SKU: BR.KM-2486
World premiere of the 1st version: Berlin, March 11, 2001World premiere of the complete version: Stuttgart, January 31, 2002
ISBN 9790004502631. 11.5 x 16.5 inches.
Saxophon, Schlagzeug, Klavier: drei sehr verschiedene Klangkorper, jeder fur sich allein auf ganz unterschiedliche Weise die kompositorische Phantasie anregend. Aber: wie sollte daraus ein Klangganzes entstehen, ein homogener und daruber hinaus spezifischer und nur fur dieses Stuck charakteristischer Ensembleklang? Ein Gesamtklang also, in dem sich die heterogenen Bestandteile gegenseitig sinnvoll und sinnlich erfahrbar begrunden? Klang existiert aber (zumindest in meinem musikalischen Denken) nicht fur sich allein, kann nicht isoliert gedacht werden. Zum Klang gehort immer auch Struktur, Raum und Zeit, in denen er sich entfaltet, seine Verbindung mit anderen Klangen, Bewegung, Richtung, musikalische Form. Ich habe daher dem Stuck uber weite Strecken ein komplexes, sich in vielschichtig durchdringender Prozesshaftigkeit standig erweiterndes Zeit-Netz zugrunde gelegt, das zunachst ganz ohne Rucksicht auf die zu verwendenden Klange entworfen ist. In einer Art permanenter Schnitttechnik springt die Musik dabei standig hoquetusartig zwischen verschiedenen kleinsten Grundeinheiten hin und her (Sechzehntel-, Achtel- punkt, Achtel-Puls).In Konfrontation mit diesem labyrinthisch verzweigten Zeit- und Form-Netz empfand ich die instrumentale Ausgangssituation zwar nach wie vor als heterogen und widerspruchlich, aber doch auch sich gegenseitig kommentierend, die jeweilige Charakteristik und instrumentale Aura relativierend und so letztlich aus sich selbst heraus wieder formbildend. Ausserdem ergaben sich neben der erwahnten Suche nach dem ganz individuellen, unberuhrten Klang Moglichkeiten zur Integration scheinbar vertrauterer, virtuos-instrumentaltypischer Spielweisen, denn das Gestalthafte, Figurative wird durch die permanenten Schnitte wieder zum charakteristischen, individuellen Klang-Impuls zusammengepresst.Die aus der Konfrontation solch unterschiedlicher Spharen resultierende Sperrigkeit aber setzt kommunikative Qualitaten ins Werk. Die Musik begnugt sich nicht mit nur auf sich selbst bezogene Klang- bzw. Struktur-Bastelei, sondern mochte ihre Zuhorer ansprechen, sich ihnen mitteilen, ohne dabei einer von vornherein funktionierenden, also falschen Sprachfertigkeit zu erliegen. Das erfordert umgekehrt ein bewegliches, aktives, mitarbeitendes Horen, eine sich im Verlauf des Stuckes standig verandernde, also erweiternde Horhaltung.(Jorg Birkenkotter)CD:Trio Accanto: Marcus Weiss (saxophone), Yukiko Sugawara (piano), Christian Dierstein (percussion)CD So near so far, Edition Zeitklang, ez-31029World premiere of the 1st version: Berlin, March 11, 2001World premiere of the complete version: Stuttgart, January 31, 2002.
SKU: CF.PL1061
ISBN 9781491158555. UPC: 680160917167. 9 x 12 inches.
The three movements of Color Codas can be played individually or, preferably, as a set. aIn the Reda flirts with extremes in dynamics and register; aPurple Passiona wears its heart on its sleeve; aOut of the Blue,a well what can I say... (aOut of the Bluea is an arrangement of the fourth movement, aKeep It Short,a of my trio for horn, violin and piano, Etudes and Parodies.) The work is written for the wonderful piano duo, Quattro Mani.The three movements of Color Codas can be played individually or, preferably, as a set. In the Red flirts with extremes in dynamics and register; Purple Passion wears its heart on its sleeve; Out of the Blue, well what can I say... (Out of the Blue is an arrangement of the fourth movement, Keep It Short, of my trio for horn, violin and piano, Etudes and Parodies.) The work is written for the wonderful piano duo, Quattro Mani.The three movements of Color Codas can be played individually or, preferably, as a set. “In the Red” flirts with extremes in dynamics and register; “Purple Passion” wears its heart on its sleeve; “Out of the Blue,” well what can I say... (“Out of the Blue” is an arrangement of the fourth movement, “Keep It Short,” of my trio for horn, violin and piano, Etudes and Parodies.)The work is written for the wonderful piano duo, Quattro Mani.
SKU: CF.CAS18
ISBN 9780825855016. UPC: 798408055011. 8.5 X 11 inches. Key: F major.
