Polarities for Double Brass Quintet

Polarities for Double Brass Quintet (For many years Jim Self has coached chamber music at The USC Thornton School of Music. He wrote Polarities in 2005 for his student quintets: The Self-Taught Brass and The Z Sharps. It was premiered by them at USC on April 17, 2005. It is a four-minute, one-movement, fanfare-like piece for Two Antiphonal Brass Quintets--al la Gabrielli. The sections are titled A la Fanfare, A la Scherzo and A la Waltz. Emphasizing the antiphonal effect is important to the overall sound with a lot of trading of passages between the instruments of each side. Each of the ten instruments has solo passages and rhythmic intricacies abound. The final half of the piece is a gradual build-up in intensity to the end. A Demo recording of Polarities was made by the Pacific Symphony Brass and is available in digital format. Parts Included: Quintet 1: Trumpet in C 1-2. Trombone, French Horn, Tuba Quintet 2: Trumpet in C 1-2, Trombone, French Horn, Tuba)