The Year of the Dragon, III. Finale, by Philip Sparke

[michael10655]

oh man I'm just in love with that Euphonium part at 1:05 and 1: 27 XD !!!!

[herecomestheoh]

My band is playing this!!

[nerdsofthecentury]

I have never seen so many semiquavers in my clarinet part than when we had to play this...... Not the most fun I must admit

[cragnoll]

@nerdsofthecentury I had joined my advanced band for only a week, so I wasn't the confident of players, and then this was plonked on the stand. I died a little inside!!

[offyourframe]

Great song, brass band version is better.

[chessicles99]

O MAI GAWD THIS IS SO COOL. I listen to this daily to get the day's out of my system. and what's that instrument at 1:58?

[michael10655]

@chessicles99 the one that shows is a euphonium and the one that has the melody at that part is the french horn or its probably both of them just playing really high

[chessicles99]

@michael10655 no like that thingy that the dude presses keys with both hand. i though there would be a delay. like 2:00 actually

[michael10655]

@chessicles99 well i think those r trumpets with rotary valves

[chessicles99]

@michael10655 they look really weird... but kinda cool

[Benkedaz]

incredible work on that bassoon part... chyeah

[flutebuddy16]

2 people dont understand how hard it is to play 16 notes at this speed...

[MRLOVINGOOD]

Whoever said that YOUTUBE DON'T ALLOW DOWNLOADS THEY NEED TO CHECK IT OUT FOR THEY DO ALLOW THIS TO TAKE PLACE.IT'S GOOD

[chessicles99]

haha. i just came on this video and there were 31,999 views

[maronteerds]

Blijft een geweldig werk!

[cpjackson79]

3:48 FTW!!!

[juanluengo]

He escuchado desde el principio hasta el final con mucha atencion la interpretacion de esta maravillosa obra y no tengo mas remedio que unirme a los aplausos que se escuchan al final. Tengo que dar la enhorabuena a la persona, o personas. que hicieron el video por su buen trabajo. Gracias a todos.

[patryan44]

Can any unenhanced human play the eupho part in this movement up to tempo? I've never seen such a thicket of accidentals and 16th notes rushing past!

[technosia]

@patryan44 thank you! i'm the first euph player in my band and this part is kicking my butt!

[STFC010]

@technosia im playing it at the moment and to be honest you need to play it really slowly over and over, so that you memerize it then push the tempo up. you will never play the euph part if you hvnt memorized it, cheers

[mariomari0]

my step dad can, he is apart of the army band in San Antonio.

[patryan44]

@mariomari0 I'd love to hear it. Does he have a recording? Congrats to him. I'll practice harder.

[12stuart23]

@patryan44 i know a few :P

[traindude194]

this is the best movemnet i think.

[Dany9BeatBox]

this is incredibol!!

[l2ose12]

playing this on bass clarinet last year was ridiculously hard at first, but when we got it right, it felt SO good to play

[jimmyjimmyjames345]

whats is the euphonium part like?

[crazygrainger2006]

In the wind orchestra transcription: Pretty tricky.

In the brass band transcrpition: Ummm...

After all, it's quite a fun part to play!

[traindude194]

with one of the arrangements for wind band the eupho plays the clarinet part in the opening dozen bars or do

[asherg3]

This is an awesome piece. I played bass trombone it with my youth brass band at full tempo. I tried the eupho part on it as well and it's not that hard if you play eupho in brass band alot (which I do)

[delthomas]

so you assume that in the brass band version there is nobody playing the equivalent part??...muppet...as David says the euphonium is rock solid with lots and lots of accidentals to accomodate...he is also correct in saying that the standard of brass bands such as Cory is high enough to breeze it...the added bonus that the cat-strangling brigade are ommitted!!!

[daffyduck12345678912]

I played this today with my youth wind band Cardiff and Vale Youth Wind Band. It's a great piece! We didn't play it quite that fast though!

[ajamesu]

A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.

[DavidOnBass]

Sorry its just the way I have always heard and played it.

I dont think it ruins the piece, played right I think it lifts the feeling of the piece. I will try to post the recording I´m reffering to as repsons to this when I get the time. Its a mp3 on my old cellphone :)

Normally I dont like rushed things but when its played realy good it doesnt sound rushed at all and the recording I have sounds relaxed but its much faster than this.

[elementric1]

try playing the clarinet part before further comment kthx.

[DavidOnBass]

I played the euphonium part in the brassband version in a faster tempo so I think I can handle it... Its not an extremely hard piece this when you are used to play brassband and maybe thats why they normally play it faster than this.

