Metaphor

SKU: HL.14034050

Danish.

The title 'Trees' should be regarded as a metaphor, even though the electronic sounds in the piece are actually derived from trees. The piece is a metaphor of the multifaceted nature of the leaves on the trees the 'united difference' as the trees of the forest, the 'life-giving', as trees, transform CO2 into Oxygen). It is a metaphor of the ever returning and optimistic foliation each spring), and in a broader sense a metaphor of organic nature. The violin concerto is a sounding organism, which in more or less gradual transition appears in different shapes and states of condition. At some points the music is round and flexible, and at others it is edged and hard. Sometimes it might remind us of something well known, and from time to time it changes into something intangible - an indefinite state of nature. In contrast to the sonorous extreme, the solo violin is portrayed as a manifestation of maximum (human) presence.

SKU: BT.DHP-0971085-010

Jacob de Haan was commissioned to compose this concert piece by the St. Peters Wind Symphony from Brisbane, Australia. Ross Roy is the monumental late 19th century villa where St. Peters Lutheran College was founded in 1945. The villa has always remained the school symbol. In this composition, Jacob de Haan sees the Ross Roy as a metaphor for the years spent at school (a monument in time), where one's personality is formed. So, the opening theme the artist calls the Ross Roy theme initially has monumental characteristics.The rhythmic motion, which strides along in the lower register and percussion at the beginning of the next section is typical of Tempo di Marcia. Thismovement, accompanied by repetitions of sound, is a metaphor for the structure and discipline in school. This is the introduction to a march theme, symbolic of passing through the classes up to the final examinations.Then, the Ross Roy theme is dealt with again, now in a playful, humorous variation. As if the composer is saying there should also be time for a smile in school. The same theme can be heard in major key and a slower tempo in the following section, expressing pride and self-confidence. This is also the introduction to the expressive middle section that represents love, friendship and understanding.We then return to the march theme in a slightly altered construction. The oriental sounds, constituting the modulation to the final theme, are symbols of the diversity of cultures in the school. The characteristic final theme first sounds solemn, but turns into a festive apotheosis. It is no coincidence that the final cadence is reminiscent of the close to a traditional overture, for the school years can be considered the overture to the rest of one's life. The premiere of Ross Roy was conducted by Jacob de Haan in Brisbane, on August 22, 1997.

Ross Roy is de naam van de monumentale villa in Brisbane (Australië) waar in 1945 het St. Peters Lutheran College is gesticht. In opdracht van het collegeorkest componeerde Jacob de Haan dit gevarieerde concertwerk vol metaforen.De structuur en discipline van de school horen we in de met toonherhaling gepaard gaande ritmische beweging in basregister en slagwerk. Het volgende, martiale thema staat symbool voor het doorlopen van de klassen. Een schertsende,humoristische versie van het hoofdthema ontbreekt niet: op school moet immers ook tijd zijn voor vrolijkheid. Het karakteristieke slotthema mondt uit in een feestelijke apotheose.

Ross Roy ist der Name einer monumentalen Villa in Brisbane, Australien, in der 1945 das St. Peter Lutheran College gegründet wurde. Im Auftrag dieses Schulorchesters komponierte Jacob de Haan dieses Konzertwerk, das voll von Metaphern ist. Die Struktur und Disziplin dieser Schule hören wir in der mit Tonwiederholungen gepaarten rhythmischen Bewegung des Bassregisters und des Schlagwerks. Das folgende martialische Thema steht als Symbol für das Durchlaufen der Klassen bis zum Ende der Schulzeit. Eine scherzhafte, humoristische Version des Hauptthemas darf nicht fehlen, denn in der Schule muss auch Zeit für kleine Späße und Lachen sein! Das charakteristische Schlussthemamündet in einem festlichen Höhepunkt.

Ross Roy est le symbole grandiose de l’excellence du compositeur. L’œuvre tient son nom de l’imposante villa éponyme située Brisbane en Australie et qui abrite en ses murs le Collège Saint Pierre, une institution luthérienne fondée en 1945. C’est pour l’Orchestre d’Harmonie de cet établissement que Jacob de Haan composa cette œuvre riche en métaphores. « J’ai tenté de décrire les valeurs de cette école. Ainsi, le thème initial se développe-t-il sur un motif rythmique imposant qui alterne entre les instruments graves et la batterie. Ce motif symbolise l’autorité et le cadre structuré de l’école. On retrouve ce thème plusieurs reprises et notamment sousune forme humoristique et espiègle : nous découvrons les bons côtés de l’école, la joie des élèves, les sentiments de fierté, d’amour et d’amitié. Autre élément thématique, une marche qui symbolise la progression des élèves dans leur cursus pour arriver leurs examens de fin d'étude. » En guise de conclusion, Jacob de Haan nous offre un thème grandiose qui s’élargit en apothéose.