A truly masterful fantasy on an English folk song, this piece shows the exceptional musical development found in many of the greatest classical symphonies. The fantasy is roughly in the style of the classical rondo (ABACA) and features fine counterpoint and engaging melodies. This piece can be played in an orchestral and quartet setting and is both challenging and fun to play.My Fantasy on The Wee Cooper of Fife was one of four such fantasies I wrote for my daughter April when she was studying the violin, and I had hopes that when she reached the age of wisdom and proficiency she would play them with her friends. Life being what is it, she eventually gave up the violin and chose a completely different career for herself-though we are still the best of friends! I found the song in a collection of folk songs for children where it is called Rissoldy Rossoldy. Except for a few notes, the song was almost identical to the English folksong The Wee Cooper of Fife, which begins: There was a Wee Cooper named Fife / nickity nackety roo noo roo / He took him to wed a gentle wife / nickity nackety roo noo roo / She would na card she would na spin / for fear 't would harm her gentle skin.... The tune is rollicking and words are amusing, and yes, eventually they worked out their problems! The Fantasy is roughly in the style of the classical rondo, which is ABACA coda, such as one finds in the last movements of some of Haydn's later symphonies. This composition may be performed by a string orchestra or solo string quartet. - Douglas Townsend.MyA Fantasy on The Wee Cooper of FifeA was one of four such fantasies I wrote for my daughter April when she was studying the violin, and I had hopes that when she reached the age of wisdom and proficiency she would play them with her friends. Life being what is it, she eventually gave up the violin and chose a completely different career for herself-though we are still the best of friends! I found the song in a collection of folk songs for children where it is calledA Rissoldy Rossoldy.A Except for a few notes, the song was almost identical to the English folksongA The Wee Cooper of Fife, which begins: There was a Wee Cooper named Fife / nickity nackety roo noo roo / He took him to wed a gentle wife / nickity nackety roo noo roo / She would na card she would na spin / for fear 't would harm her gentle skin.... The tune is rollicking and words are amusing, and yes, eventually they worked out their problems! The Fantasy is roughly in the style of the classical rondo, which is ABACA coda, such as one finds in the last movements of some of Haydn's later symphonies. This composition may be performed by a string orchestra or solo string quartet. - Douglas Townsend.MyA Fantasy on The Wee Cooper of FifeA was one of four such fantasies I wrote for my daughter April when she was studying the violin, and I had hopes that when she reached the age of wisdom and proficiency she would play them with her friends. Life being what is it, she eventually gave up the violin and chose a completely different career for herself-though we are still the best of friends! I found the song in a collection of folk songs for children where it is calledA Rissoldy Rossoldy.A Except for a few notes, the song was almost identical to the English folksongA The Wee Cooper of Fife, which begins: There was a Wee Cooper named Fife / nickity nackety roo noo roo / He took him to wed a gentle wife / nickity nackety roo noo roo / She would na card she would na spin / for fear 't would harm her gentle skin.... The tune is rollicking and words are amusing, and yes, eventually they worked out their problems! The Fantasy is roughly in the style of the classical rondo, which is ABACA coda, such as one finds in the last movements of some of Haydn's later symphonies. This composition may be performed by a string orchestra or solo string quartet. - Douglas Townsend.My Fantasy on The Wee Cooper of Fife was one of four such fantasies I wrote for my daughter April when she was studying the violin, and I had hopes that when she reached the age of wisdom and proficiency she would play them with her friends. Life being what is it, she eventually gave up the violin and chose a completely different career for herself-though we are still the best of friends! I found the song in a collection of folk songs for children where it is called Rissoldy Rossoldy. Except for a few notes, the song was almost identical to the English folksong The Wee Cooper of Fife, which begins: There was a Wee Cooper named Fife / nickity nackety roo noo roo / He took him to wed a gentle wife / nickity nackety roo noo roo / She would na card she would na spin / for fear 't would harm her gentle skin.... The tune is rollicking and words are amusing, and yes, eventually they worked out their problems! The Fantasy is roughly in the style of the classical rondo, which is ABACA coda, such as one finds in the last movements of some of Haydn's later symphonies. This composition may be performed by a string orchestra or solo string quartet. - Douglas Townsend.My Fantasy on The Wee Cooper of Fife was one of four such fantasies I wrote for my daughter April when she was studying the violin, and I had hopes that when she reached the age of wisdom and proficiency she would play them with her friends. Life being what is it, she eventually gave up the violin and chose a completely different career for herself-though we are still the best of friends! I found the song in a collection of folk songs for children where it is called Rissoldy Rossoldy. Except for a few notes, the song was almost identical to the English folksong The Wee Cooper of Fife, which begins: There was a Wee Cooper named Fife / nickity nackety roo noo roo / He took him to wed a gentle wife / nickity nackety roo noo roo / She would na card she would na spin / for fear 't would harm her gentle skin.... The tune is rollicking and words are amusing, and yes, eventually they worked out their problems! The Fantasy is roughly in the style of the classical rondo, which is ABACA coda, such as one finds in the last movements of some of Haydn's later symphonies. This composition may be performed by a string orchestra or solo string quartet. - Douglas Townsend.My Fantasy on The Wee Cooper of Fife was one of four such fantasies I wrote for my daughter April when she was studying the violin, and I had hopes that when she reached the age of wisdom and proficiency she would play them with her friends. Life being what is it, she eventually gave up the violin and chose a completely different career for herself-though we are still the best of friends!I found the song in a collection of folk songs for children where it is called Rissoldy Rossoldy. Except for a few notes, the song was almost identical to the English folksong The Wee Cooper of Fife, which begins:There was a Wee Cooper named Fife / nickity nackety roo noo roo / He took him to wed a gentle wife / nickity nackety roo noo roo / She would na card she would na spin / for fear 't would harm her gentle skin....The tune is rollicking and words are amusing, and yes, eventually they worked out their problems!The Fantasy is roughly in the style of the classical rondo, which is ABACA coda, such as one finds in the last movements of some of Haydn's later symphonies.This composition may be performed by a string orchestra or solo string quartet.- Douglas Townsend.
