Recitativo And Scherzo

SKU: HL.49044744

ISBN 9790220135217. 9.25x12.0x0.302 inches.

A wonderful work from the rich repertoire for string quartet with solo clarinet, Divertimento is full of folk, jazz and neoclassical influences. The piece was sketched on a train journey in 1926 and inspiration from this can be heard in the outer movements. It was later rescored for clarinet and string orchestra, forming Seiber's Concertino.

SKU: HL.48021234

ISBN 9781458423542. UPC: 884088642037. 6.75x10.5 inches.

Text: in Latin compiled from the charter of the University, and from older orations in praise of Basle by Bernhard Wyss.

Publisher: Boosey & Hawkes

Difficulty level: 4 (for chorus)

Britten's genius lifts this work above being just a worthy celebration of the 500th anniversary of the foundation of Basle University. It is tongue-in-cheek and mockingly non-academic while referring all the time to academic musical forms and formulae. It is written in two parts (everything is in the statutory Latin including the titles of the parts - Pars I and Pars II). The titles of the movements show Britten's intention to show off a wide variety of techniques. Here are some examples: Chorale/Alla Rovescio (the theme is given and responded to with the same melody upside down)/Recitativo/Tema seriale con fuga/Canone ed ostinato. There is a good deal of humour here.

There are seven movements in Pars I and six in Pars II. The tenor soloist is given three florid recitatives, accompanied only by a piano, which act as bridges between other orchestrally accompanied movements. Of these the most noteworthy are the Arioso con canto popolare for soprano solo with tenors and basses who hum a student song; another terrific Britten scherzo; and a wonderfully raucous final pair of movements (Canon ed ostinato and Corale con canto) where Britten seems to be aping the Vivat Regina! cries in Parry's I was glad or encouraging the kind of noisy 'I'm from the best university' kind of student touchline shout. This has outrageously high notes for the tenors (top B) which further endorse this feeling. There are real echoes of the Spring Symphony (see separate entry) final movement here which are further underlined by the last section of the Cantata which brings in the bells, piano, huge percussion and the inevitable chorale in which the choir sings 'that a free academy may thrive in a free community, for ever the ornament and treasure of illustrious Basle'.

This may not be Britten at his most soul-searching but, as always, there is plenty here to enjoy, especially if the work is not taken too seriously. It is a celebratory, occasional piece and it could be well taken up by other academic establishments celebrating big anniversaries. The chorus parts are not very difficult, though they do present challenges for the choir - not least in having tenors capable of those very high notes at the end. The Tema seriale con fuga is sinewy and needs careful tuning. It also has the subject regularly given upside down after its initial sounding by the basses. All good fun.

Duration: 21 minutes

Paul Spicer, Lichfield, 2011.

SKU: BT.DHP-1196087-401

ISBN 9789043157254. English-German-French-Dut ch.

Fortuna for trumpet and piano came about as a commission by the Belgian trumpeter Manu Mellaerts. The title of the work refers to the goddess Fortuna of Roman mythology, who represents fate and fortune. The composition is characterised by its modern but by no means avant-garde tonal language, with which composer Jan Hadermann creates a wide variety of musical expression. This, together with its playing time of some nine minutes, makes Fortuna an ideal examination work for the conservatory-level student.

Fortun a voor trompet en piano is in opdracht van de Belgische trompettist Manu Mellaerts geschreven. De titel verwijst naar de Romeinse godin Fortuna, die in de mythologie staat voor het (nood)lot. Het stuk wordt gekenmerkt door een moderne maar niet avant-gardistische stijl, waarmee componist Jan Hadermann een weidse variatie aan muzikale expressie aanboort. Hierdoor en door de speelduur van circa negen minuten past Fortuna perfect in het examenprogramma van de conservatoriumstudent.

Fortuna für Trompete und Klavier entstand im Auftrag des belgischen Trompeters Manu Mellaerts. Der Titel des Stückes verweist auf die römische Göttin Fortuna, welche mythologisch für das Schicksal steht. Die Komposition zeichnet sich durch ihre moderne, jedoch nicht avantgardistische Tonsprache aus, mit der der Komponist Jan Hadermann eine große musikalische Ausdrucksvielfalt realisiert. Dadurch sowie aufgrund seiner Spieldauer von etwa neun Minuten ist Fortuna ein ideales Examenswerk für Hochschulstudenten.
Fortuna pour trompette et piano est une œuvre commandée par le trompettiste belge Manu Mellaerts. Le titre de la pièce fait référence la déesse romaine Fortuna, incarnation du destin dans la mythologie romaine. Cette composition se distingue par le langage musical, moderne sans être avant-gardiste, gr ce auquel le compositeur Jan Hadermann lui confère une grande expressivité musicale sous diverses formes. Formant un total d’environ neuf minutes, ces qualités font de Fortuna une pièce d’examen idéale pour les élèves des conservatoires.