SKU: CL.012-4451-75
Reflections From the Wall commemorates the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War, and is inspired by the men and women who served our country during this conflict. The basis of the music is an emotional representation of the composer's visit to the Vietnam War Memorial and to the power of this spectacular monument. Opening with a simple depiction of a cloud-covered morning which broadens into a dramatic and powerful reflection from the wall as the sun breaks through the clouds. Emotion, reflection and a sincere thanks to those who served are the driving musical elements of this powerful piece. This composition will be received warmly and gratefully by all audiences.
SKU: CL.012-4451-01
Reflections From the Wall commemorates the 40th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War, and is inspired by the men and women who served our country during this conflict. The basis of the music is an emotional representation of the composer's visit to the Vietnam War Memorial and to the power of this spectacular monument. Opening with a simple depiction of a cloud-covered morning which broadens into a dramatic and powerful reflection from the wall as the sun breaks through the clouds. Emotion, reflection and a sincere thanks to those who served are the driving musical elements of this powerful piece. This composition will be received warmly and gratefully by all audiences.
SKU: GI.G-8657
ISBN 9781622770649.
Edit ed and Photographed by Michael Stillwater Waldron Island Reflections offers images and words from Shining Night, the award-winning documentary film about the life and music of Morten Lauridsen. Morten Lauridsen, among the leading American composers of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, draws his inspiration from the serenity of nature. In his summer residence on remote Waldron Island in the San Juan Archipelago many of his greatest works are composed. For anyone who appreciates nature as inspiration for creativity, Waldron Island Reflections provides a glimpse into a unique Pacific Northwest haven where timeless words are given a musical voice through Lauridsen’s sublime artistry. About the music of Morten Lauridsen: In 2007 Morten Lauridsen received the National Medal of Arts, the highest artistic award in the United States, from the President in a White House ceremony “for his composition of radiant choral works combining musical beauty, power, and spiritual depth.” He is Distinguished Professor of Composition at the USC Thornton School of Music, Los Angeles. www.mortenlauridsen.net/ “For those of us who need great music to live and feel more fully, these works speak clearly to the soul and illuminate our greater hope.”– St. Louis Post-Dispatch “This is celestial and spine-tingling stuff. Contemporary choral music really doesn’t come any better than this.” – Daily Express Michael Stillwater is a filmmaker and music educator whose award-winning documentary, Shining Night: A Portrait of Composer Morten Lauridsen, was deemed “a heartening rarity” by Terry Teachout, Wall Street Journal. www.shiningnightfilm.net.
SKU: M7.APUE-516223
ISBN 9781875516223.
This captivating collection of 30 works for unaccompanied flute, offers refreshing and exhilarating repertoire for intermediate level flute players. Be inspired as you discover scenes of natural beauty - starry skies, a dragonfly, bird songs; enjoy lively dances with elves and ghosts; and immerse yourself in music of tender reflection. The collection features contemporary composers from around the world, with exclusively commissioned works, together with inspiring new arrangements of music by 19th and 20th century masters. Biographies of all the composers are at the end of the music, as well as notes and performance suggestions for each work.
SKU: CF.WE40
ISBN 9781491161975. UPC: 680160920655.
In his poem Mending Wall, the inspiration for this piece, Robert Frost famously says “Something there is that doesn’t love a wall.” Mending Time, composed for Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Baritone Saxophones, explores the many meanings of walls in life, from barriers of safety, to murals upon which the art and history of people are transcribed. This 'musical wall of sound' is intended to invoke reflection and encourage mending to bring unity in times of joy, contemplation, and consolation.Robert Frost thought that poetry was, as he wrote, “a momentary stay against confusion.” In his poem Mending Wall, the inspiration for my piece, Frost famously says “Something there is that doesn’t love a wall.”Confusion indeed!As the always tricky Frost well knew:A wall may be the strong barrier that protects our young or old from harm.A wall may be the mural upon which we inscribe the art and the history of our people.A wall may the sacred, embroidered fabric that keeps us from the cold.A wall may be the skin of our lovers and the dearest ones we treasure.And so, the barriers and walls between us may be, at last, paradoxically, the special place where we as neighbors meet together, if only to repair those walls and build them up again.But walls and barriers must also have a passage through them or what lies within and without them will surely starve and die.“Mending Time” is musical wall of sound, written to help our mending, to help bring us together in joy, contemplation, and consolation.Martin Bresnick.