About Carl Fischer Concert String Orchestra Series
Thi s series of pieces (Grade 3 and higher) is designed for advancing ensembles. The pieces in this series are characterized by:
SKU: PR.14440265S
UPC: 680160027910.
The Second and Third Quartets were conceived at the same time; indeed, their composition intermingled, over half of No. 3 being sketched before No. 2 was completed. Accordingly, they share similar material but, like the intertwining blood of cousins, their natures differ: No. 2 being somewhat acerbic and declamatory, No. 3 more lyric and gentler. An annunicatory 'leaping motive' (derived from a motto generated by my name) opens Quartet No. 2 and inhabits the course of the piece as a cyclical binding-force. A five-note motive, usually very deliberate, also keeps recurring like an insistent caller. All three movements are based on tonal centers (I on B and E, II on D, III on C) and the harmonic 'grammar' spoken tends to recall the jazz world of my youth. To hopefully achieve a certain classical ambience was one of the goals of this piece, and all three movements have traditional forms. The first movement is a modified Sonata-Allegro design, with a severely-truncated recapitulation balanced by a lengthy, and decaying Coda. The second movement is a set of strophic variants and an epilogue interspersed with both solo ritornelli and first-movement material (the motto and the five-note motive) in the nature of a fantasia-like 'call-and-response.' It is dedicated to the memory of the American mezzo-soprano Jan DeGaetani. The third movement is a modified Rondo (ABACBA) which evolves out of the opening motto. All three movements make much use of canonic stretti, similar gestures, and repetition. For example, the climax of movement III's Rondo throws the first movement back at us again, as if the players were reluctant to let it go, so that the entire piece could perhaps be viewed as a single large, extended, Sonata movement, with introduction and Coda.The Second and Third Quartets were conceived at the same time; indeed, their composition intermingled, over half of No. 3 being sketched before No. 2 was completed. Accordingly, they share similar material but, like the intertwining blood of cousins, their natures differ: No. 2 being somewhat acerbic and declamatory, No. 3 more lyric and gentler.An annunicatory ‘leaping motive’ (derived from a motto generated by my name) opens Quartet No. 2 and inhabits the course of the piece as a cyclical binding-force. A five-note motive, usually very deliberate, also keeps recurring like an insistent caller. All three movements are based on tonal centers (I on B and E, II on D, III on C) and the harmonic ‘grammar’ spoken tends to recall the jazz world of my youth.To hopefully achieve a certain classical ambience was one of the goals of this piece, and all three movements have traditional forms. The first movement is a modified Sonata-Allegro design, with a severely-truncated recapitulation balanced by a lengthy, and decaying Coda. The second movement is a set of strophic variants and an epilogue interspersed with both solo ritornelli and first-movement material (the motto and the five-note motive) in the nature of a fantasia-like ‘call-and-response.’ It is dedicated to the memory of the American mezzo-soprano Jan DeGaetani. The third movement is a modified Rondo (ABACBA) which evolves out of the opening motto.All three movements make much use of canonic stretti, similar gestures, and repetition. For example, the climax of movement III’s Rondo throws the first movement back at us again, as if the players were reluctant to let it go, so that the entire piece could perhaps be viewed as a single large, extended, Sonata movement, with introduction and Coda.
SKU: PR.11641142S
ISBN 9781491134030. UPC: 680160683772.
