Images And Words

SKU: BT.AMP-450-140

English-German-French- Dutch.

Wind in the Reeds was commissioned by Deena Draycott in memory of John Watson, an army bandsman, teacher and bassoonist. Wind in the Reeds is both a tribute and lasting memorial to John. The piece is largely pastoral in nature, evoking images conjured up by the ‘play on words’ in the title, but includes a faster central section which exploits other aspects of the character of the bassoon. Transitions between the various sections of the piece are achieved through a series of accompanied cadenzas for the soloist.

Wind in the Reeds werd geschreven in opdracht van Deena Draycott, ter nagedachtenis aan John Watson, muzikant in een militaire band, muziekdocent en fagottist. Het werk is grotendeels pastoraal van karakter; het roept beelden op die de woordspeling in de titel (Wind in het riet) met zich meebrengt, maar het bevat een sneller middengedeelte dat andere aspecten van het karakter van de fagot in de schijnwerpers zet. De overgangen tussen de verschillende gedeelten van het werk worden gerealiseerd middels een reeks begeleide cadensen voor de solist.

Wind in the Reeds wurde von Deena Draycott in Erinnerung an John Watson, einen Militärmusiker, Lehrer und Fagottisten, in Auftrag gegeben. Wind in the Reeds ist sowohl ein Tribut an John Watson als auch ein bleibendes Andenken an ihn. Das Stück hat einen größtenteils pastoralen Charakter und ruft Bilder hervor, die durch das Wortspiel im Titel heraufbeschworen werden. Es enthält jedoch auch einen schnelleren Hauptteil, der andere Charaktereigenschaften des Fagotts eines der Lieblingsinstrumente des Komponisten erkundet. Eine Reihe von Solo-Kadenzen bilden die Übergänge zwischen den verschiedenen Abschnitten des Stückes.

Win d in the Reeds est une commande de Deena Draycott en mémoire de John Watson musicien dans l’armée, enseignant et bassoniste. L’œuvre est la fois un hommage et une commémoration la mémoire de John. Elle est principalement pastorale, évoquant des images en lien avec le jeu de mots du titre avec une partie centrale plus rapide mettant en lumière d’autres aspects du basson. Les transitions entre les différentes sections se font par une succession de cadences accompagnées pour le soliste.

Wind in the Reeds fu commissionato da Deena Draycott in memoria di John Watson, un bandista dell’esercito, insegnante e fagottista. Wind in the Reeds è sia un tributo che un ultimo memoriale per John. Il brano ha per lo più le caratteristiche di una pastorale, che evoca immagini richiamate dal gioco di parole del titolo, ma include una sezione centrale più veloce che sfrutta le caratteristiche del fagotto. I passaggi tra le varie sezioni del pezzo sono realizzati tramite una serie di cadenze accompagnate per il solista.

SKU: BR.EB-9333

World premiere of the piano version: Orleans (8th Int. Piano Competition of Orleans ,,Brin d'herbe), April 14, 2019

ISBN 9790004187975. 9 x 12 inches.

Inspiring Nature These three piano pieces, composed for the ,,Concours, Brin d'Herbe 2019, may be performed separately or as a collection, in which case they should be played in the given order. Though each piece is aimed at a different technical level (I. Elementary, II. Advanced, III. Intermediate), they have a common artistic aim: to connect musical expression with poetic inspiration. In particular, these pieces meditate on the emotional connection between our interior life and the vast and varied landscapes of the natural world all around us. While composing I found myself re-reading Kathleen Raine (one of my favourite poets) and was struck by her statement (in the foreword to her ,,Selected Poems): ,,'Nature-poetry' is not what we write about nature, but rather the language of images in which nature daily speaks to us of the timeless, age-old mystery in which we participate. Nature communicates today what it told the earliest of humankind, and what it will tell future generations when our modern high-rise cities are no more. Meanings, moods, the whole scale of our inner experience, finds in nature the 'correspondences' through which we may know our boundless selves. Nature is the common, universal language, understood by all. What she says about nature resonates with my understanding of music, which also sometimes affords us an opportunity to know 'our boundless selves'. And I am especially interested in the way that sounds - which, as vibrations in the air, are another aspect of nature - can reveal and heighten our sense of connectedness to ourselves and our surroundings. Each movement is inspired by a single stanza from the poem ,,Amo Ergo Sum by Kathleen Raine, and I would encourage anyone playing these pieces to devote time to internalising the words as well as the music, for they may contain the key to an accurate expression. As such, the relevant words are quoted at the start of each score. ,,Inner Landscapes is dedicated to Joe Browning, Lexy Oliver and Omar Shahryar. (Christian Mason, 2018)

World premiere of the piano version: Orleans (8th Int. Piano Competition of Orleans ,,Brin d'herbe), April 14, 2019.

SKU: HL.49046383

ISBN 9790001207454. UPC: 842819106098. 9.0x12.0x0.074 inches.

Chapter 11 of James Joyce's Ulysses is a real treasure trove of existing and invented words and names; each word and name triggers off a whole series of associations, images, stories and sounds - particularly when the reader is a Hungarian composer who comes across the phrase “Liszt's rhapsodies”. I immediately heard music by Franz Liszt in my head and visualised the two protagonists in the novel sitting on a terrace drinking coffee, chatting and dreaming, witty and endearing - which is also a perfect description of this small piano composition for four hands. Peter Eötvös.