SKU: HL.49043937
ISBN 9790220134456. 8.5x12.0x0.16 inches. English.
Hesketh's work for 3-part children's choir and piano sets two texts about the start of spring by William Blake and an anonymous source. Written for conductor Simon Emery and the Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Choir, Enter, Spring mixes contrapuntal and homophonic textures in the choir, supported by a lively accompaniment.
SKU: HL.49018724
ISBN 9790220131080. UPC: 841886011540. 9.0x12.0x0.155 inches.
In his programme note, Hesketh describes a conceit as an extended metaphor which can govern part of or an entire poem thereby leading to a more sophisticated understanding of the subject. Within the 20 minute six movement work, Poetic Conceits takes an assortment of thematic material and views it from different angles by continuous manipulation through statement, recall and elaboration. The effect is a continuous arc with movements merging into each other, sharing harmonic material to create focal points for pianistic technique and musicality.
SKU: HL.49015496
ISBN 9781423419648. 9.0x12.0x0.069 inches.
This short piano work is one of Hesketh's most successful, taken from his opera The Overcoat - it would be an ideal opener to any recital programme.
SKU: HL.49019785
ISBN 9790220134128. UPC: 888680009441. 9.0x12.0x0.089 inches.
SKU: HL.49018675
ISBN 9790220132599. 9.0x12.0x0.068 inches.
The title of this work is a reference to the poem Ode to a Nightingale by John Keats. Important images from the poem are freely connected to suggest musical gestures and contours. Such phrases as perilous seas and plaintive anthem placed musically alongside each other give the work a continuity not suggested by the original poem. The topography in the last verse of the poem also finds its way into the work: Past the near meadows, over the still stream, Up the hill-side; and now 'tis buried deep The resulting work therefore utilises an organic and associative musical form, one that is dramatic and often capricious in nature. The work evaporates at its close - at Keats' instigation - through the words Fled is that music:- do I wake or sleep?. Through Magic Casements was written for William Cale on the occasion of his final recital at the Royal College of Music. 2009 KH.
SKU: HL.49017706
ISBN 9790220127403. UPC: 884088512453. 9.0x12.0x0.161 inches. English.
Composed in 2007 for the Leeds Lieder festival, Hesketh's Shimmerwords and Idle Songs for soprano and piano is a 18 minute song cycle made up of six songs in four sections. The text is taken from a collection of Chinese poetry from the 8th and 9th centuries which cover various subjects from nature and travel to life itself. The music is both colourful and direct with an abundance of humour and clarity.
SKU: HL.49012970
ISBN 9790220123290. UPC: 073999266061. 9.0x12.0x0.095 inches.
Each of the 'Three Japanese Miniatures' is a new challenge to the pianist: In each piece, a different playing technique is developed in a subtle and concentrated way. I Temple Music * II The cradle rocks... * III Little Bumbuku.
