Fanfare (from La Peri): Brass Band Conductor Score & Parts

This arrangement takes one of the finest opening gestures in ballet music and delivers it in a context where brass bands can truly own it. Marlatt's scoring heightens the original's dramatic punch by adding percussion and a soprano line, transforming a concert opener into a statement piece that commands respect. Contest and festival brass bands will find this both musically substantial and immediately impressive.

The fanfare radiates ceremonial brightness and controlled power. Crisp articulation and brilliant brass sonority create an almost heraldic quality, while the soprano line adds a layer of elegance that prevents the gesture from becoming merely bombastic. There is formality here, but also warmth and genuine excitement.

Brass bands of intermediate to advanced capability will find this within reach and immensely rewarding. Directors seeking a festival or contest opener that carries genuine musical weight without overwhelming players will value this arrangement. Ensembles that want to open a concert with unambiguous impact should place this high on their list.

• Establish a strong foundation in the lower brass and tuba parts before adding the brilliant upper voices; balance here determines whether the fanfare soars or becomes shrill.
• Shape the soprano line with special attention to phrase contour and air support; it cuts through the ensemble and needs conversational clarity alongside brilliance.
• Treat the added percussion as partners in drama, not accompaniment; each stroke should feel intentional and timed with surgical precision.
• Use the conductor score to trace the harmonic momentum throughout; knowing where tension builds and releases helps the ensemble play with unified architecture rather than surface excitement.

Position this as a concert opener or formal recital prelude; it was born to herald events and never loses that function. Pair it with contrasting works that benefit from this kind of strong entrance. Festival and competition programs gain credibility when this fanfare leads them off, signaling artistic ambition to an audience from measure one.

• Unified articulation and sectional precision across a large ensemble
• Balancing upper and lower brass voices in homophonic textures
• Responding to dramatic direction and conducting gesture with coordinated ensemble response
• Sustaining tone quality and intonation under the demands of brilliant register writing
• Coordinating brass ensemble with added percussion parts and soprano line