Fand IncWessex Press

Following on from arrangements of Peter Warlock’s songs (Songs Without the Words in two volumes), we here present another first rarity: Six English Tunes by Warlock, arranged for piano duet by John Mitchell. The tunes, originally scored for string quintet, make a fitting companion to the Capriol Suite, similarly arranged for piano duet. Admirers of Warlock and English music will be especially delighted to be able to place this work on their pianos and experience it at first hand!

Published at the same time is John Mitchell’s own arrangement, for piano solo, of a folk song first collected by George Butterworth, The Rambling Sailor. This characterful, cheeky and generally good-humoured work makes a superb addition to the folio of John Mitchell titles held by Fand.

John has also been kind enough to provide a recording of himself performing the piece, which you can listen to on the score’s information page.

Thompson: Symphony no 4

Fand Music Press is pleased to announce the publication of Peter Thompson’s 4th Symphony. A compact work of three movements, but of nonetheless contrasting symphonic drama, it is approachable on both stylistic and technical levels yet is an uncompromisingly trenchant essay. As yet unperformed, we offer a simulation to allow you to hear how it sounds.

Higginson: Gallery

New to the Fand catalogue this Summer is a lavishly produced FULL COLOUR volume called Gallery, which is a fascinating collection of piano miniatures by Gary Higginson, whose idea was to write a piece as a foil to Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. The difference with Gallery is that the images are so diverse that they would never be seen together in one place.

The work is a series of eleven exhibits interspersed, like Mussorgsky’s Pictures, by four Intradas, which act as occasional promenades around the gallery, plus a concluding movement.

Each exhibition piece in the publication is accompanied by its related full-colour artwork, and the inspiration behind the music should therefore be readily apparent. Not only are the illustrations contrasting but the individual pieces are also very eclectic in style, ranging from jazz to minimalism to twelve-tone writing.