SKU: BT.DHP-1104883-010
9x12 inches.
The twofold title of this concert work is directly connected with the band who commissioned it. The ??Harmonie Municipale Grevenmacher?? from the town of the same name, by the river Moselle in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg was founded in the year1834. The name Machera is derived from the word machara, which in turn originated from maceries (old wall). Later, Machera evolved into Machern, Grafenmachern, and finally Grevenmacher.In 2009, this music society the third oldest still in existence in the country celebrated its 175th anniversary. And after all these years the society still flourishes! The dynamic committee, led by Georges May, fully supports and inspires themusical leader of the band, Claude Weiland, as well as his 60-strong ensemble. This well-functioning team took the initiative to ask Jan Van der Roost to write an anniversary composition, inspired, on the one hand, by the rural character ofGrevenmacher and its surroundings (where the famous Moselle wine growing dominates the countryside), and on the other hand, by the dynamics, creativity and joie de vivre the band exudes. All of this resulted in a twofold work with alternating peaceand excitement, virtuous and melodic features, orchestral splendour and soberly orchestrated passages. The première, on 10 January 2010, was conducted by the composer himself at a successful gala concert which brought a fine year full of musicalfestivities to a close. The ??Harmonie Municipale Grevenmacher?? faces the future with confidence, and will now prepare for its next milestone: the 200th anniversary!1834 - Machara Impressions was a commission for the 175th anniversary of the band Harmonie Municipale Grevenmacher from the town of Grevenmacher - formerly Machara - in Luxemburg. It is a work of many contrasts with alternating peace and excitement, virtuous and melodic features, orchestral splendour and soberly orchestrated passages - reflecting the peaceful and turbulent history of the band. Das zweiteilige Auftragswerk zum 175-jährigen Jubiläum der Harmonie Municipale Grevenmacher aus dem Dorf Grevenmacher - historisch Machara - in Luxemburg ist von Dynamik, Kreativität und Lebensfreude des Blasorchesters inspiriert. Friedliche und aufregende Zeiten spiegeln sich wechselweise in virtuosen und melodischen Eigenschaften, orchestraler Pracht und nu?chtern orchestrierten Passagen wider. Ein Thema fu?r jedes Blasorchester mit Tradition, umgesetzt in ein attraktives Werk von Jan Van der Roost.Cette oeuvre au double titre souligne le dynamisme de la formation dédicataire, l??Harmonie Municipale de Grevenmacher, fondée en 1834, tout en rappelant l??histoire de la ville de Grevenmacher (ancienn. Machera), située au bord de la Moselle luxembourgeoise. La toile alterne entre passages calmes et passages fougueux, composantes virtuoses et composantes mélodiques, splendeur orchestrale et sobriété de l??orchestration. Questo brano sottolinea ed elogia il dinamismo della Banda Municipale di Grevenmacher, fondata nel 1834, ricordando allo stesso tempo la storia di questa cittadina, situata in riva alla Mosella lussemburghese, il cui nome era nell??antichit Machera. Passaggi calmi si alternano armoniosamente a passaggi più vivaci, elementi virtuosi si mischiano a tratti melodici, mentre sul tutto aleggia uno splendore e una sobriet orchestrale fuori dal comune.
SKU: HL.48024601
ISBN 9781540050663. UPC: 888680933807. 9.0x12.0 inches.