Commissionato dalla St. Peter’s Wind Symphony Orchestra di Brisbane, è dedicato alla monumentale villa tardo-ottocentesca dove il collegio dell’orchestra ha avuto la sua storica sede. Metafora degli anni della formazione, è caratterizzato da un finale in stile ouverture, come se gli anni della scuola rappresentassero una sorta di ouverture al resto della vita.

SKU: PR.416414230

ISBN 9781598066630. UPC: 680160602087. 9x12 inches.

Colonnade is James Matheson’s intriguing response to the Albany Symphony’s commission to create a work inspired by the NY State Board of Education Building, designed by the renowned architect Rafael Guastavino. Matheson explains that “A colonnade acts as a metaphor for the tension between knowledge and perception. The columns are the same height and equidistant from each other; while the mind understands this fully, there exists no place from which one can perceive this – the columns always appear to be of uneven height and spacing. If one then adds motion to perspective, identical columns acquire elasticity, and begin to change kaleidoscopically – they shrink, grow, become closer, and then further apart.” This structural paradox is given musical life in the outer sections of Colonnade, while the long, arching middle section is inspired by the vaulted ceiling of one of the building’s largest rooms, enhancing the structure’s spacious openness and lightness.
Colonnade is inspired by Albany’s majestic New York State Board of Education Building, and written on a commission from the Albany Symphony Orchestra. It was an intriguing task, in part because in order to accept the commission I had to agree to write a work “inspired by” a building I had not yet seen. Thisproblem was compounded by the fact that, for me, the very notion of extra-musical inspiration is a complex one, particularly with respect to literary or visual sources. I generally find ideas and abstracted notions more generative of musical ideas than specific ones (a poem, an experience, a painting). So when I went to seeand tour the building, I sought to identify fundamental formal aspects of the building which I could process into musical ideas, and would then be linked to the building through a sense of formal relationship. In theend, two characteristics of the building stood out as noteworthy and undiminished by time (compared with, for instance, the building’s rotunda, which contains a series of quaintly outdated allegorical paintings): theexterior colonnade and a beautiful interior vaulted ceiling, designed by Rafael Guastavino.For me, a colonnade acts as a metaphor for the tension between knowledge and perception. We all know, for instance, that the columns are of the same height and are equidistant from each other. Nevertheless, while the mind understands this fully, it is also the case that there exists no place – no standpoint or viewpoint – anywhere in the universe – from which one can perceive this; the columns always appear to be of uneven height and spacing. If one then adds motion to perspective – a walk along the colonnade, for instance – the fixed, even, rigidly identical columns acquire elasticity, and begin to change kaleidoscopically – they shrink, grow, become closer, and then further apart. Further, the detail of the building’s façade behind the colonnadeshifts into and out of visibility, with different portions obscured by the columns from each vantage point. These considerations underlie the outer sections of Colonnade, in which a continuously repeated, continuously varied rising figure – suggestive of a column – dominates. The iterations of this elastic, evolvingfigure are interspersed with other music – suggestive of the building’s façade. The second feature of the building that caught my attention was the vaulted ceiling, designed by Guastavino,of one of the building’s largest rooms. The ceiling enhances the spaciousness of the room, giving it an openness and lightness that is quite captivating. The middle section of Colonnade has this openness at its core, and is dominated by long, arching lines that, to me, suggest the refined beauty of this ceiling.World premiere March 8, 2003; Albany Symphony Orchestra conducted by David Alan Miller.

