Matériel : Partition
(For Christmas). Scored for SSA chorus and piano.
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.49018277
ISBN 9790220130663. UPC: 884088592172. 9.0x12.0x0.076 inches.
'Die hangende Figur ist Judas' (The hanging figure is Judas) was commissioned by Dr. Margitta Giera as a gift for the German sculptor Michael Langer. Hesketh's first ideas for the work came from a photograph of the Great Tympanum carving of the Last Judgement at St. Foy Cathedral in Conques, France showing an image of the hanged Judas surrounded by mocking demons. Two violent outer movements frame a bleak central section with each movement of the piece unfolds a different perspective of a swinging motif, be it a chord, a gesture or a rhythm. This is a demanding work which will challenge the very best players.
SKU: HL.49044074
ISBN 9790220134586. UPC: 841886021976. 9.0x12.0x0.075 inches.
Stimulated by my love of automata, this work for solo oboe takes its name from the invention of Wolfgang von Kempelen, who in the late eighteenth century constructed an extraordinary mechanical man powered by clockwork, dressed in a stylish Turkish costume and capable of playing chess. The chess player turned out to be a fraud but sparked many other thinkers and inventors to pondering what the possibilities of automation might be. In Hesketh's highly virtuosic work, the through-composed melody is subjected to a series of distortions by pulleys, cams, gears and cranks. There are also the onomatopoeic effects of winding up and whirring noises that add to the air of the mechanical.
SKU: HL.49017065
ISBN 9790220130571. 9.0x12.0x0.052 inches.
Taking his starting point from 17th century philosopher-poet Cyrano de Bergerac's 'Grandes Plaines du Jour', Hesketh powerfully fuses a huge range of performing and compositional techniques into this 12 minute work for solo violin. Inspired by Bergerac's imaginations of other worlds and utopian societies, the work explores extreme ranges and timbres whilst using techniques such as left hand pizzicato and natural harmonics. Open-fifth material, which is natural to the instrument, is prominent and short duets alternating between arco and pizzicato figures add yet another dimension.
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.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.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.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.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.
SKU: HL.49018733
ISBN 9790220132377. UPC: 884088656201. 9.25x12.0x0.162 inches.
For Basset Clarinet in A and Piano with alternative part for Clarinet in A.
SKU: HL.49019785
ISBN 9790220134128. UPC: 888680009441. 9.0x12.0x0.089 inches.