Beyond the White Hand: Construction with Guitar Player, was commissioned by the Julian Bream Trust and first performed at St John's Smith Square by Andrey Lebedev in 2014. This substantial addition to the advanced solo guitar repertoire reflects and expands upon an earlier miniature from 2007: Guitar and White Hand, Birtwistles first piece for the instrument. Both pieces draw artistic inspiration from the artist Pablo Picasso: the smaller piece written for Forbes Henderson and sharing a title with the 1927 painting of the same name. The larger piece was composed in the centenary year of Picasso's Construction with Guitar Player after which the piece is named and the sculpture Guitar.Picasso made about a dozen 'sculptural' constructions during 1912-1914, many of which employ recycled or carved elements. A good number of these were destroyed and only one, Still Life was shown publically during his lifetime. Picasso's own Construction with Guitar Player was an installation of a partially drawn and painted figure to which he added arms made of newspaper that fold away from the wall to embrace a real guitar. In the foreground stands a table with a bottle of wine and this was photographed by Picassoin his studio in 1913. Musically, Birtwistles Construction is a large scale, dense work of sixteen minutes duration. It does not develop linearly, but presents fragments of detail, interruptions, digressions and loops as a “deconstructed guitar” in sound.
SKU: CA.1822000
ISBN 9790007294441.
Edit ed by the Deutscher Musikrat (German Music Council) with Richard Mailander and Kord MichaelisCatholic and Protestant churches are familiar with the tradition that in times of crisis, new works are composed to comfort the faithful, and are performed in worship. Following in this tradition, the project Orgelmusik in Zeiten von Corona (Organ Music in Times of Corona) was devised. 17 new compositions were commissioned which reflect Corona times, creatively confront the past and the present, and will enrich the repertoire of organ music in a lasting way.The 17 compositions depict a wide range of styles including avant-garde, jazz and classical, and some refer to music from previous eras and church music traditions. They are conceived for different levels of difficulty, are for 2 or 3-manual organs, and last between four and ten minutes. They are particularly suitable for concerts, but can also be played in church services.* 17 thematic reflections on the Corona pandemic: on the horsemen of the apocalypse, the Coeur bleu, the thunder of time, timelines, trust and confidence, and many more* compositions by Timo Bocking, Kathrin A. Denner, Barbara Dennerlein, Dorothee Hahne, Peter Michael Hamel, Frank Heckel, Dorothea Hofmann, Nicole Johanntgen, Anna Korsun, Roland Kunz, Eckhart Kuper, Johannes M. Michel, Iris Rieg, Maximilian Schnaus, Enjott Schneider, Dominik Susteck, and Maximilian Wallrath* stylistic variety and breadth - from classically-influenced compositions, through jazz and pop, to avant-garde and experimental sounds* different levels of difficulty, for 2 or 3-manual organ, 4 to 10 minutes' duration* suitable for concerts and church services.
SKU: HL.14043166
ISBN 9788759830826. English.
Angel View by Juliana Hodskinson , scored for seven or more performers and electronics. 'Angel View is an assemblage of urban and musical debris, somewhere between a wordless live radio play, enacted film soundtrack and instrumental theatre. Chiseling cement, falling debris, scraping cutlery, breaking glass, criss-crossing cables, squealing tram-wheels, an upturned bicycle, a grid of cables, a travel souvenir, a shop window, a revolving carousel, a brace of monkeys, a wall under siege, a dining table laid for an ancestral dinner - it is a sonic bazaar. Made up of over 20 parts, each designed to overlap, the work's architecture is full of of non-sequiturs and arbitrarycross-relations between imagined streets intersecting and running parallel, reflecting the surrealism of everyday life described in Walter Benjamin's Einbahnstrasse and still present in the contemporary dilemmas and opportunities of Berlin today. All this is heard as if from an aerial perspective, perhaps the Victory Column where angels sit in Wings of Desire, from where Berlin below is observed as a series of tragedies.' Juliana Hodskinson.
SKU: HL.49044838
ISBN 9790220134418. UPC: 841886027602. 9.0x12.0x0.067 inches.
