A Wild Night Ride

Feverishly entertaining and enjoyable, "A Wild Night Ride" will be sure to thrill your band in this hauntingly beautiful rendition of Robert Schumann's "Wild Rider." For the first time ever, Schumann's popular piano score has been arranged for a concert band. Robert Schumann composed his Opus 68, "Album for the Young" in 1848, for his three young daughters for their personal entertainment. However, since then it has been one of the more popular piano pieces from his collection. Schumann's simple eight measure melody depicts a lone horsehide galloping, through twists and turns in this highly contoured melody. The tune begins with a lone, muted, trumpet solo, stationed in the audience of all places, but quickly transfers the same melody over to a solo clarinet, all to have it retransferred to a single French Horn in the audience. With each passing solo, the band accompaniment grows, until finally the whole band participates in the same melody. Soon the sounds shift to a contrasting major section, however, as quickly as the major section has started, it gives way to the original melody, leading to a final fanfare.