To my Country

The Hymn To My Country is the trio part of the second movement, entitled 'In the Country', from the third Symphony To My Country (1886 - 1890) by the Dutch composer Bernard Zweers (1854 - 1924). This symphony was written at a time when a lot of composers were largely inspired by patriotic feelings. The compositions of Zweers have apparently been influenced by his contemporaries such as Antonin Dvoràk, Jean Sibelius (Finlandia), Bedrich Smetana (who also wrote a work entitled 'My Country' (Ma Vlast) - a cycle of symphonic poems including the famous Moldau) and Edvard Grieg. Although his father, a music dealer and amateur musician, at first described his son's musical activities as'a waste of paper and time', Zweers did not abandon his vocation. When the 27-year-old Bernard Zweers conducted his first symphony in 1881, his father was so impressed that he allowed his son to devote himself completely to music. Thre arrangement of this chorale was written on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the Netherlands on May 5th, 1995, and is dedicated 'To My Country'.

To my Country

To My Country comes from the trio section of the Dutch composer Bernard Zweer (1854-1924) third symphony. The third symphony was composed at a time when many composers were inspired by great patriotic feelings, and Zweers compositions were said to have been an influence on Dvorak, Smetana, Sibelius and Grieg. The arrangement of this chorale was written for the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the Netherlands on May 5th 1995 and is dedicated ‘To My Country’.

To my Country

To my Country

To my Country

Downtown Divertimento : for wind orchestra

The inspiration for Downtown Divertimento comes from Johan de Meijs daily wanderings in Chelsea, in lower Manhattan. The day begins with a leisurely walk to Madison Square Park with his dog Alice. They visit the dog run where she meets up withother city canines. On the way back they have a moment of reflection looking at the nearby Flatiron Building, the striking triangular city landmark. Johan goes for a run later in the day. His jogging shoes naturally head for The Highline, anabandoned railway viaduct that was transformed into a lushly landscaped National Park. He absorbs the spectacular views of the Hudson River and the majestic New York skyline as if seeing them for the first time.The movements are:1) Dog Play (at Madison Square Park)2) Flatiron Reverie3) Hitting the Highline

Ratatouille

Funeral MusicAladdin SuiteJupiter HymnJigTo my CountryPolish Christmas MusicTrois Rag-CapricesRatatouille Satirique

Extreme Make-Over

The work, set as the test-piece for the 2005 European Brass Band Championships was inspired by a theme from the second movement of Tchaikovsky’s String Quartet No.1 (Andante Cantabile). It consists of a number of musical metamorphoses on the theme and includes several excerpts from Tchaikovsky’s Fourth and Sixth Symphonies and Romeo and Juliet. The most unconventional element of the work is instrumentation for ten tuned bottles to be played by members of the cornet section. This gives the piece an Indonesian Gamelan effect. Why not give your players something to get their teeth into with this impressive major new work.

Extreme Make-Over

The work, set as the test-piece for the 2005 European Brass Band Championships was inspired by a theme from the second movement of Tchaikovsky’s String Quartet No.1 (Andante Cantabile). It consists of a number of musical metamorphoses on the theme and includes several excerpts from Tchaikovsky’s Fourth and Sixth Symphonies and Romeo and Juliet. The most unconventional element of the work is instrumentation for ten tuned bottles to be played by members of the cornet section. This gives the piece an Indonesian Gamelan effect. Why not give your players something to get their teeth into with this impressive major new work.

Sinfonietta no. 1 : for Brass Band

Sinfonietta No. 1, written for brass band, was commissioned by the Dutch National Championships 2011 in Groningen. It also served as the test piece for the Swiss National Championships 2011 in Montreux, Switzerland. Unlike most of Johan de Meij's compositions, Sinfonietta No. 1 is an abstract, non-programmatic work. It consists of three movements, in which the thematic material of the opening measures - an upward fifth jump - returns in various shapes and forms throughout the piece. The slow middle section features solo passages by cello, English horn and bassoon, all starting with the same fifth jump. The final movement presents an Elgar-like march theme,interspersed with quotes from the second movement, and ending with the opening theme of movement I.

