The (EBBC 2020) Championship set test by Philip Sparke is a three-movement work entitled A Road Less Travelled By. Although there is no programme, the title is taken from the final lines of The Road Not Taken by the American poet Robert Frost (1974 - 1963),

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less travelled by,

And that has made all the difference.

A Road Less Travelled By is cast in three movements: I. Moto Perpetuo, II. Nocturne, in which the soloists are featured in elaborate solos and ensembles, and III. Scherzo Finale, which is an example of the composer’s characteristic playful compound time dances, lightly textured to begin with, tuneful and full of energy and drive. About the work, Philip Sparke says, “I’ve tried to keep the emphasis on ‘traditional’ brass band values, both in the writing and scoring.”