Sarabande and Polka (from the ballet Solitaire) Malcolm Arnold / Arr. John P. Paynter

full score available

These two short excerpts from a ballet have great charm and color. As always with Arnold, the tunes have a memorability that is the supreme gift in a composer, and the two pieces (one slow, one fast) make a contrasting and unpretentious concert selection that will enhance any program.

Two short movements taken from Malcolm Arnold's delightful ballet score, Solitaire, these two contrasting pieces show both sides of Arnold's art (the pensive and the rambunctious) to great advantage in this celebrated arrangement by master arranger John P. Paynter. The Sarabande is reflective and lyrical and the polka has a quirky charm and some brilliant triple tonguing for the trumpet section. Sarabande and Polka is a brilliant classic of the modern concert band repertory.
Duration: 5'25 Keys: F, Bb, Eb Ranges: Cornet F; Trumpet F#; Horn F; Trombone High Eb