Philip Sparke

Fanfare And Celebration

Fanfare and Celebration was commissioned by the Brass Band of the Western Reserve (Dr Keith M. Wilkinson, director) to celebrate their 15th anniversary. Based in north-west Ohio, the band was formed in 1997 and was competing in the Championship Section of the North American Brass Band Championships in less than three years. The first performance of Fanfare and Celebration took place in Akron, Ohio, on November 10th 2012. The opening Fanfare features the cornet section, in two groups standing either side of the band. A central horn theme brings a change of mood before the cornets take the lead once more. Celebration follows seamlessly and continues the declamatory style until a cantando theme in uneven meter is introduced. A transformed recapitulation ushers in a return of the Fanfare to close the work.