Peter Maxwell Davies

March On The Pole Star

Like many of Davies's smaller works, this is in a relatively lucid modal style, midway between the clarity of his carols and the complications of his symphonies: the opening is in a kind of B flat minor, and the close is triumphantly in G flat major. What happens in between - always in 4/4 march time but usually with exuberant syncopations and cross-rhythms - is a sequence of transformations of the theme heard first from the second trumpet on the top line at the start; it will be heard again from the horn, and from the first trumpet in upward-moving inversion, with brilliant climaxes to punctuate. An ebullient piece, in a simplified yet still very distinctive harmonic and rhythmic style, and surely destined to make a rousing encore item.
Arranged for brass quintet.