Saint-Saëns – L’Éléphant from The Carnival of the Animals (Brass Quintet)

Six movements, starting with Quick March which requires some fast and neat tonguing from all members of the quintet. The Polka which follows is full of colour and requires dexterous trumpet playing. The third movement Blues is a long way from a traditional New Orleans blues - with its melancholy mood and Debussy like harmony it is more like a small impressionist tone poem. Merry Waltz is followed by Preamble, a gentle, atmospheric piece at a leisurely walking tempo. The final movement of this suite Tarandtango (Tarantango) cleverly combines two dances, the energetic tarantella and the elegant tango, resulting in an exciting and virtuoso finale.

Written to be light, bright entertainment this work is an interesting, melodic suite with plenty of rhythmic coloration. The four movements are very varied and include a lyrical and soulful horn solo, unusual in this sort of repertoire. For colleges, conservatoires, professionals.

This is a charming collection of madrigals arranged effectively for brass quintet by Ian Lawrence.

Written for Thames Brass, a successful professional brass ensemble in which the horn player at the time was one of the composer's former students. Having spent much of his life as a horn player, and having also had the honour of working with the finest players, in Movements for Brass the composer explores the sonorities of brass in a way that is rewarding to play.