Seb Skelly on his Suite for Brass and Percussions:

“Originally composed as a string quartet almost 10 years ago, the work found a new and much more suitable home in early 2019 as a composition for wind instruments. I rediscovered the original manuscript as I rearranged my small home studio, and after glancing at it, I remembered how pleasant it was to write it, even though it was very difficult and unsuitable for this ensemble in its string quartet version. Since I have written hundreds of arrangements for wind ensembles and several original works in the last few years, I immediately saw its potential as a composition for wind ensemble and after several major corrections and additions (and a completely cut part IV, which was not so neat) I reached the version which is running today.

The writing and orchestration rest on my experiences playing in British brass bands when I was younger and performing works by composers such as Philip Spark, Peter Graham and Paul Cooper. As well as some composers from the late-Romantic period and mid-20^th century that I was interested in during my late school years when the original version was written. Although each part has its own character and original themes, there is also a lot of repetitive material that intertwines in all the parts and connects them together. Starting with the insistent ostinato and the short, sharp, low brass chords, the first part is filled with relentless and exciting inertia. It gives way to a thoughtful and at the same time optimistic second part and the suite ends with a dance scherzo full of jumps and fun.”