SKU: PR.16400276S
UPC: 680160590438.
Schickele's new piano quartet was written for the Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival (northwest of Seattle), and would have been his very first piano quartet - except that he had forgotten an earlier, unfinished composition. Happily, an unrelated search uncovered the earlier quartet, and Schickele set about cutting, reworking, and re-composing to create Music for Orcas Island. The quartet consists of four complementary movements: I. Spring Sunshine; II. Rainy, with Fog; III. Lively; and IV. Low-lying Clouds. For intermediate to advanced performers. Duration: 13'.
SKU: PR.14440587S
UPC: 680160616497. 9x12 inches.
As composer-in-residence at the Music from Angel Fire festival in New Mexico, Stucky was commissioned for a new chamber work, Rain Shadow, written for Opus One. For inspiration, Stucky looked to the incredible works of Scottish sculptor Andy Goldsworthy. Much of the piece underscores contrasts between the piano and the violin, viola, and cello, with the strings working largely as a unit, frequently intoning their unpredictable harmonies in homophonic rhythms... Rain Shadow is big on clarity, easy to follow, and attractive to the ear, even letting loose (near the end) a big ol' Romantic theme that wouldn't be out of place in a cinematic epic set in outer space. (James M. Keller, Listen Up, Santa Fe New Mexican).
