Concert Band
Maple Leaf Overture
Grade 4 | 4 Mins
Maple Leaf Overture was commissioned by the Central Memorial High School Symphonic Band (Michael J Gardner, Director) from Calgary, Canada.
The band requested the work from composer Philip Sparke as an opener for their concerts scheduled during a tour to the England in the spring of 2011, when they met and performed with youth bands from Yorkshire and Derbyshire.
The work opens with a short maestoso fanfare with phrases alternating between the middle and top of the band. This merges seamlessly into a vivo which is related in tempo and introduces jazzy syncopations. A main theme emerges on horns and saxophones and this is taken up by the full band. A relaxed second subject reaches a climax before the main theme creeps back in again. This leads to a brief reference to the opening fanfare before a quicker coda brings the work to a close.