Vier Seiten for violoncello is an attempt to present an event that in reality takes about two seconds in extreme slow motion, thus making even the micromovements visible or audible beyond the straight line of motion.When I composed the piece, the fatal accident of Ayrton Senna came to my mind again and again - an accident which was shown on TV in slow motion again and again until it became unbearable. The fast motion of the car immediately before the crash into a concrete wall, a motion which was no longer purposeful but out of control and which had the car pulled to and fro and from side to side, was followed by that crash. In this extreme slow motion, it is no longer shown as a crash but as the fast telescoping of carbon fibre, metal and human body parts.After this crash, as a postlude so to speak, everything suddenly slowed down, tyres and automotive particles floating in the air, the torso of the vehicle swinging until the motion stopped. It was not until this moment that I realized that the whole presentation of the incident had been accompanied by paralyzing silence.- Thomas LarcherVier Seiten is a response to Ayrton Senna's fatal car accident, portrayed in slow motion, as it was repeatedly shown on television at the time. In this poignant work, a violent fast section represents the crash, followed by a long epilogue, reflecting the apparent stillness of the immediate aftermath.
SKU: HL.14009884
ISBN 9780853606086.
Nine piano rags including 'The Favourite', 'The Sycamore', 'Peacherine Rag' and 'The Easy Winners'.
SKU: CF.CM9792
ISBN 9781491164631. UPC: 680160923540. Key: A major. English. Coty Raven Morris. Original.
The text for Dust came to me in a season of reflection. As educators and mentors to the generations that come after us, we have a responsibility to provide tools so that others can shape their future. Overtime, it can become easy to lose one's personal vision for one's self when influenced by so many outside factors. When the pressure builds, it can almost feel like a self-reckoning; an opportunity to build ourselves again. Though we are influenced by our surroundings, we are all unique in our purpose and design!These questions of self-reflection came first:How much of me flows from their blood?How much of me is built of their flesh?How much of me is manifested from their dreams?And just like our own identities, the rest of the poem begin to take shape. I hope that this text speaks to you wherever you are in your discovery and journey to your most authentic self.DustI am rubbleCarved into my ruins, you will find my ancestry interwoven with my identityHow much of me flows from their blood?How much of me is built of their flesh?How much of me is manifested from their dreams?The only way to my truth is through my foundationI rage against those who would dare covet this sacred spaceI am the temple and the monumentThis is holy ground.I must demolish myself.Tear down the walls that have held up your visions and destroyed mine.I must restore myself in my own image.And when the dust settles, you can see my bones.Pillars of strength, marble, and earthWalls painted with my blood, cracked with time, polished like my skin(Golden)I will not be complete, but I will be homethe dust settlesAnd we build again—Coty Raven Morris .
SKU: PE.EP14445
ISBN 9790014135041. 297 x 420 mm inches. German.
ARKA stammt aus dem Sanskrit und bedeutet so viel wie Strahl, Blitz, Sonne, Licht, aber auch Lied, Feuer und Hymnus, und entwickelt in meiner Vorstellung sehr viele unterschiedliche Assoziationsfelder. In ARKA stecken auch die Worter arc (beten) und ka (Wasser), und es kann auch ubersetzt werden mit: ,,Das Wasser stromt aus dem heraus, der mehr weiss.
Mein neues Werk fur Pipa, Oboe, Pauke, Schlagzeug und Orchester entstand im Auftrag der Kammerakademie Neuss und auf Anregung des Oboisten Christian Wetzel. Es entstanden drei Rituale mit zum Teil szenischen Elementen fur die Solisten und das Orchester.
Inspirationsquelle in der Vorbeschaftigung waren zwei Quellen und Bucher. Das Daodejing von Laozi in der hervorragenden Neuubersetzung von Viktor Kalinke, eine der wichtigsten Quellen chinesischen Denkens und der Philosophie dieser grossen Kulturtradition und die chinesische Tradition der 5-Elementelehre und der Wandlungsphasen. Als zweites Buch hat mich ,,Die Glut von Roberto Calasso inspiriert, ein Buch uber die indischen Veden in Verbindung mit den Ursprungen des Buddhismus und den damit verbunden Ritualen.
