In what is set to be a busy year of musical celebration for composer Philip Sparke, it has been confirmed that 'Perihelion: Closer to the Sun' will be the test-piece for the Championship Section at the Dutch National Championships in Utrecht.

National works

It follows the announcement made in recent weeks of 'Inner Citadel' by Geert Jan Kroon (First Division), 'The Necessity of Renewal' by Dennis Hazenoot (Second Division), and 'Spirit of Life' by Meindert Boekel arr. Philip Harper (Third Division) and 'Pioneers of the Past' by Jan de Haan (Fourth Division).

Commissioned in 2013 Cory Band and Philip Harper, the work is designed as a large-scale work designed to explore the full potential of the modern brass band.

In astronomy, the term 'perihelion' refers to the point at which a planet or comet reaches its closest distance to the sun. For Philip Sparke, this concept is not a programmatic story, but an abstract musical premise: a gradual movement toward maximum energy, heat, and intensity.

Enrich repertoire

Speaking about the choice, NBK Chairperson Ale Nicolai told 4BR: "We are pleased that we can once again provide a platform for music that has and will enrich the repertoire.

Dennis Hazenoot is relatively unknown in brass band circles, whilst Jan de Haan is known around the banding world, Geert Jan Kroon is a composer continuing to make a significant mark and Philip Harper has shown his established qualities as a skilled arranger with Meindert Boekel's iconic work.

Philip Sparke's Perihelion: Closer to the Sun was chosen for its intensity, energy, and rhythmic and dynamic challenges, as well as being a celebration of a magnificent composer for the brass band medium".