Four Brief Actions

Commissioned by the Norwegian Band Federation (NMF) and the European Brass Band Association (EBBA) for the European Championship for Brass Band in Stavanger 2025.
To be used as test piece in the Development Section (Youth Band).

In "Four Brief Actions" I have tried to capture the young musicians feeling of beeing invincible when they perform together.
The piece is in four movements that is self-explanatory.

1. Chasing
Actually a canon. All instruments play the same short motive as a musical chase. A fragment of a melody heard in the ending of the movement.

2. Running
16-notes (semiquavers) run with a funky rhythm.

3. Singing
Some instruments play melodic fragments other play small melodies. The are all asked to play in a singing way.

4. Ending (with a viking tune)
This energetic music is based on an old norse (viking) song: Sigurd Fåvnesbane (Sigurd the Dragons Slayer).

Torstein Aagaard-Nilsen - composer -