Mille Fiori - fanfare for four trumpets - 2011

duration 45 seconds

Caroline Kenyon, on behalf of the Spalding Flower Parade commissioned this short opening fanfare to be played at the 2011 event.

My ebullient little piece borrows its title from the famous Italian glassware technique. Spalding's parade (an English "Rio"!) is indeed a thousand flowers (if not more!), and its exuberance seemed to call for similarly sparkling, virtuosic music. The work was played by four trumpetters from the RAF, though (somewhat amusingly, perhaps) the powers-that-be refused to allow them to play it in uniform (...far too modern....!).

I subsequently made a transcription for four horns which has been played a number of times by members of Czech Philharmonic, Philadelphia and Metropolitan Opera orchestras. It also appears on CD. An earlier effort for two trumpets may be worth playing also.

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SCORE - 4 trumpets       SCORE - 4 horns

SCORE - another fanfare for two trumpets

Recorded performance by Trumpeters from RAF Cranwell  

Mille Fiori (4 horn version) can also be heard here (from Sheva CD SH241 via Naxos - opens in YouTube)

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