In den letzten 20 Jahren habe ich mich intensiv mit ostasiatischer Musik, Kunst und Philosophie beschaftigt und habe das auch durch langere Studienreisen und kompositorische Projekte vertiefen konnen. U.a. wurde 2012 mein Chorwerk PRAN in Kolkata in Indien uraufgefuhrt (Goethe-Institut), ebenfalls 2012 ,,in between VI fur Sho und Sheng in Tokyo und 2013 ,,Mirror and Circle fur Pipa, Cello und chinesisches Orchester in Taipeh/Taiwan (Auftragswerk der taiwanesischen Regierung). Mit der chinesischen Pipa-Virtuosin Ya Dong arbeite ich seit 2000 zusammen und habe fur sie mehrfach komponiert (Urauffuhrungen u.a. in Hannover/EXPO 2000, Rottweil 2001, Taipeh 2013, Magdeburg 2016). Auch mit Christian Wetzel arbeite ich seit uber 20 Jahren zusammen und habe ebenfalls haufig fur ihn komponiert (UA u.a. in Bonn 1999, Hannover/EXPO 2000, Rottweil 2001, Darmstadt 2004 und etliche weitere Projekte).
Jedes dieser drei Rituale hat eine Lange von ca. 6-7 Minuten und stellt unterschiedliche Qualitaten und Besonderheiten der beiden Soloinstrumente heraus, immer in Verbindung mit der Interaktion zwischen Soli und Orchester. Die Besetzung war fur mich ausserst reizvoll, da beide Instrumente in dieser Kombination noch nie so erklungen sind. Die Pipa ist ein ungemein modernes und ungewohnliches Instrument, reich an Farben und vor allem an perkussiven Effekten. Das Tonmaterial wurde zum grossten Teil aus den Namen der beiden Solisten gewonnen und ergibt interessanter zwei gespiegelte Viertonmotive. In der asiatischen Kultur spielen der Spiegel und der Kreis eine wichtige Rolle, und so werden die Tone, Rhythmen und Formen eingewoben in diese drei Rituale, welche am Ende des dritten Satzes wieder kreisformig an den Anfang des ersten Rituals anknupfen. Ein von den Streichern und der Pauke erzeugtes Gerausch, verbunden mit dem Rhythmus der grossen Trommel, welcher einen Herzschlag symbolisieren soll. Die drei Untertitel der Rituale Himmel, Erde und (atmospharischer) Raum spielen im vedischen und chinesischen Denken eine grosse Rolle und war fur mich beim Komponieren ebenfalls eine sehr starke Inspirationsquelle. In vielen meiner Kompositionen gibt es Raumeffekte, Annaherungen an das Publikum, das Verschieben von Perspektiven, die Dekonstruktion und das Hinterfragen der ublichen Konzertsituation, so u.a in meinem Beuys-Zyklus oder in den Zyklen ,,CUT und ,,in between.
In ARKA geht es mir besonders um die Interaktion zwischen westlichem und ostlichem Denken, um das gegenseitige Durchdringen dieser auf den ersten Blick so unterschiedlichen Denk- und Lebensweisen, um eine Verschmelzung scheinbarer Gegensatze - um Annaherung!
Bernd Franke. Leipzig, 11.10.2019
for low voice and piano This beautiful collection of 14 songs for low voice offers Christmas settings by some of Oxford's best-loved composers. Suitable for solo singers and unison choirs alike, each song is presented with piano accompaniment, and high-quality, downloadable backing tracks are included on a companion website. With a wonderful selection of pieces, including favourites such as Bob Chilcott's 'The Shepherd's Carol' and John Rutter's 'Candlelight Carol', this is the perfect collection for use in carol services and Christmas concerts or for enjoying at home. Also available in a volume for high voice and piano.
AGNI is the Hindu god of fire; the elemental and transformative force inherent in everything:
Every flame, every fire, every light, every warmth is AGNI.
AGNI is omnipresent, establishing everything and ending everything.
AGNI is often depicted with seven tongues which represent different aspects of his being.
These include: creating, sustaining, cleansing, purifying, priestly, martial, devastating, destructive, and consuming.
Derived from Franke's concerto of the same name, this solo work for bass clarinet compositionally traces the transformative processes initiated by the divine fire. The solo takes seven pieces from the concerto, presenting vivid character pieces exploring the creative possibilities and wide tonal range offered by the bass clarinet.
This version of AGNI for bass clarinet solo was premiered on 4 December 2020 in Leipzig by Volker Hemken, the principal bass clarinetist of the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig. EP14437a convinces with its excellent and clear notation, making the piece a new standard for bass clarinet.
