Here is fresh material for young string ensembles presented by George Speckert who is a master arranger for amateur orchestras. Each of these 27 relatively short character pieces evokes a unique mood in its very title: Brisk, Sad, Sunset and many more. When heard in succession, the scenes sometimes unfold in the listenersÂ' minds like in a movie. The collection is perfect for creating short suites with an ad libitum number of movements, and thus is ideal for school recitals, family celebrations or street busking. These miniatures can also be used to musically accompany literary readings or as soundtracks for video sequences. The second violin part may also be played by a viola.

BeethovenÂ's Sonata in F major op. 54 was written in 1804, just after the highly virtuosic Â"WaldsteinÂ" Sonata and before the Â"AppassionataÂ" Sonata, and has unjustly stood in the shadow of its predecessor and successor ever since. Its two movements are characterized by the friction between traditional form and creative abandon. While the opening movement marked Â"In Tempo dÂ'un MenuettoÂ" plays with Baroque gestures and a sharply contrasting, metrically distorted Â"TrioÂ", the toccata-like Â"AllegrettoÂ" fluctuates between etude and sonata form. The unusual construction of the sonata caused perplexity even with notable critics who found themselves at a loss, unable to recognize the master. As such the work remains somewhat an insider tip until today, a treasure to be discovered.

Contents: Tantalizing Tango, The Smell of Tango, Monster Tango, The Daring White of her Eyes, Pizz-a-tango, Roses and Thorns.