finisher uses themes from earlier movements, as well as the Ukrainian National Anthem, in order to represent the united European front against the Russian onslaught.

Duration: 25 Minutes

Difficulty: 6/6