Sinfonietta no. 1 : for Brass Band

Sinfonietta No. 1, written for brass band, was commissioned by the Dutch National Championships 2011 in Groningen. It also served as the test piece for the Swiss National Championships 2011 in Montreux, Switzerland. Unlike most of Johan de Meij's compositions, Sinfonietta No. 1 is an abstract, non-programmatic work. It consists of three movements, in which the thematic material of the opening measures - an upward fifth jump - returns in various shapes and forms throughout the piece. The slow middle section features solo passages by cello, English horn and bassoon, all starting with the same fifth jump. The final movement presents an Elgar-like march theme,interspersed with quotes from the second movement, and ending with the opening theme of movement I.

Sinfonietta no. 1 : for wind orchestra

Sinfonietta No. 1 was originally written for brass band, commissioned by the Dutch National Championships 2011 in Groningen. It also served as the test piece for the Swiss National Championships 2011 in Montreux, Switzerland. In 2012, Johan de Meij created this version for wind orchestra.Unlike most of Johan de Meij's compositions, Sinfonietta No. 1 is an abstract, non-programmatic work. It consists of three movements, in which the thematic material of the opening measures - an upward fifth jump - returns in various shapes and forms throughout the piece. The slow middle section features solo passages by cello, English horn and bassoon, all starting with thesame fifth jump. The final movement presents an Elgar-like march theme, interspersed with quotes from the second movement, and ending with the opening theme of movement I.

Sinfonietta no. 1 : for wind orchestra

Sinfonietta No. 1 was originally written for brass band, commissioned by the Dutch National Championships 2011 in Groningen. It also served as the test piece for the Swiss National Championships 2011 in Montreux, Switzerland. In 2012, Johan de Meij created this version for wind orchestra.Unlike most of Johan de Meij's compositions, Sinfonietta No. 1 is an abstract, non-programmatic work. It consists of three movements, in which the thematic material of the opening measures - an upward fifth jump - returns in various shapes and forms throughout the piece. The slow middle section features solo passages by cello, English horn and bassoon, all starting with thesame fifth jump. The final movement presents an Elgar-like march theme, interspersed with quotes from the second movement, and ending with the opening theme of movement I.

Songs from the Catskills : for wind orchestra

The Catskill Mountains is a beautifully preserved region in Upstate New York, flanked to the east by the Hudson River. From the moment my Johan de Meij and his wife settled in 2008 in Saugerties, a quaint Hudson Valley town 100 miles north of Manhattan, he started immersing himself into the area's rich musical history. Discovering a fascinating mix of American, Irish and Scottish folk music, ultimately, it was not easy to choose from such abundance. In the end Johan de Meij ended up using the following songs The Foggy Dew, Last Winter was a Hard One, A Poor and Foreign Stranger, The Bluestone Quarries, and

Songs from the Catskills : for wind orchestra

The Catskill Mountains is a beautifully preserved region in Upstate New York, flanked to the east by the Hudson River. From the moment my Johan de Meij and his wife settled in 2008 in Saugerties, a quaint Hudson Valley town 100 miles north of Manhattan, he started immersing himself into the area's rich musical history. Discovering a fascinating mix of American, Irish and Scottish folk music, ultimately, it was not easy to choose from such abundance. In the end Johan de Meij ended up using the following songs The Foggy Dew, Last Winter was a Hard One, A Poor and Foreign Stranger, The Bluestone Quarries, and

Elisabeth

The world premiere of the musical Elisabeth took place in Vienna on September 3, 1992. From the great acclaim with which the musical was received, it became clear that the life of the Empress of Austria still appeals to the imagination. Although Elisabeth's life (1837-1898) as an Empress has a fairy-tale-like beginning, it takes a gloomy turn. In this production, Luigi Lucheni, the man who finally takes her life, tells her story. Death plays a major role throughout Elisabeth's life. In the musical, an equally mysterious and attractive man portrays the phenomenon of death, seducing her to the realm of death time after time. Elisabeth's life resembles a fairy tale when shemarries the Emperor Franz Joseph at the age of sixteen. Her mother-in-law, Archduchess Sophie, does not make it easy on Elisabeth. But it is life itself that puts the Empress to the test. First, her youngest daughter dies. Then, not long after her son Rudolf is born, her happiness is clouded when her mother-in-law decides she must take pity on him. After her husband's unfaithfulness and Sophie's death, Elisabeth is so disillusioned that she chooses a travelling existence without realizing her husband and her son, Rudolf, miss her. Rudolf's loneliness is one of the reasons he commits suicide. The accumulation of disappointments in Elisabeth's life almost drives her into the arms of Death. In the end, however, it is Lucheni who kills her.