Philip Sparkes "Music of the Spheres" that I played on European championship 2007 is one piece that is alot harder than this one with parts that go as fast as 6notes per click in 168 which is about 16,8 notes per second...

[elementric1]

Once you've got your head out of your own arse, I'd like to make you aware of the fact that maybe the euph part isn't as difficult as some of the others. Some of the clarinet fingerings during the continuous semi's are actually impossible without bluffing.

[DavidOnBass]

In the brassbandversion euphonium plays the same fast parts as clarinett and believe me its harder to play that on euphonium than on clarinett. And yes the best players are tey who are the best on bluffing ;)

[beejay238]

I wouldn't wager that "its harder on euph than clarinet". How come you think you know that? Personal experience of clarinet playing?

And comments like that can rub people up the wrong way (as you can see). Every instrument has something to get over and master. Saxes also have a hard time in this (that's my part).

Your opinion seems to be: "I've played it much faster than this and my instrument is harder than the everyone else's". Perhaps just congratulate yourself silently next time.

[OfCanada]

In the Brass Band version, the Euph part IS the clarinet part, with the euph part in the Wind Ensemble arrangement mixed in where the clarinets don't play in that same arrangement.

[elementric1]

Oh yeah, and nobody gives a flying fuck about what a musical genius you are.

[DavidOnBass]

Well sorry if I offended you in anyway. But I just happend to partially work as a proffesional euphoniumplayer and I have been conducted by Nicolas Childs and Robert Childs amongst others so what I tried to pint out is that I know a little what I talk about. But I´m not a musical genious... I have just played since I was 6years old and practised my entire life...

[DavidOnBass]

I have uploaded a version of this played by Cory band in a tempo that I think makes the music more exciting and gives it the right feeling.

But thats just my opinion and I hope that you respects that without stupid namecalling

[darkphilli]

playing this right now, euphonium part is ridonkulous

[scottiehall]

Awesome playing. Wow.

[DavidOnBass]

Hehe I have also played it. Not on Trombone but on euphonium so I know how hard it is. But that technically difficulties should not be in the way of the music. :)

But I´m probably a bit damaged from all brassband-competition I have participated in...

[badger43ver]

your a moron if you have bad things to say about this peice. NO WAY should it be played any faster. The high school band i play with sped it up during our concert and when we played it back we got into the 60's at 70's at some point. trust me its not ment to be played that fast. Take Dragonforce for instinse. Ya they can play really fast but in reality they are both shity players. Playing fast means nothing.

[DavidOnBass]

I can understand that a highschoolband wouldnt sound good trying too play it faster than they can handle. The bands I´ve heard played this piece before where mostly promusicians and the recording I recal the most is Cory-band from england where the Solo-euphoniumplayer David Childs is one of the best euphoniumplayers ever.

Music is supposed to say something and this finale is written to be played fast and sounds best that way when its played by pro´s.

[l1veguru]

Actually "DavidOnBass" this piece was composed for wind band, and the tempo marking is 138...so don't say it sounds slow when they are playing at the written tempo...moron.

[DavidOnBass]

Ah sorry I did actually look at alot of pieces and before this I looked at Music of the Spheres played by a windband. After I commented I got a little uncertain if I was right that it was written for brassband and apparently I was wrong.

But I stick to that I think its to slow no matter what the marking says. It even sounds like the band is having a hard time playing it even if its slower than I´ve heard it been played before and then the piece sounded light and easy. (Cory Band)

[DavidOnBass]

Sounds very slow.

And it should be played by brassband as it was written for it and it sounds much better then.

[scottiehall]

Hey, retard, it was written BY PHILIP SPARKE FOR BOTH BRASS BAND AND WIND ENSEMBLE. Learn your shit.

[DavidOnBass]

If u cared to read any other comments u could se that I actually did say that I commented the wrong film and I know that it was written for both. But I looked it up and apparently it WAS written for brassband at first and then arranged for windband.

[sicapent]

I played this fantastic piece with my school band at the German Orchestra competition and it's probably the best piece for wind orchestra i've ever played

[diverdraeger]

Oh major sympathy for the upper woodwind at the start! That must have taken a bit of practise.

[hibernius]

I played this at uni conducted by Sparky! lucky me.

Clarinet opening is a bit blurry - rest sounds great.

[helburr]

Where can I download it?

[SheetMusicDBnet]

YouTube doesn't allow downloads, but you can order the DVD by clicking the link in the description.

[DanaReboe]

Wow 0_o

This is amazing <3