RED ROCKS FANFARE, John Bogenschutz John Bogenschutz’s Red Rocks Fanfare is a solid grade 4 fanfare with terrific rhythmic vitality and excellent colors, which is achieved through muted brasses, extensive percussion, and well-scored woodwinds. Like Young Pheasants, it begins with the trumpet section in tight harmony, all squarely on the staff for maximum strength and impact. A trombone choir then re-states the trumpet theme before the third statement, which combines the two sections for an impressive opening section.


The horns carry a contrasting, lyrical theme, which is punctuated by muted trumpets and warm woodwinds swirling about, offering a sonic respite before the return of the fanfare motives, accompanied by a brittle woodwind ostinati. The final moments of the fanfare are just as heroic as the first sounds, replete with timpani solo beneath powerful, B-flat major chords.


Red Rocks is a brief, albeit challenging, grade 4 fanfare. First trumpet regularly visits high B- flat, while the woodwinds have some tricky chromatic licks beneath hemiola in the busy percussion writing. Overall, however, the fanfare is worth the effort and makes for an exciting concert opener.


The 2 minute work is scored for piccolo, two flutes, two oboes, two bassoons, three clarinets, bass clarinet, two alto saxophones, tenor and baritone saxophone, three trumpets, two horns, three trombones, euphonium, tuba, timpani, extensive percussion, and is available from Grand Mesa publishers for $60.


ECSTATIC FANFARE, Steven Bryant


Steven Bryant’s Ecstatic Fanfare is based upon the first movement of his work for band and electronica similarly titled Ecstatic Waters. This grade 5 fanfare features bold melodic lines, almost exclusively voiced in the brasses while woodwinds, percussion, and piano provide antithesis, momentum, and energy. The woodwinds and percussion deliver a serene interlude midway through before brass emerge again, led by heroic (and high!) horn writing, for a stirring finale. Ecstatic Fanfare is an exciting and mature concert opener with plenty of difficulty and fun distributed across the score.


Aside from the technical challenges inherent in the work, Ecstatic Fanfare also presents beautiful melodic character, supported by sophisticated scoring and depth of harmony. While rhythmically, the work moves through


frequent meter changes and is occasionally syncopated, it is fundamentally straightforward. The challenges (and beauty) lie in the sprawling brass writing which is frequently countered with technical woodwind together contributing to the work’s overwhelmingly celebratory spirit.


Ecstatic Fanfare is about 3 minutes in duration and is scored for piccolo, three flutes, two oboes, two bassoons, three clarinets, bass clarinet, two alto saxophones, tenor and baritone saxophone, four trumpets, four horns, three trombones, two euphoniums, two tubas, string bass, piano, timpani, crotales, glockenspiel, vibraphone, tam-tam, triangle, and bass drum. The score and parts are available directly from the composer at stevenbryant.com for $115.


C. David Ragsdale is Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Music at the University of Alabama in Huntsville.


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