Adagio for English Horn

SKU: HL.50333080

ISBN 9780793508723. UPC: 073999330809. 9x12 inches. Stacy/Thomas.

Contents: Adagio (Mozart) � Gymnopedie No. 2 (Satie) � Intermezzo (Granados) � Theme from New World Symphony (Dvorák) � Notturno (Borodin) � Sicilienne (Fauré) � Sonata (Marcello) � Sonata (Telemann) � The Swan (Le Cygne) � The Swan of Tuonela (Sibelius) � Tristan and Isolde Theme (Wagner) � When I Am Laid in Earth (Purcell) � Where E'er You Walk (Handel).

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.11641139S

UPC: 680160682119.

Barcarolles for a Sinking City was inspired by the city of Venice, a place that has long held the fascination of artists, writers and composers, and which I have been lucky enough to visit on several occasions. Sadly it seems that future generations may not be so lucky: in addition to the city's slow sinking and recently discovered tilting, studies predict that if global warming and the resultant rise of ocean levels is unabated, the entire city (as well as many other coastal cities around the globe) will be under water by 2100.   I. Funeral Gondola The late, cryptic piano works of Franz Liszt made a profound impression on me as a young composer, among them two works he entitled La Lugubre Gondola (usually translated as The Funeral Gondola ) which were said to be a premonition of Wagner's death in Venice, his coffin transported through the canals in a black gondola. These late pieces of Liszt acquired even greater significance to me after I spent two summers in Bayreuth under the patronage of Friedelind Wagner, the granddaughter of Wagner and great-granddaughter of Liszt. This movement is a meditation on Wagner, Liszt, Venice and its own evanescence. II. Barcarolle/Quodlibet The Quodlibet (Latin for what pleases) is a musical form dating back to the 15th century where many disparate melodies are juxtaposed. Popular in the Renaissance, sacred and secular melodies were combined, often to comical effect due to the resultant incongruity of the words. The form was considered the ultimate test of a composer's mastery of counterpoint. The most famous Quodlibet is without doubt the final Variation of Bach's Goldberg Variations. As a form the Quodlibet is less common in more recent music, although examples can be found in the works of Kurt Weill and David Del Tredici.   My own Barcarolle/Quodlibet was inspired by the (perhaps apocryphal) story of the funeral where musicians were asked to play a Bach Choral, but due to miscommunication played instead the Bacarolle from The Tales of Hoffmann. Here, the Bach Choral Allen Menschen mussen sterben (All Men Must Die) is heard in the strings pizzicato, with a tempo indication In slow motion. The alto line of the Bach suggests a phrase from Beethoven's Ninth Symphony (Alle Menchen werden Bruder) heard in the muted trombone. Before long, the famous tune from Offenbach's opera is heard, followed by quotations from iconic Barcarolles by Chopin, Mendelssohn and Faure, as well as two Venetian popular songs and more Beethoven.   III. Barcarola/Ostinato/Carillon An ostinato is a repeated musical figure, and carillon is Italian for music box. This movement references the obsolete genre of salon pieces that imitated music boxes: such works by composers like Liadov and Gretchaninov used to be a mainstay of pianists' encore repertoire. This movement is however much darker in conception than those pleasant trifles. Utilizing the full battery of percussion, the carefully notated temporal slowing of the ostinato becomes overwhelmed by a poignant chorale melody before this box is snapped shut.   IV. Barcarolle Oubliee (Forgotten Barcarolle) Marked limpido (still) the final movement begins with the sound of rain produced by a percussion instrument called (appropriately) a rain stick. Halting phrases in the harp coalesce into the accompaniment for a plangent melody heard in the clarinet. The central Adagio of this movement leads to a shattering climax, before the opening phrases return and dissipate into nothingness.