All children should be allowed to dream, the only task of their parents is to show them ways in which they can realize them. A quote by Marianne Williamson describes appropriately the background of the composition which Alfred R. Stevenson dedicated to his daughter:
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."
Difficulty level: A
Duration: approx. 03:00 min.
Publisher:
Alfred R. Stevenson
Anniversary
In 2021, on the occasion of its 70th anniversary, the Carinthian wind band association announced a composition competition under the slogan 'Festive Music'. It should be a work that is also suitable for overall performances and can also be played with a smaller cast. Alfred R. Stevenson's musical language was able to completely convince the jury and thus this composition was chosen as the winning work.
Difficulty level: B
Duration: approx. 04:30 min.
Publisher:
Alfred R. Stevenson
Open the doors!
Several styles are used in this piece for concert band by Alfred R. Stevenson. A fanfare-like introduction is followed by a rhythmic section in marching style, carried first by the high brass and then by the low brass. The lyrical middle section is accompanied by exotic percussion.
Difficulty level: C
Duration: approx. 05:30 min.
Publisher: Tirol Musikverlag
The Power of Love
A Pop Overture for concert band with „drive“ and „power“. The igniting spark is transmitted to the audience by itself.
Difficulty level: C
Duration: approx. 04:50 min.
Publisher: Tirol Musikverlag
A Song for Beth
Alfred R. Stevenson considered for a long time how he could make an appropriate marriage proposal for his partner at that time. So this ballad for soprano saxophone and wind band with its endless melody was born.
Of course, the premiere, which was also conducted by Alfred R. Stevenson, was used to ask the question of all questions of the lady present in the audience. Considering the fact that the concert hall was full and impressed by the soulful music, she had no choice but to say "YES".
Difficulty level: C
Duration: approx. 04:10 min.
Publisher:
Alfred R. Stevenson
Silence around the Lake
The most famous Carinthian folk song by Günther Mittergradnegger provided the inspiration for this symphonic work by Alfred R. Stevenson.
You can feel the mist on the face and hear the waves hit the shore with a certain regularity. The banks of the lakes, which are still densely populated in the summer, have been abandoned, the flow of tourists has dried up. On the threshold of approaching winter, nature offers a colorful spectacle, which gives the viewer inner peace.
Difficulty level: C
Duration: approx. 06:00
Publisher:
Alfred R. Stevenson
Day of Joy
The work for choir and wind orchestra based on the text by author Claudia Rosenwirth-Fendre achieved first prize in the CARINTHIJA2020 composition competition run by the Carinthian Singers' Association in cooperation with the Carinthian Brass Music Association.
The dignity of a human being is independent of language, skin color and religious affiliation. Respect, impartiality, tolerance and empathy are what make peaceful coexistence possible. This is the core message of Claudia Rosenwirth-Fendre's poem, which Alfred R. Stevenson so impressively set to music.
Difficulty level: C
Duration: approx. 11:00 min.
Publisher:
Alfred R. Stevenson
Fragments
In 2012, Stevenson was commissioned by the Kärntner Blasmusikverband to compose a symphonic work based on the oeuvre of the Austrian composer Rudolf Kummerer on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the Stadtkapelle Feldkirchen/Carinthia. He has fragmented themes from Kummerer's works and built them up into new themes, mixed with his own motives. The focus is on the march "Treu den Kärntnerland", which runs like a thread through the entire work.
Already at the beginning the trumpets reproduce the opening notes of this march, but kept in minor. The further processing leads to a new section: The angry notes of the low registers, but also the subsequent melancholy are dedicated to the funeral marches "Von allen Sorgen erlöst" and "Fahr wohl ins ewige Reich". Hidden references to the "Kaiserschützen Marsch" are provided by the trumpets, whose triplet motif leads to a climax. The first two notes of the "Gendarmerie Marsch" inspired the now following part, which leads back to the beginning after the culmination. The hymn is an augmentation of the trio theme of "Treu dem Kärntnerland", which after the dramatic prelude of the timpani sounds completely for four bars and thus dissolves an 8-minute puzzle.
Difficulty level: D
Duration: approx. 08:00 min.
Publisher: Molenaar Edition
Odin
Odin is the god of war and victory according to nordic mythology, but he is also associated with wisdom and magic. Furthermore he is also considered to be a composer of magical songs. On Slepinir, his eight-legged horse, Odin rides through the heavens. The parts Call for Odin, Fast Ride with Sleipnir, Sole Creator of Magical Songs, The Wild Hunt, Asgard and The Golden Throne, form a diverse picture of the mythology of Odin.
Difficulty level: E
Duration: approx. 12:00 min.
Publisher: Molenaar Edition
Overture to Avalon
The literary basis for the piece Overture to Avalon is the Avalon trilogy by the american fantasy writer Marion Zimmer Bradley. We are in a world of myth and magic, in this island Avalon still be attached to the world, but was the center of the world. It is the time of the Druids and the high priestesses who determine the fate of the people.
Difficulty level: E
Duration: approx. 08:30 min.
Publisher: Molenaar Edition
King of the Skies (Pop Overture)
King of the Skies is Alfred R. Stevenson's homage to the eagle, the king of the skies. Take your audience on the back of the eagle to reach dizzying heights and lonely mountain peaks. The modern work for concert band is composed as an overture and offers an height flight in its main parts, which is supported by majestic themes of brass and "wing beats" in the woodwinds. Lyrical solo parts in the slow middle section impressively represent the peace of the cool mountain world, the homeland of the eagle.
Difficulty level: E
Duration: approx. 08:00 min.
Publisher: Seeber-Film
Episodes
Several monumental events around the castle ruin of Finkenstein/Carinthia form the basis of the composition. "Falling Rocks" is reminiscent of the avalanche of the Dobratsch mountain, the resulting despair of the population is represented by "A Folk Song". "Black Death, Bonaparte and the End of the Monarchy" deals with other grim events of local history. Trumpets from the distance - off stage - provide the clues with their inserts of the Marseillaise and the old Austrian imperial anthem. All these events are observed by a silent witness, the castle ruin of Finkenstein ("The castle, a silent witness").
Difficulty level: E
Duration: approx. 10:00 min.
Publisher: Molenaar Edition
A Hero's Tale
The three-movement work tells the story of a hero who, in search of his inner self, comes to the realization that the love of a family is the greatest happiness on earth. The individual titles of Alfred R. Stevenson's work are:
1. An Incredible Journey
2. Interlude
3. There has always to be a Love Theme
Difficulty level: E
Duration: approx. 16:30 min.
Publisher:
Alfred R. Stevenson