Another Life

SKU: PR.114419980

UPC: 680160681723. 9 x 12 inches.

The ancient Egyptian empire began around 3100 B.C. and continued for over 3000 years until Alexander the Great conquered the country in 332 B.C. Over the centuries, the Egyptian empire grew and flourished into a highly developed society. They invented hieroglyphics, built towering pyramids (including the Great Pyramid of Giza, the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the World), and the created many household items we still use today, including toothbrushes, toothpaste, eyeliner, black ink, and the forerunner of modern-day paper. Included among their achievements were a series of highly developed funerary practices and beliefs in the Afterlife. As the average lifespan of an Egyptian hovered around 30 years, living past the death of oneAs physical body was a legitimate concern. Egyptians believed that upon death, their souls would undertake a harrowing journey through the Netherworld. If they survived the horrific creatures and arduous trials that awaited them, then their souls would be reunified with their bodies (hence the need to preserve the body through mummification) and live forever in a perfect version of the life they had lived in Egypt. To achieve this, Egyptians devised around 200 magical spells and incantations to aid souls on the path to the Afterlife. These spells are collectively called The Book of the Dead. Particular spells would be chosen by the family of the deceased and inscribed on the tombAs walls and scrolls of papyrus, as well as on a stone scarab placed over the deceasedAs heart. Subsequent collections of spells and mortuary texts, such as The Book of Gates, assisted a soul in navigating the twelve stages of the Netherworld. Not only did these spells protect and guide the soul on this dangerous path, but they also served as a safeguard against any unbecoming behavior an Egyptian did while alive. For instance, if a person had robbed another while alive, there was a spell that would prevent the soulAs heart from revealing the truth when in the Hall of Judgment. Rites for the Afterlife follows the path of a soul to the Afterlife. In Inscriptions from the Book of the Dead (movement 1), the soul leaves the body and begins the journey, protected by spells and incantations written on the tombAs walls. In Passage though the Netherworld (movement 2), the soul is now on a funerary barque, being towed through the Netherworld by four of the regionAs inhabitants. We hear the soul slowly chanting incantations as the barque encounters demons, serpents, crocodiles, lakes of fire, and other terrors. The soul arrives at The Hall of Judgment in movement 3. Standing before forty-two divine judges, the soul addresses each by name and gives a A!negative confessionA(r) connected to each judge (i.e. A!I did not rob,A(r) A!I did not do violence,A(r) and so on). Afterwards, the soulAs heart is put on a scale to be weighed against a feather of MaAat, the goddess of truth. If the heart weighs more than the feather, it will be eaten by Ammut, a hideous creature that lies in wait below the scale, and the soul will die a second and permanent death (this was the worst fear of the Egyptians). But if the heart is in balance with the feather, the soul proceeds onward. The final stage of the journey is the arrival at The Field of Reeds (movement 4), which is a perfect mirror image of the soulAs life in ancient Egypt. The soul reunites with deceased family members, makes sacrifices to the Egyptian gods and goddess, harvests crops from plentiful fields of wheat under a brilliant blue sky, and lives forever next to the abundant and nourishing waters of the Nile. Rites for the Afterlife was commissioned by the Barlow Endowment on behalf of the Akropolis Reed Quintet, Calefax Reed Quintet, and the Brigham Young University Reed Quintet. -S.G.

SKU: DY.DO-1525

ISBN 9782897963057.

J'aime les formes musicales concises telles que le Prélude et la Fugue, où il y a une idée claire et directe, suivie d'une autre plus complexe et développée.

Conformément à cette idée, cette œuvre se compose de deux pièces distinctes, la première - Transfigured Life - vise à attirer l'auditeur avec son rythme rapide et dansant et sa partie de violon simple et mélodique. Il se «transfigure» via quelques courts intermèdes au piano solo en seulement deux notes alternées pour terminer - qui sont le cœur de l'idée originale, maintenant clarifiée en effaçant tout le reste.

Le deuxième morceau - Still Life - conserve son sentiment de quiétude grâce à une ligne de piano simple qui laisse beaucoup d'espace à la partie contrastée (mais encore une fois simple) du violon. En tant que pièce absolue et non programmatique, le titre fait référence uniquement à la couleur et au rythme atmosphériques ; c'est à l'auditeur de voir la « nature morte » de son choix dans son esprit.

Une note sur les performances :
Malgré ma référence à des lignes « simples » et l'évitement déterminé par l'œuvre des grincements modernistes traditionnels, l'œuvre présente certains défis d'exécution en termes de phrasé et d'ensemble qui nécessitent des compétences et une musicalité considérables. L'œuvre a eu le privilège d'être récemment enregistrée par le violoniste Ezgi Sarıkcıoğlu et la pianiste Rossitza Stoycheva, et est disponible sur toutes les principales plateformes :

https://open.spotify.com/album/6p5YIe17ci0UMuo2RqZgjR
https://music.apple.com/gb/album/transfigured-life-still-life-world-premiere-recording/1738035953
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Transfigured Life - Still Life, Op. 165 (violin and piano) - David Braid

I am keen on concise musical forms such as Prelude and Fugue, where there is one clear straightforward idea, followed by another that is more involved and developed.

In keeping with that idea, this work consists of two distinct pieces, the first - Transfigured Life - aims to draw in the listener with its quick, dancing rhythm and simple, melodic violin part. It 'transfigures' via a few short solo piano interludes into just two alternating notes to end - which are the core of the original idea, now made clear by clearing everything else out of the way.

