German composer Carl Teike came into contact with military music at an early age, but with his modest temperament he never achieved a high rank during his time in the army. He resigned from his post after his bandmaster told him to burn Alte Kameraden, a piece that would become one of the most popular marches in the world. Teike’s marches are entirely original and significantly enrich the German concert repertoire with their inventiveness, musical charisma and colourful instrumentation. This programme includes his first march, the Prinz-Albrecht-Marsch, which he dedicated to the Prussian monarch who ‘graciously accepted the dedication’. This is the first of three volumes.