The Concerto for Flute and Orchestra, Op. 39 was completed in September of 1992. It was commissioned by James Galway, and is dedicated to him. The work is scored for an orchestra comprised of piccolo, flute, oboe, english horn, clarinet, bass clarinet, bassoon, contrabassoon, two horns, two trumpets, timpani, percussion, harp, piano and strings. The Concerto is in three movements. The first movement, Moderato, is an arc-like form, all of whose components are in fact variations on the harmonic progression of its principal theme. The central section of this movement is a set of explicit chaconne variations on a chorale-version of this progression. The second movement, Adagio molto, presents a lyrical melody which is spun out over a pulsating syncopated ostinato which persists through the entire length of the movement. The final movement, Presto, is a virtuoso work-out for the flutist in a rondo-like form which closes with a Prestissimo coda. The Concerto for Flute and Orchestra has been recorded for release on the BMG label by James Galway with the London Mozart Players conducted by the composer.The Concerto for Flute and Orchestra, Op. 39 was completed in September of 1992. It was commissioned by James Galway, and is dedicated to him.The work is scored for an orchestra comprised of piccolo, flute, oboe, english horn, clarinet, bass clarinet, bassoon, contrabassoon, two horns, two trumpets, timpani, percussion, harp, piano and strings.The Concerto is in three movements. The first movement, Moderato, is an arc-like form, all of whose components are in fact variations on the harmonic progression of its principal theme. The central section of this movement is a set of explicit chaconne variations on a chorale-version of this progression.The second movement, Adagio molto, presents a lyrical melody which is spun out over a pulsating syncopated ostinato which persists through the entire length of the movement.The final movement, Presto, is a virtuoso work-out for the flutist in a rondo-like form which closes with a Prestissimo coda.The Concerto for Flute and Orchestra has been recorded for release on the BMG label by James Galway with the London Mozart Players conducted by the composer.
SKU: PR.41641515L
UPC: 680160621750.
The melancholic tone of the Ney (the Persian bamboo flute) is known for its alluring sound, emulating the human voice. In Persian literature, the Ney is considered a mystic instrument capable of expressing deep human emotions. In writing my flute concerto, I aimed not only to highlight the modern flautist's ability to play agile and brilliant passages but also to emulate the delicate sound of the Ney, particularly in extended solo flute passages. Two prominent characters permeate the first movement of my concerto. They are marked in the score as lamentoso, and con spirito, expressing grief and loss, and joy of living respectively. The lament is mostly expressed in several extended cadenzas for solo flute while the con spirito consists of robust and energetic fast sections played by all forces of the orchestra. Apart from these two characters there are moments of mystery, comedy and the grotesque, among others. In the second movement, the lyrical and poetic character of the flute is prominently presented in dream-like passages surrounded by shimmering and tender orchestral colors. The solo flute is left out in an agitated middle section that references the first movement. In the third section of the movement the solo flute returns in meditative fashion culminating in a duet with the harp. The third movement is written as one continuous quasi scherzo, challenging the limits of agility and brilliance of the flute. Some of the materials from the earlier movements are presented again with joyous character. The coda elevates the concerto into its brightest and most festive character, driving to the end with relentless energy.The melancholic tone of the Ney (the Persian bamboo flute) is known for its alluring sound, emulating the human voice. In Persian literature, the Ney is considered a mystic instrument capable of expressing deep human emotions.In writing my flute concerto, I aimed not only to highlight the modern flautist’s ability to play agile and brilliant passages but also to emulate the delicate sound of the Ney, particularly in extended solo flute passages.Two prominent characters permeate the first movement of my concerto. They are marked in the score as lamentoso, and con spirito, expressing grief and loss, and joy of living respectively. The lament is mostly expressed in several extended cadenzas for solo flute while the con spirito consists of robust and energetic fast sections played by all forces of the orchestra. Apart from these two characters there are moments of mystery, comedy and the grotesque, among others.In the second movement, the lyrical and poetic character of the flute is prominently presented in dream-like passages surrounded by shimmering and tender orchestral colors. The solo flute is left out in an agitated middle section that references the first movement. In the third section of the movement the solo flute returns in meditative fashion culminating in a duet with the harp.The third movement is written as one continuous quasi scherzo, challenging the limits of agility and brilliance of the flute. Some of the materials from the earlier movements are presented again with joyous character. The coda elevates the concerto into its brightest and most festive character, driving to the end with relentless energy.
SKU: PR.114419490
ISBN 9781491131435. UPC: 680160677320. 9 x 12 inches.
