Valdres (Concert March): Flex Ensemble Conductor Score & Parts

Curnow's arrangement opens this march to groups that lack traditional instrumentation while preserving Hanssen's gift for spinning out singable themes. The scoring variety keeps musicians engaged across three and a half minutes; you're not repeating the same texture throughout, which maintains ensemble focus and keeps the performance from feeling static.

Valdres carries the confident stride of a Scandinavian ceremonial procession. There's brightness and forward motion without aggression, and the melody sits in that warm middle range where most players in a developing ensemble can sing it confidently.

Band directors building a grades 2-3 program that needs concert marches with substance rather than novelty. Flex ensemble directors specifically will appreciate how this adapts across different group configurations without losing identity.

• Anchor the march character in a steady, unwavering pulse. Hanssen's melodies thrive on rhythmic clarity, so lock the fundamental beat early in rehearsal before worrying about balancing the varied textures.
• Shape the melody lines with gentle long-term direction rather than phrase-by-phrase swelling. Let the architecture of the tune breathe naturally across the bar lines.
• Listen for transparency in the accompaniment figures, especially during sections where multiple rhythmic layers move together. Clarity here allows soloists to project without forcing.

Program this as an opener on a concert where you want to establish ensemble precision right away, or use it as the closing march when you want audiences to leave with a clear, memorable tune. It pairs well alongside other European marches or as the confident bookend to a medley of folk arrangements.

• Maintaining steady tempo through a march form with repeating sections
• Balancing accompaniment figures against primary melodies
• Voice independence in flexible instrumentation scoring
• Phrasing longer melodic lines across bar lines