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About this Piece

Michael Kamen was known for his arranging, conducting, and songwriting with pop stars (Pink Floyd, Eric Clapton, Bryan Adams, Kate Bush) as well as for his film scores (Brazil, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, The Iron Giant), winning three Grammys, two Golden Globes, and an Emmy, with two Oscar nominations. His work on Mr. Holland’s Opus led him to establish the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation to support music education through instrument donation.

He also wrote concert pieces, including this Quintet, composed for the Canadian Brass in 2002. It is a short reflective essay, emphasizing warmth and lyricism. It opens with an elegiac theme for the horn, which is developed contrapuntally with great eloquence to a noble climax, before subsiding to a softly assured cadence.