The depth and inventiveness of Amanda Harberg’s SUITE FOR WIND QUINTET can only be described as remarkable. Harberg combines the rich tradition of renaissance and baroque dance suites with her own American voice, stirring up dramatic, exciting sounds and stories. Cantus uses the imitative entries of renaissance motets as a jumping off point into a more contemporary world. The playfully virtuosic Furlana refers to the Italian folk dance rhythm in 6, punctuated by lots of unexpected 5’s. Fantasia hints at being a lullaby with an animated and jazz-influenced middle section, and the closing Cabaletta is true to its 19th-century meaning of a rousing closing section following beautiful lyricism. SUITE FOR WIND QUINTET was commissioned and premiered by the Dorian Wind Quintet.Amanda Harberg’s Suite for Wind Quintet was commissioned by the Dorian Wind Quintet in 2017. The piece was the result of a conversation in a bar between Harberg, Dorian’s flutist Gretchen Pusch and Pusch’s husband Richard Bayles, on the occasion of Dorian’s clarinetist Ben Fingland’s 40th birthday party. A year and a half later, the Dorian Wind Quintet gave the world premiere of Harberg’s quintet at Bargemusic, and has incorporated it into their repertoire ever since. Suite for Wind Quintet is in four movements- 1. Cantus, 2. Furlana, 3. Fantasia and 4. Cabaletta. The melodic material heard in the very opening of the piece can be heard recurring and transforming throughout the four movements, until it unites triumphantly in the final coda with the theme of the concluding movement. The piece was inspired by the concept of placing Renaissance and Baroque-inspired dance suites into Harberg’s idiom as a 21st century composer.
SKU: PR.144404550
UPC: 680160030859.
After finishing a serious woodwind quintet in the fall of 2001 [Tela Lacerata], I found, in the ensuing months, that its cinders/ashes were still impregnating my eardrums. Therefore, when I set out to write the present string piece, I realized that the musical veins of the quartet, like related cousins, were sharing the same blood as the earlier wind composition. The resultant Fifth Quartet evolved into two large, extended movements, each one containing seven parts that are played without pause. As the list of the various sub-sections clearly indicates, the formal structure of the movements appear to be identical: each with three main parts enveloped by interludes, plus an introduction and coda. However, the principal segments of the first (slow) movement gradually decrease in length, while those of the second (fast) movement increase. In addition, there is a goodly amount of sonic material stolen from the first movement which reappears -- stitched together in a new guise -- into the world of the second. for example, the bulk of Parts B and C of Movement II are lifted bodily, although elaborately modified, from their first appearances in the Introduction and Part A of the fist movement. This offers, I suppose at least a hint of a traditional recapitulation. As was true in the earlier woodwind piece -- both harmonically and melodically -- the embryonic growth of the musical fabric (primarily the tritone and perfect fifth) is omnipresent, almost obsessively, throughout the course of the whole work. These two intervals, not unlike plasticine, habitually transform themselves into the scales, chords, and melodic lines that pervade the texture of the quartet. Owing to the largely unrelieved dramatic flow, the shifting speed, and the often fervent intensity, the quartet places considerable demands on the dexterity, virtuosity, and stamina of the four performers. String Quartet No. 5 is approximately 22 minutes in duration and affectionately dedicated to my violinist wife Elizabeth, as a gift for our 47 years together. It was commissioned by the Corigliano String Quartet, New York, NY. -- Sydney Hodkinson.
SKU: PR.16400272S
UPC: 680160588442. 8.5 x 11 inches.
My third quartet is laid out in a three-movement structure, with each movement based on an early, middle, and late work of the great American impressionist painter Mary Cassatt. Although the movements are separate, with full-stop endings, the music is connected by a common scale-form, derived from the name MARY CASSATT, and by a recurring theme that introduces all three movements. I see this theme as Mary's Theme, a personality that stays intact while undergoing gradual change. I The Bacchante (1876) [Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania] The painting shows a young girl of Italian or Spanish origin, playing a small pair of cymbals. Since Cassatt was trying very hard to fit in at the French Academy at the time, she painted a lot of these subjects, which were considered typical and universal. The style of the painting doesn't yet show Cassatt's originality, except perhaps for certain details in the face. Accordingly the music for this movement is Spanish/Italian, in a similar period-style but using the musical signature described above. The music begins with Mary's Theme, ruminative and slow, then abruptly changes to an alla Spagnola-type fast 3/4 - 6/8 meter. It evokes the Spanish-influenced music of Ravel and Falla. Midway through, there's an accompanied recitative for the viola, which figures large in this particular movement, then back to a truncated recapitulation of the fast music. The overall feeling is of a well-made, rather conventional movement in a contemporary Spanish/Italian style. Cassatt's painting, too, is rather conventional. II At the Opera (1880) [Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts] This painting is one of Cassatt's most well known works, and it hangs in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. The painting shows a woman alone in a box at the opera house, completely dressed (including gloves) and looking through opera