A brand new work by composer Philip Sparke will test the elite champions of European banding at the forthcoming European Championships in Palanga.

Championship Section:

'A Road Less Travelled By' is a three-movement work that takes its title, but no programmatic inspiration, from the final lines of 'The Road Not Taken' by the American poet Robert Frost (1974 -1963).

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less travelled by,
And that has made all the difference.

The composition is cast in three movements: I. Moto Perpetuo, II. Nocturne (in which the soloists are featured in elaborate solos and ensembles), an III. Scherzo Finale.

Speaking about the work, the composer simply stated: "I've tried to keep the emphasis on 'traditional' brass band values, both in the writing and scoring."

Challenge Section:

The Challenge Section set work is 'Baltic Legends' by Lithuanian composer Vaida
Beinariene and takes inspiration from two well-known Lithuanian folk legends.

'Witches Hill' evokes the mysterious nocturnal atmosphere of the Hill of Witches near the village of Juodkrante.

The hill is covered with almost 100 wooden sculptures carved by local folk artists to illustrate Lithuanian folk legends, one of which concerns the nocturnal escapades of a coven of witches, goblins, fairies and fortune tellers, who roam the hill all night, frightening, confusing, luring and tormenting any human who crosses their path.

'Amber Castle' is based on the legend of Jurate, goddess of the sea, and the source of the amber that still keeps arriving to the shores of the Baltic Sea — the remnants, it's said, of Jurate's undersea palace after its destruction by the God of Thunder.

Both works have been commissioned by the host organiser, Palangos Orkestras with the support of the Lithuanian Council for Culture.

Vaida Beinariene (b.1977) is a graduate of the Lithuanian Academy of Music and
Theatre in 2002, where she studied composition with Julius Juzeliunas and Vytautas Barkauskas, the two leading Lithuanian composers. While her work often explores new sounds and unconventional playing techniques. Vaida's chamber and solo music has received awards in competitions organised by the Lithuanian Composers' Union.