Ikons, commissioned by the Vancouver Cultural Olympiad 2010, exists in two forms. This 14-minute acoustic version, premiered by the Turning Point Ensemble, calls for an octet of live musicians to execute complex rhythms and quarter-tone harmonies.
The interactive, electronic version, created with visual artist Eric Metcalfe and designed to be presented separately, incorporates samples from this acoustic version into a sculptural environment of seven pyramidal structures that respond sonically to the viewer.
Roxanna Panufnik's Sonnets without Words is a contemporary piece for Horn in F and piano. Written for horn player Ben Goldscheider, Panufnik has reimagined the lyrical vocal lines from three of her previous settings of Shakespeare's sonnets (Mine eye, Music to hear and Sweet Love Remember'd for voice and piano) into a purely instrumental work.
Score and horn part.
Stephen McNeff's Trig is a short 7-minute contemporary work for solo cello, written to celebrate the bicentennial of the Royal Academy of Music in 2022 and in memorium cellist Mike Edwards 1948-2010.
Trig was premiered by Henry Hargreaves on 19 March 2021, livestreamed from the Royal Academy of Music.
to an utterance - study was commissioned by Klangforum Wien for the premiere commercial audio recording on a portrait CD in 2020 and first performed by Joonas Ahonen at the Berlin Philharmonie on 4th September 2020 at the Musikfest Berlin.
Roxanna Panufnik's Spirit Moves, for brass quintet, was commissioned by the Fine Arts Brass Ensemble. This 15-minute piece is scored for two trumpets in Bb (one doubling piccolo trumpet and the other doubling flugel horn), horn in F, trombone and tuba. This brass quintet is so called because the outer movements are highly spirited and the central one is spiritual.
This product consists of score and parts.
A gently flowing 3-minute arrangement by Roderick Williams for SATB (with divisi) with piano accompaniment that captures the beauty of this famous traditional Hebridean love song. The song text uses both old dialect and English, each verse ending with the words, 'Sad am I without thee'.
for high voice and piano This beautiful collection of 14 songs for high voice offers Christmas settings by some of Oxford's best-loved composers. Suitable for solo singers and unison choirs alike, each song is presented with piano accompaniment, and high-quality, downloadable backing tracks are included on a companion website. With a wonderful selection of pieces, including favourites such as Bob Chilcott's 'The Shepherd's Carol' and John Rutter's 'Candlelight Carol', this is the perfect collection for use in carol services and Christmas concerts or for enjoying at home. Also available in a volume for low voice and piano.
for SATB and organ This energetic setting of words by St Ambrose of Milan is a real showstopper. With pop-influences and a sparkling organ part, Young effortlessly fuses modern and traditional sound worlds, while changes in key and metre build up to an invigorating finish. Perfect for accomplished choirs looking for something different.
for SA unaccompanied This simple, charming two-part motet features long melismatic phrases that reflect the text (1 Corinthians 2: 9), such as the rising melodic line over three bars on the word 'ascended' (ascendit).
for SAATB unaccompanied. This glorious musical depiction of the honour, strength, power and authority of the Holy Trinity by Thomas Tallis is the third issue in the CMS's series of great English Responds from the 16th century, edited by Sally Dunkley. Scored for SAATB, it can be performed either as a motet or as a full Responsory with plainsong alternating with polyphony.
Based on a traditional Scottish/Irish 'farewell' song, this short piece is one of six works written to express my love of Scotland. After living there for nearly half my life, and raising a family, I moved back to England in 2018, and remarried in 2019.
Of course, there were many different emotions attached to the move south: especially the joy and excitement of new beginnings, and reconnection with friends from my youth.
But this piece expresses the wrench I experienced after a last family meal in Glasgow, and the realisation of all I was about to leave behind.
I have taken the melody of the original song, and expanded it, exploring the detail of its patterns, so that it becomes a timeless meditation.
The six pieces in the 'farewell' series are for 6 violas, string quintet, string quartet, trio, violin and clarinet duo, and solo clarinet.