glasses at someone or something that is NOT on the stage. Across the auditorium from her, but exactly at eye level, is a gentleman with opera glasses intently watching her - though it is not him that she's looking at. It's an intriguing picture. This movement is far less conventional than the first movement, as the painting is far less conventional. The music begins with a rapid, Shostakovich-type mini-overture lasting less than a minute, based on Mary's Theme. My conjecture is that the woman in the painting has arrived late to the opera, busily stumbling into her box. What happens next is a kind of collage, a kind of surrealistic overlaying of two different elements: the foreground music, at first is a direct quotation of Soldier's Chorus from Gounod's FAUST (an opera Cassatt would certainly have heard in the brand-new Paris Opera House at that time), played by Violin II, Viola, and Cello. This music is played sul ponticello in the melody and col legno in the marching accompaniment. On top of this, the first violin hovers at first on a high harmonic, then descends into a slow melody, completely separate from the Gounod. It's as if the woman in the painting is hearing the opera onstage but is not really interested in it. Then the cello joins the first violin in a kind of love-duet (just the two of them, at first). This music isn't at all Gounod-derived; it's entirely from the same scale patterns as the first movement and derives from Mary's Theme and its scale. The music stays in a kind of dichotomy feeling, usually three-against-one, until the end of the movement, when another Gounod melody, Valentin's aria Avant de quitter ce lieux reappears in a kind of coda for all four players. It ends atmospherically and emotionally disconnected, however. The overall feeling is a kind of schizophrenic, opera-inspired dream. III Young Woman in Green, Outdoors in the Sun (1909) [Worcester Art Museum, Massachusetts] The painting, one of Cassatt's last, is very simple: just a figure, looking sideways out of the picture. The colors are pastel and yet bold - and the woman is likewise very self-assured and not in the least demure. It is eight minutes long, and is all about melody - three melodies, to be exact (Young Woman, Green, and Sunlight). No angst, no choppy rhythms, just ever-unfolding melody and lush harmonies. I quote one other French composer here, too: Debussy's song Green, from Ariettes Oubliees. 1909 would have been Debussy's heyday in Paris, and it makes perfect sense musically as well as visually to do this. Mary Cassatt lived her last several years in near-total blindness, and as she lost visual acuity, her work became less sharply defined - something akin to late water lilies of Monet, who suffered similar vision loss. My idea of making this movement entirely melodic was compounded by having each of the three melodies appear twice, once in a pure form, and the second time in a more diffuse setting. This makes an interesting two ways form: A-B-C-A1-B1-C1. String Quartet No.3 (Cassatt) is dedicated, with great affection and respect, to the Cassatt String Quartet, whose members have dedicated themselves in large measure to the furthering of the contemporary repertoire for quartet.
SKU: HL.50601598
8.0x11.75 inches.
The catalogue of Edison Denisov's works includes 16 concertos. It was a genre to which he returned time and again throughout his life, from the Concerto for Cello and Orchestra of 1972 to the Double Concerto for Flute, Clarinet and Orchestra of 1996.In Denisov's music the role of the soloist, or rather the protagonist, is extraordinarily important, not so much for its virtuosity as for its confessional character. The solo part is a monologue distinguished by poetic diction and a very personal message from thecomposer. The dramaturgical conception of the Concerto for Saxophone and Orchestra, a reworking of the Viola Concerto of 1986, draws on traditional sonata form, thereby reaffirming the ubiquitous classicism in Denisov's thought. In this late work, we find all the typical features of his style: sinuous melodic lines layered into dense contrapuntal textures, and an interplay of orchestral colours, with pure sonorities contrasting with complex mixtures of sounds. It is a perfect dramaturgy that governs the evolution of the music to the very end. The first movement assumes the role of a sonata-allegro, with the standard formal sections of exposition, development,recapitulatio n and coda. The second movement is an Adagio for strings. The third takes the form of a little contrasting intermezzo that introduces both new thematic material and a new range of colours. Here tunefulness gives way to pointillism enriched with soniceffects. The only movement with a virtuosic solo part, its nervousness and inner tension set it worlds apart from the second and fourth movements that surround it. The fourth movement assumes the traditional form of a final set of variations. It is the dramaturgical and semantic heart of the concerto. The theme of the variations is Franz Schubert's Impromptu in B-flat major, op. 142, which in this case is 'born' from the celesta as the product of a dodecaphonic string cluster. This finale represents Denisov's homage to his great mentor, Schubert's music being for him a symbol of eternal and universal beauty. 'The attentive listener', Denisov stressed, 'will recognise that the Impromptu theme is already suggested very slowly in the course of the three preceding movements, not only thematically, but also psychologically. That's what makes the appearance of the Schubert theme sound so natural.' The variations relate to the variation genre less in their form than in their spiritual and conceptual metamorphoses. It is, one might say, 'music round about Schubert'. (Ekaterina Kouprovskaia-Denisova).
SKU: BT.DHP-1002167-401
International.
