Philip Sparke: March Prelude: Alnwick Town: Concert Band

March Prelude: Alnwick Town was commissioned by the Alnwick Playhouse Concert Band (with Ray Thompson as conductor) to celebrate their first 25 years. It opens majestically with answering phrases between various sections of the band, leading to a faster march-like section its main theme echoes the rhythms of the opening material. A bridge passage featuring snippets for saxophones and trumpets leads to a new theme, more legato in nature and repeated after a change of key. The bridge passage returns to herald a restatement of the main theme before the opening material reappears to close the work with a flourish.