The Parting Glass was composed in 2020 during the coronavirus lockdown, which intensified the feeling of separation from my Scottish family, as well as from other musicians.
It was commissioned by Vittorio Ceccanti for the ContempoArtEnsemble.
Maple arose from a commission to write a work for solo cello, to be performed alongside readings from artist John Newling's collection of letters entitled 'Dear Nature'; a poetic manifestation of our relationship with the natural world.
The piece is in eight short sections, to be interspersed with readings of groups of the poems. It may also be performed as a single movement. It begins with a seed - the seed of a maple tree, as it hangs on the mature tree, ready to drop. The seeds are like propellers, sometimes travelling more than a mile before landing on the ground. Maple follows the growth of the tree to maturity - which in reality would take at least a hundred years. 'Roots, shoots' grows downwards and upwards from a pedal note, and the dance-like 'Flowers' is followed by the stately 'Tree', and then the warm, cascading 'Autumn'. Maple is very often the wood of choice for the back of a stringed instrument, and the last section uses open strings to explore the full resonance of the cello.
The piece starts with a 'seed' of only five notes, which grows into different configurations. It is intended to be played in an improvisatory style.
Maple was co-commissioned by Brighton Festival, Ars et Terra Festival with SACEM and Ditchling Arts and Crafts Museum, to be performed by Margarita Balanas as part of the Brighton Festival's 'Dear Nature' project.
First performed by Noriko Kawai for Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, in a broadcast from the Radio Theatre, BBC Broadcasting House, November 2020.
Full of beautifully crafted, delicate tintinnabulations - Richard Morrison, The Times
SKU: PR.312418590
UPC: 680160595785. 8.5 x 11 inches. Text by Chen Yi.
Often called the Ellis Island of the West, Angel Island in San Francisco was used as an immigration station in the first half of the 20th century, processing some one million Asian immigrants. Because of U.S. policy of the time, many spent years on Angel Island awaiting entry. Recently named a National Historical Landmark, Angel Island and its history is the inspiration behind Chen Yi's Angel Island Passages, commissioned by the San Francisco Girls Chorus. Chen explores the experiences of the immigrants, even using poems carved in the walls, to express the mood, the patient yearning, and the ultimate release and embrace of a new country. Angel Island Passages was premiered June 4-5, 2010 by the SFGC and the Cypress String Quartet at the San Francisco Conservatory. For advanced performers. Duration: 15'.Commissioned by San Francisco Girls Chorus (Executive Director Melanie Smith), and premiered by the SFGC and Cypress String Quartet on June 4, 2010, conducted by SFGC’s Artistic Director Susan McMane, at San Francisco Conservatory, CA, the 3-movement song cycle Angel Island Passages is written for children’s chorus and string quartet, with multimedia projection on the walls of the concert hall, produced by visual artist Felicia Lowe. The creative idea of this work was initiated by Dr. McMane, who invited me to write the music, and sent me the book “Island, poetry and history of Chinese Immigrants on Angel Island, 1910-1940”, by Him Mark Lai, Genny Lim, and Judy Yung for reference in 2009; also inspired by the Angel Island stories, and through cooperation with Felicia, who shared with me her film “Carved in Silence” and video productions “Chinatown” and “Road to Restoration”.I named the first movement of my work as “1882”, which reflected the dark mood under the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. The collective poems carved on the wooden walls in Angel Island expressed deep emotion in sorrow and anxiety. The music in the second movement “Longing” is sad and sentimental. The third movement is called “We Are America”, which is ever-moving, energetic and optimistic. The text sung in the beginning in Chinese means “I am an American”. It’s sung in Cantonese dialect, then in Mandarin. As the music develops, from homophonic to polyphonic with increasing layers, the climax is reached when the text is turned to English “We Are America”, which symbolizes the flourishing society with the great contribution from thousands of immigrants during the years. The music fades out towards the ending of the work, which pushes the scene to a remote picture, to look forward to the future peace of the world.I am grateful to have the opportunity to work with such inspiring creative artists in this project, and hope the work is meaningful to our new society after the premiere performance.—Chen Yi.