I n this new exciting suite the course of a weekday is portrayed in a unique way. It consists of three movements: the energetic break of day (Early Morning), the meditative afternoon break (Siesta) and the cheerful late afternoon (Happy Hour). Have a beautiful day! In deze suite wordt op een bijzondere manier het verloop van een doordeweekse dag beschreven in drie delen: de energieke ochtend (Early Morning), de meditatieve middagpauze (Siesta) en de vrolijke namiddag (HappyHour). Een mooie dag gewenst!In dieser Suite für Klavier und Posaune wird auf einzigartige Weise der Ablauf eines Tages portraitiert. Sie besteht aus drei Sätzen: Der energische Tagesanbruch (Early Morning), die meditative Mittagspause (Siesta) und die fröhlichen frühen Abendstunden (Happy Hour). Erleben Sie einen wunderschönen Tag! Ier Mouvement : Early Morning (“Tôt le matin”) : Levé l’aurore après un repos réparateur, chacun s’apprête vivre une nouvelle journée. Le rythme irrégulier de ce premier mouvement exprime une forte dynamique qui trouve son apaisement dans le passage central. Les événements de cette journée encore naissante semblent s’être déj infiltrés dans l’esprit de chacun. La coda vit pleinement dans l’évocation du carpe diem.IIe Mouvement : Siesta (“La sieste”) : l’issue d’une matinée productive, la pause détente de l’après-midi est un véritable moment de plaisir. Dans ces instants contemplatifs où l’on apprécie la valeur de la vie, chacun aspire un peu de sérénité etde changement. Aussi, ce mouvement doit-il être interprété comme une méditation.IIIe Mouvement : Happy Hour (“L’heure de l’apéritif”) : Après une dure journée de labeur, place la détente et au plaisir. Ce dernier mouvement s’apparente quelquefois la conga, et fait référence aux chansons boire. « Exubérance » est le mot-clé de son interprétation. Questa suite per trombone e pianoforte in tre movimenti descrive in musica le varie fasi di una giornata. Early Morning è l’energico risveglio mattutino, Siesta, la pausa pomeridiana e Happy Hour un momento allegro nel tardo pomeriggio.
SKU: FG.55011-641-2
ISBN 9790550116412.
Kale vi Aho's Piano Concerto No. 2 is scored for a string orchestra comprising just twenty players. The first performance took place at the concluding concert of the 2003 Mantta Music Festival, in Vilppula Church on 29th June. The soloist was Antti Siirala and the strings of the Lahti Symphony Orchestra were conducted by Osmo Vanska. The demanding piano writing is primarily a consequence of Siirala's remarkable command of the 'Beethovenian-Lisztian-Br ahmsian' pianistic tradition. At times the piano part is lean and linear, but the work also contains multi-layered, full-toned piano textures and massive rolling octaves. The concerto requires great artistry on the part of the performer. The Second Piano Concerto lasts roughly half an hour and comprises three untitled movements played without a break. The first movement and the finale are extremely fast; these outer movements contain plenty of playful music. The slow second movement is more serious in tone, and its piano texture is very ample. The difficult cadenza at the end of the finale brings more serious emotions to the coda as well.
SKU: PR.16500103F
ISBN 9781491131763. UPC: 680160680290.
Ever since the success of my series of wind ensemble works Places in the West, I've been wanting to write a companion piece for national parks on the other side of the north American continent. The earlier work, consisting of GLACIER, THE YELLOWSTONE FIRES, ARCHES, and ZION, spanned some twenty years of my composing life, and since the pieces called for differing groups of instruments, and were in slightly different styles from each other, I never considered them to be connected except in their subject matter. In their depiction of both the scenery and the human history within these wondrous places, they had a common goal: awaking the listener to the fragile beauty that is in them; and calling attention to the ever more crucial need for preservation and protection of these wild places, unique in all the world. With this new work, commissioned by a consortium of college and conservatory wind ensembles led by the University of Georgia, I decided to build upon that same model---but to solidify the process. The result, consisting of three movements (each named for a different national park in the eastern US), is a bona-fide symphony. While the three pieces could be performed separately, they share a musical theme---and also a common style and instrumentation. It is a true symphony, in that the first movement is long and expository, the second is a rather tightly structured scherzo-with-trio, and the finale is a true culmination of the whole. The first movement, Everglades, was the original inspiration for the entire symphony. Conceived over the course of two trips to that astonishing place (which the native Americans called River of Grass, the subtitle of this movement), this movement not only conveys a sense of the humid, lush, and even frightening scenery there---but also an overview of the entire settling-of- Florida experience. It contains not one, but two native American chants, and also presents a view of the staggering influence of modern man on this fragile part of the world. Beginning with a slow unfolding marked Heavy, humid, the music soon presents a gentle, lyrical theme in the solo alto saxophone. This theme, which goes through three expansive phrases with breaks in between, will appear in all three movements of the symphony. After the mood has been established, the music opens up to a rich, warm setting of a Cherokee morning song, with the simple happiness that this part of Florida must have had prior to the nineteenth century. This music, enveloping and comforting, gradually gives way to a more frenetic, driven section representative of the intrusion of the white man. Since Florida was populated and developed largely due to the introduction of a train system, there's a suggestion of the mechanized iron horse driving straight into