3 Inventions for Violin, Clarinet and Bass Viol (Violoncello) (1981)

SKU: OU.9780193404014

ISBN 9780193404014. 12 x 8 inches.

Berkeley's Clarion Call is a witty and humorous piece. Drawing on influences as wide as chamber music, rock'n'roll rhythms, and even some of Berkeley's own choral music, the piece subverts and twists listener's expectations at every turn through rhythmic invention and unexpected shifts.

SKU: LO.30-2425L

UPC: 000308121858.

Fill your sanctuary with Palm Sunday majesty and excitement with this anthem from Joe Martin. The first of three verses is a lively call-and-response setting of the scripture: “Who is this King of glory?” The contrasting middle verse is an inventive pairing of the traditional hymn tune LEONI with the text “All Glory, Laud and Honor.” The final verse returns the lively theme of the first in counterpoint with drum-like hosannas. An energetic accompaniment that ties all three verses together, whether provided by piano alone or orchestra, makes this anthem the perfect choice for Palm Sunday. (From the cantata Who Is This King? SATB – 55/1096L; SAB – 55/1097L.) Instrumentation: 2 Flutes, Oboe, 2 Clarinets, Bassoon, 2 F Horns, 3 Trumpets, 2 Trombones, Tuba, Timpani, 2 Percussion, Violin 1 & 2, Viola, Cello, Bass.

SKU: PR.41641301L

UPC: 680160619795.

Under the Sun's Gaze as a title for a musical composition conjures up many possibilities. It is, in fact, an imagined line from an unwritten poem, invented with the idea of capturing something of the visual aura the sounds and energy of this work invoke in its composer' mind. An omnipotent presence in all of nature, a source of life yet also capable of its destruction, the sun affects the light and dark in our physical existence as it defines the daily and seasonal life. The music of this work, in three interlocking parts, takes turns being exuberant, caressing, scorching, receding, hazy, lazy, blazing, dissolving into darkness, blinding in its intensity. Subtitled Concerto da Camera III, this work is written for what has become known as the standard Pierrot instrumentation of flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano plus percussion. The difference here is that the winds are doubled - the two flutists alternating with piccolo and alto flute and both clarinetists also doubling on bass clarinets. The ninth member of the ensemble, a soprano saxophone, appears well into the piece, its lyrical, plaintively expressive quality dominating the musical terrain for a while. While occasionally joining the others for some tutti outbursts, it maintains its position as something of a guest throughout. Of the various thematic ideas that populate this work, a six-note descending line played by the clarinet appearing right at the work's opening then arching back up reveals itself, as the music unfolds, to be the principal melodic building block of Under the Sun's Gaze. Its various transformations include the plaintive soprano saxophone melody appearing in the middle section. Just under 20 minutes in length, the work in its totality can be heard as being in a loose arch form, its ending receding into a distant darkening horizon which carries in it the seed of the new dawn that lies beyond. Under the Sun's Gaze was commissioned by the Serge Koussevitzky Music Foundation in the Library of Congress for the San Francisco Contemporary Players, David Milnes, conductor.

SKU: AP.12-0571539327

ISBN 9780571539321. English.

Nature, Tansy Davies' gloriously offbeat concerto for piano and ten instruments from 2012, teems with invention. This 20-minute work was inspired by shamanic rituals and the supernatural, and Davies describes the piano as 'part moth, part Maenad'. There is a feral quality to much of the tumultuous solo writing---all hyperactive trills and gutsy bass eruptions, shot through with rare and unexpected moments of calm. Brilliantly imaginative, and packed full of glistening, ever-changing ensemble textures, this remarkable reimagining of the concerto form sees Davies craft yet another thrilling and wholly distinctive soundworld.

SKU: CA.7003849

ISBN 9790007227531. Key: E minor. Language: German/French.

The history of the composition of the oratorio is odd: the kernel of this three-part work were the movements from the middle section, the Flight to Egypt, which Berlioz composed on a whim in 1850 and which he passed off as the work of a baroque composer whose existence he himself had invented. In 1854 the triptych, which was completed with the parts entitled The dream of Herodes and The arrival at Sais, had its celebrated first performance. Starting from the Gospel of St. Matthew, with the visit of the astrologer to Herodes and the flight of the Holy Family to Egypt, Berlioz chose to relate the story of the events of Christmas from another angle. This skillful dramatisation, with impressive instrumental sections, such as the independent trio for two flutes and harp as well as the effective choruses with local color, make this sacred trilogy a grateful enrichment of the repertoire for Christmas music. Score and part available separately - see item CA.7003800.