SKU: PE.EP72822

ISBN 9790577011769. 232 x 303mm inches. English.

I have only visited Damascus once, twenty years ago, on the way to Palmyra.  I had a purpose (I was writing music for a play about Palmyra’s Queen Zenobia) but essentially I was a tourist.  Like any visitor, I was thrilled to step out of the noisy modern city into the magical ancient world of the walled Old City, its vibrant souk leading to the magnificent mosque, and a labyrinth of winding, narrow streets filled with the smell of unleavened bread.

In Palmyra, I was met with extraordinary kindness everywhere.  On one occasion, a little Bedouin boy noticed that I was risking sunstroke wandering bare-headed among the spectacular ruins: he showed me how to tie a turban, then took me to have tea with his family in their tent.

Since then, I have watched helplessly as these places of wonder have been devastated and their inhabitants scattered and killed.  When the Sacconi Quartet suggested that I might choose a Syrian poet for our collaboration, I welcomed the idea.

I searched for a long time to find a contemporary poet whose work might gain from any music I could imagine.  I felt it was important to find first-hand accounts of the Syrian experience – but, of course, I was always reading them in translation.  In an anthology called Syria Speaks, I was astonished to read something that looked like prose, but was full of poetry.  It was Anne-Marie McManus’s fine translation of Ali Safar’s A Black Cloud in a Leaden White Sky – an eloquent, thoughtful, contained yet vivid account of life in a war-torn country, all the more moving for its restraint.

In setting these words, I have not attempted to imitate Syrian music.  However, there is what might be called a linguistic accommodation in my choice of scale, or mode.  Several movements are in a mode that I first discovered while writing a cantata commemorating the First World War: it has a tuning that I associate with war, its violence and desolation.  This eight-note mode is similar to scales found in Syrian music.  I did not choose it in the abstract: it emerged from the harmonies I was exploring in the earlier work, and emerged again as I was looking for the right musical colours to set Ali Safar’s words.  In this work, its Arabic aspect is more prominent. - Jonathan Dove

SKU: CL.012-4168-01

The Road to Damascus is a dramatic and breathtaking musical journey. From the opening percussive volleys and bold brass statements, to the angular woodwind melodies of the primary theme, through the incredibly beautiful harmonies of the B section, this work provides both the performer and listener a memorable musical experience. Commissioned for the Independence, Kansas High School Band, this work gives each section of the band an opportunity to shine. Highly recommended for contest or concert!

SKU: CL.012-4168-75

The Road to Damascus is a dramatic and breathtaking musical journey. From the opening percussive volleys and bold brass statements, to the angular woodwind melodies of the primary theme, through the incredibly beautiful harmonies of the B section, this work provides both the performer and listener a memorable musical experience. Commissioned for the Independence, Kansas High School Band, this work gives each section of the band an opportunity to shine. Highly recommended for contest or concert!

SKU: HL.50577873

SKU: HL.48181418

UPC: 888680855802. 9.0x12.25x0.278 inches.

“French pianist, conductor and composer, Jean-Michel Damase (1928-2013) was composing by the age of nine. He studied at the Paris Conservatoire under many significant professors and won the 1947 Prix de Rome. 17 Variations for Wind Quintet is no exception to the composer's success. Damase is remembered for tackling every genre of music in order to bring further elegance to the tradition of French music. Frequently played in concerts, 17 Variations for Wind Quintet is a charming work for an advanced quintet containing a Flute, Clarinet, Oboe, Bassoon and French Horn. For all aspiring advanced Wind Quintets, Damase's 17 Variations is an exciting addition to the ensemble's repertoire.”.

SKU: HL.48185856

UPC: 888680857400. 9x12 inches.

Jean-Michel Damase: Préambule et Valse (alto) (Saxophone-Alto & Piano).