the heartland. At that point, the native Americans become considerably less gentle, and a second chant seems to stand in the way of the intruder; a kind of warning song. The second part of this movement shows us the great swampy center of the peninsula, with its wildlife both in and out of the water. A new theme appears, sad but noble, suggesting that this land is precious and must be protected by all the people who inhabit it. At length, the morning song reappears in all its splendor, until the sunset---with one last iteration of the warning song in the solo piccolo. Functioning as a scherzo, the second movement, Great Smoky Mountains, describes not just that huge park itself, but one brave soul's attempt to climb a mountain there. It begins with three iterations of the UR-theme (which began the first movement as well), but this time as up-tempo brass fanfares in octaves. Each time it begins again, the theme is a little slower and less confident than the previous time---almost as though the hiker were becoming aware of the daunting mountain before him. But then, a steady, quick-pulsed ostinato appears, in a constantly shifting meter system of 2/4- 3/4 in alteration, and the hike has begun. Over this, a slower new melody appears, as the trek up the mountain progresses. It's a big mountain, and the ascent seems to take quite awhile, with little breaks in the hiker's stride, until at length he simply must stop and rest. An oboe solo, over several free cadenza-like measures, allows us (and our friend the hiker) to catch our breath, and also to view in the distance the rocky peak before us. The goal is somehow even more daunting than at first, being closer and thus more frighteningly steep. When we do push off again, it's at a slower pace, and with more careful attention to our footholds as we trek over broken rocks. Tantalizing little views of the valley at every switchback make our determination even stronger. Finally, we burst through a stand of pines and----we're at the summit! The immensity of the view is overwhelming, and ultimately humbling. A brief coda, while we sit dazed on the rocks, ends the movement in a feeling of triumph. The final movement, Acadia, is also about a trip. In the summer of 2014, I took a sailing trip with a dear friend from North Haven, Maine, to the southern coast of Mt. Desert Island in Acadia National Park. The experience left me both exuberant and exhausted, with an appreciation for the ocean that I hadn't had previously. The approach to Acadia National Park by water, too, was thrilling: like the difference between climbing a mountain on foot with riding up on a ski-lift, I felt I'd earned the right to be there. The music for this movement is entirely based on the opening UR-theme. There's a sense of the water and the mysterious, quiet deep from the very beginning, with seagulls and bell buoys setting the scene. As we leave the harbor, the theme (in a canon between solo euphonium and tuba) almost seems as if large subaquatic animals are observing our departure. There are three themes (call them A, B and C) in this seafaring journey---but they are all based on the UR theme, in its original form with octaves displaced, in an upside-down form, and in a backwards version as well. (The ocean, while appearing to be unchanging, is always changing.) We move out into the main channel (A), passing several islands (B), until we reach the long draw that parallels the coastline called Eggemoggin Reach, and a sudden burst of new speed (C). Things suddenly stop, as if the wind had died, and we have a vision: is that really Mt. Desert Island we can see off the port bow, vaguely in the distance? A chorale of saxophones seems to suggest that. We push off anew as the chorale ends, and go through all three themes again---but in different instrumentations, and different keys. At the final tack-turn, there it is, for real: Mt. Desert Island, big as life. We've made it. As we pull into the harbor, where we'll secure the boat for the night, there's a feeling of achievement. Our whale and dolphin friends return, and we end our journey with gratitude and celebration. I am profoundly grateful to Jaclyn Hartenberger, Professor of Conducting at the University of Georgia, for leading the consortium which provided the commissioning of this work.
SKU: PR.164002720
UPC: 680160573042. 8.5 x 11 inches.
SKU: AP.12-0571530826
ISBN 9780571530823. English.
Formally, the Trio has a classical shape. The first movement is in sonata form, with an expanded recapitulation. The second movement combines a forceful Presto and an eerie, unworldly trio episode, both recapitulated, and 'squeezed together' in a short coda. The third movement is a rather free Adagio, with the three players used more as soloists than elsewhere in the work. The finale is a kind of rondo with variations, in which all the subsidiary themes are derived from the preceding movements. Thematically and in terms of tempo, all the movements are closely linked.
SKU: PR.14440455S
UPC: 680160030873.
SKU: PR.16500102F
ISBN 9781491131749. UPC: 680160680276.
SKU: PR.16500101F
ISBN 9781491131725. UPC: 680160680252.
SKU: HL.14008425
ISBN 9780711933545.
Davi es's feeling for the potency and bravura of the clarinet goes back to works of the 1960s; his concerto for the instrument is predictably a big, ranging piece, in two linked movements. The first, fast with a brief slow introduction, has the soloist in propulsive melodic flights slipping over into florid runs, but it is a virtuoso piece for the orchestra, especially for the marimba and pair of horns. The Adagio that follows is in the spare, cold, birdcall-riven style of other recent Davies slow movements, exploiting first the clarinet's low register and then, at its climax, the instrument's high extremes. A cadenza leads to the coda, where Davies introduces a Scots tune, previously hinted at, with which he brings the work to an end in F sharp major. Clarinet part with piano reduction of the orchestral score.
SKU: FG.55011-642-9
ISBN 9790550116429.
