Stars: Brass Band

Littlemore's arrangement transfers the hypnotic beauty of Ešenvalds' original choral work to the brass band idiom without losing the piece's essential character. The inclusion of water-tuned glasses as instrumental soloists creates a genuinely distinctive sound palette that elevates this beyond typical brass band repertoire and gives your musicians a memorable collaborative challenge. Directors looking to program something contemporary that audiences will recognize and respond to will find this deeply rewarding.

Stars unfolds like a slowly dawning awareness of something vast and distant. The ethereal shimmer of the water-tuned glasses creates an almost sacred stillness, while the brass voices move through luminous harmonies that feel both gentle and substantial. It's music that invites listeners to pause and reflect, a moment of collective contemplation within a concert program.

This arrangement suits brass bands at all levels who want to expand beyond traditional repertoire into contemporary concert music. Directors seeking a meditative, audience-friendly piece that showcases compositional innovation will find Stars both accessible and artistically rewarding. The inclusion of water-tuned glasses makes it particularly appealing to ensembles willing to embrace unconventional instrumentation.

• Balance the glass parts carefully during rehearsal. Though the glasses are notated soloists, they should shimmer beneath the brass texture rather than dominate it; adjust seating and microphone placement if performing in a larger venue.
• Shape the brass sections with gradual dynamic waves rather than abrupt changes. The piece's meditative quality depends on smooth, singing phrasing across all sections.
• Find the tempo that allows the suspended cymbal rolls to breathe without rushing; this underpinning texture sets the emotional tone for the entire arrangement.
• Schedule dedicated rehearsals to synchronize the glass players with the wider ensemble. Their unique timbre requires special attention to rhythmic precision and dynamic control.

Program Stars as a centerpiece for a contemporary concert or as a transformative interlude within a mixed repertoire concert. Its meditative quality makes it ideal for positioning between more energetic works, where it can reset the emotional temperature of the room. The piece also works beautifully in spring or holiday concerts where you want to include cutting-edge classical music alongside traditional choices.

• Blending sustained tones across multiple cornet and horn sections
• Maintaining intonation and consistency in long, lyrical phrases without vibrato
• Listening to and balancing with unconventional instrumental textures (water-tuned glasses)
• Ensemble control and precision in slow, sparse textures where every note carries weight
• Coordinating with solo instrumentalists within a large ensemble structure