These three magnificent compositions have been combined into a suite of three movements. The first movement is written for antiphonal brass, with the trumpets and trombones playing from the rear or balcony

Xylophones ahoy! John Rutter's 'Partita' of 1976, now 'Cityscapes', is not a piece you might necessarily have expected from the renowned composer of some of the classics of contemporary sacred choral music.

Edward Elgar's symphonic poem Polonia was composed as a tribute to Paderewski for a special concert honouring Poland on 6 July 1915. Although the piece is mainly Elgar's own work, it includes quotations

The Organ Symphony, composed in 1886, was commissioned by the Royal Philharmonic Society in the UK, and Saint-Saens travelled across the Channel to conduct its premiere at the old St. James's Hall, now the

William Walton's last "original" work of note was the Prologo e Fantasia in 1981-2, commissioned by Mstislav Rostropovitch and the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington D.C. It was first performed in

The music for The Perfect Fool is taken from an opera by the same name, written by English composer Gustav Holst over the period of 1918 to 1922. The opera received its premiere at the Covent Garden

The Pomp and Circumstance Marches (full title Pomp and Circumstance Military Marches), Op. 39, are a series of six marches for orchestra composed by Sir Edward Elgar. The first four were published between

Elgar composed five of a projected six military marches between 1901 and 1930. He gave them the title Pomp and Circumstance, taken from Shakespeare's Othello: ‘The neighing steed and the shrill trump,

Froissart, Op. 19, is a concert overture by Edward Elgar, inspired by the 14th-century Chronicles of Jean Froissart. Elgar was first attracted to the Chronicles after finding mention of them in

The story portrayed in Stag's Leap is one of the legends of St. Eilian, who came to Anglesey as a Papal emissary in the 5th century.  He blinded the island's ruler, Cadwallon (or Caswallon) Lawhir, as

The final movement of John Rutter's Magnificat inspired Keith Allen, conductor of the Birmingham Symphonic Winds (UK) to suggest it as a perfect candidate for a concert band piece. With approval from the

The Pomp and Circumstance Marches (full title Pomp and Circumstance Military Marches), Op. 39, are a series of six marches for orchestra composed by Sir Edward Elgar. The first four were published between

Quite a work and not a piece you might have expected from the renowned composer of some of the classics of contemporary sacred choral music. It's a giant of a piece that allows everyone in the ensemble to

At the end of Britain's Edwardian era (1901-1910), Elgar reached the zenith of his fame and popularity. Much of the music for which he would be best remembered was already behind him, with many successful

Elgar's Empire March was composed in 1924 for the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley Stadium. It forms the opening item in a nine-movement work entitled Pageant of Empire: the remaining movements