The second piece - Still Life - retains its sense of stillness through an uncomplicated piano line that gives lots of space for the violin's contrasting (but again simple) part. As an absolute, not programmatic, piece the title refers to the atmospheric colour and pacing only; it's up to the listener to see 'Still life' of their choosing in their own mind.

A note on performance:
Despite my reference to 'simple' lines, and the work's determined avoidance of mainstream modernist squeak - the work has certain performance challenges of phrasing and ensemble that requires considerable skill and musicianship. The work has had the privilege of being recently recorded by violinist Ezgi Sarıkcıoğlu and pianist Rossitza Stoycheva, and is available on all major platforms:

https://open.spotify.com/album/6p5YIe17ci0UMuo2RqZgjR
https://music.apple.com/gb/album/transfigured-life-still-life-world-premiere-recording/1738035953.

SKU: HL.232108

ISBN 9781783052738. UPC: 888680677329. 4.5x7.5x0.899 inches.

Complete lyrics and chords to 195 Beatles songs, including: Across the Universe • All My Loving • All You Need Is Love • And I Love Her • Back in the U.S.S.R. • The Ballad of John and Yoko • Birthday • Blackbird • A Day in the Life • Day Tripper • Dear Prudence • Drive My Car • Eight Days a Week • Eleanor Rigby • Good Day Sunshine • Got to Get You into My Life • A Hard Day's Night • Help! • Helter Skelter • Here Comes the Sun • Hey Jude • I Saw Her Standing There • I Want to Hold Your Hand • In My Life • Let It Be • The Long and Winding Road • Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds • Penny Lane • Revolution • Something • Ticket to Ride • Twist and Shout • When I'm Sixty-Four • While My Guitar Gently Weeps • Yellow Submarine • Yesterday • and more. 4-1/2 inches x 7-1/2 inches.

SKU: BT.BOE7935

ISBN 9783954562008. German.

Known professionally as Hauschka, composer Volker Bertelmann has catapulted himself into the top tier of instrumental composers. This is proven, not least, by the Oscar nomination which he received for his soundtrack to the2016 film Lion.

In his latest album A Different Forest, released on 8 February 2019 at Sony Classical, Hauschka takes the forest as a contrast to the urban life. The names of the pieces, such as 'Talking To My Father',testify equally that those natural experiences are metaphorical of the important things in life.

For this album Hauschka renounces entirely his prepared Piano. The existential questions which he musically poses, however,donot lose their intensity, but rather, without the alienation by electronic elements, gain urgency.

In addition to the 13 LP tracks, this songbook for Piano also contains three exclusive arrangements of previouslyunreleased songs: 'Collecting Stones', 'Loosing Directions' and 'Misty Day'.

Titels zoals Talking To My Father tonen dat deze ervaringen in de natuur metaforen zijn voor belangrijke gebeurtenissen in het leven. Dit songbook voor piano bevat, naast de 13 nummers van de LP, eneneens 3 exclusieve bewerkingen van tot nu onuitgebrachte nummers: Collecting Stones, Losing Directions and Misty Day.

Volker Bertelmann alias Hauschka hat sich mittlerweile in die oberste Riege der Instrumentalkomponisten katapultiert. Dies beweist nicht zuletzt die Oscar-Nominierung, die er für seinen Soundtrack zum Film Lion“ erhielt. In seinem neusten Album A Different Forest“ am 08. Februar 2019 bei Sony Classical erschienen nimmt er sich dem Wald als Kontrastraum zum städtischen Leben an. Titelnamen wie Talking To My Father bezeugen gleichermaßen, dass jene Naturerfahrungen metaphorisch für die wichtigen Dinge des Lebens stehen.
Für dieses Album verzichtet Hauschka gänzlich auf sein präpariertes Klavier. Die existentiellen Fragen, denen er sich musikalisch stellt, verlieren hierdurch aber nicht an Intensität, sondern gewinnen ohne die Verfremdung durch elektronische Elemente vielmehr an Dringlichkeit.
Dieses Songbook für Klavier enthält neben den 13 Titeln der LP drei exklusive Arrangements bisher unveröffentlichter Songs: Collecting Stones, Losing Directions und Misty Day.

Volker Bertelmann, également connu sous le nom de Hauschka, s'est retrouvé au premier rang des compositieurs instrumentaux : ceci a été confirmé par sa nomination aux Oscars pour la bande-originale du film Lion. Dans son dernier album « A Different Forest », sorti le 8 février 2019, la forêt fait usage de contaste avec la vie urbaine.

Des titres tels que Talking to My Father déclarent de la même façon que ces expériences au contact de la nature sont des métaphores de moments importants dans la vie. En plus des 13 pistes du vinyl 33 trous, ce recueil de chansons pour piano comprend en exclusivité trois arrangements de titres inédits : Collecting Stones, Losing Directions et Misty Day.

Volker Bertelmann aka Hauschka si è portato a un livello superiore dei compositori strumentali. Questo non è subito evidente nella colonna sonora del film Lion, per cui ha ricevuto una candidatura all' Oscar, ma nel suo ultimo album A Different Forest - uscito l'8 febbraio 2019 - in cui utilizza l'immagine della foresta come contrasto con la vita urbana.

Titoli come Talking to My Father testimoniano allo stesso modo che tutte quelle esperienze della natura sono metafore di eventi importanti della vita. Questo canzoniere per pianoforte contiene, oltre ai 13 brani dell'LP, tre arrangiamenti esculisivi di canzoni inedite: Collecting Stones, Losing Directions e Misty Day.