Johan Halvorsen - Entry March of the Boyars

(video by Filarmonica Rossini)

Johan Halvorsen - Entry March of the Boyars. A very likable orchestral sketch; I heard it many times, as it is often aired on the ARTS TV channel. Here is a fragment from a review published by Answers.com:

(It) is an example of what might be termed spatial orchestral writing. Bojarenes inntogsmasrj (to give the piece its Norwegian title) opens with a softly enunciated theme on solo clarinet, played very quietly at first, and sounding as if it were coming from a considerable distance. Next, Halvorsen creates the impression of the approaching parade by simply adding succeeding instruments to the texture until the full brass section presents a stirring march theme fortissimo. A jaunty new idea soon follows in the upper strings, later embellished by lively woodwind figurations, until a side-drum tattoo summons a fresh call to attention. This leads back to the main march theme on full brass before a new digression announces a polka-like idea played by the violins. As this closes, the music leads back to a restatement of the opening, softly played clarinet solo and a block repeat of most of the first section of the work, virtually unaltered in its scoring. The piece ends with the main brass idea on which this orchestral march is largely based.

(Blogosphere)