SKU: BT.MUSM570368679

Isthmus denotes a narrow strip of land with sea on either side, forming a link between two larger ars of land. The title is a metaphor for an effort to bond artistically my experiences of living in Cyprus, my birthplace, and in the USA, my recently adopted homeland. Having lived in a small, partitioned island for my formative years and in England for eleven years, water has always had a double meaning: it has at once served as a gateway to other cultures but also as a border, a violent and absolute interruption of a continuum. While in the USA, or indeed in a now connected Europe, it is possible to travel on land for days without having to encounter a border, in the countries where I lived for most of my life, that was not possible. As an artist, this notion of establishing boundaries and consciously trying to break them is very close to me, as my music deals both with modernity but also with tradition and, similarly, with metaphor and reality. As a Cypriot, the sea, the world of antiquity, the mysteries of the oracles, the notion of borders and the pastoral are all very central to my way of thinking. In Cyprus, different layers of history are frequently superimposed on a single building that might still preserve its Roman, Byzantine, Venetian and Ottoman features in its layers of stone and architecture. Similarly, ancient ruins or the barbed wire of modern conflict often interrupt placid fields. An isthmus, therefore, can be seen to symbolize my artistic struggle to join strikingly different experiences and notions in a cohesive way. Similar to an isthmus, in this short piece, I connect these experiences with the purpose of creating a distinct and unique sonic context, connecting technology and tradition, the pastoral with the urban, the musical with the extra-musical and the abstract with the concrete. For example, the choir does not always sing in the traditional sense, but the singers imitate various natural sounds, such as water, air, crickets or birds, to create a vivid visual impression for the work. Scandinavian herding calls blend with field recordings from the seas of Cyprus and the lakes of Upstate New York, communicated within clearly defined, singular acoustic sources and spaces through wireless speakers. The text used is both onomatopoeic, articulating an imaginary language, but also literal, with a setting of the poem, “To make a prairie” by the iconic American poet Emily Dickinson and a tiny fragment from Callimachus’ “Hymn to Demeter.” Technology is used sparsely and very intentionally to articulate the expressive qualities of pastoral imagery, creating one unified synthetic timbre with the choristers’ sounds. This piece is dedicated to the wonderful singers of the Georgia Institute of Technology Chamber Choir with special thanks to Professors Hsu and Ulrich, without whose support this composition would not have been possible. Practical notes: A choir of no less than 24 singers is sought with 4 additional soloists (2 Sopranos and 2 Altos). Each singer must have their own wireless speaker, secured either in the music folder or as a strap inside their shirts. All sounds must match in volume the sound from the speakers, creating one unified timbre. The speakers should not be noticeable to the public. The four soloists are placed offstage at the beginning of the work. From 1:35’ onwards they enter the hall and take their positions, ideally at the four corners of the hall. If the hall is too large, the singers can find alternate positions, but these should always be antiphonal. The four soloists sing predominantly in the “kulning” style and the antiphonal aspect is very important to the work. There are two sound files for each section (SATB) that are triggered by each singer’s mobile device. The first occurs at the start of the piece, and the second, about a minute before the end. The sound files are able to be purchased separately, on CD, or are available directly from UYMP.

SKU: BT.MUSM570369027

Isthmus denotes a narrow strip of land with sea on either side, forming a link between two larger ars of land. The title is a metaphor for an effort to bond artistically my experiences of living in Cyprus, my birthplace, and in the USA, my recently adopted homeland. Having lived in a small, partitioned island for my formative years and in England for eleven years, water has always had a double meaning: it has at once served as a gateway to other cultures but also as a border, a violent and absolute interruption of a continuum. While in the USA, or indeed in a now connected Europe, it is possible to travel on land for days without having to encounter a border, in the countries where I lived for most of my life, that was not possible. As an artist, this notion of establishing boundaries and consciously trying to break them is very close to me, as my music deals both with modernity but also with tradition and, similarly, with metaphor and reality. As a Cypriot, the sea, the world of antiquity, the mysteries of the oracles, the notion of borders and the pastoral are all very central to my way of thinking. In Cyprus, different layers of history are frequently superimposed on a single building that might still preserve its Roman, Byzantine, Venetian and Ottoman features in its layers of stone and architecture. Similarly, ancient ruins or the barbed wire of modern conflict often interrupt placid fields. An isthmus, therefore, can be seen to symbolize my artistic struggle to join strikingly different experiences and notions in a cohesive way. Similar to an isthmus, in this short piece, I connect these experiences with the purpose of creating a distinct and unique sonic context, connecting technology and tradition, the pastoral with the urban, the musical with the extra-musical and the abstract with the concrete. For example, the choir does not always sing in the traditional sense, but the singers imitate various natural sounds, such as water, air, crickets or birds, to create a vivid visual impression for the work. Scandinavian herding calls blend with field recordings from the seas of Cyprus and the lakes of Upstate New York, communicated within clearly defined, singular acoustic sources and spaces through wireless speakers. The text used is both onomatopoeic, articulating an imaginary language, but also literal, with a setting of the poem, “To make a prairie” by the iconic American poet Emily Dickinson and a tiny fragment from Callimachus’ “Hymn to Demeter.” Technology is used sparsely and very intentionally to articulate the expressive qualities of pastoral imagery, creating one unified synthetic timbre with the choristers’ sounds. This piece is dedicated to the wonderful singers of the Georgia Institute of Technology Chamber Choir with special thanks to Professors Hsu and Ulrich, without whose support this composition would not have been possible. Practical notes: A choir of no less than 24 singers is sought with 4 additional soloists (2 Sopranos and 2 Altos). Each singer must have their own wireless speaker, secured either in the music folder or as a strap inside their shirts. All sounds must match in volume the sound from the speakers, creating one unified timbre. The speakers should not be noticeable to the public. The four soloists are placed offstage at the beginning of the work. From 1:35’ onwards they enter the hall and take their positions, ideally at the four corners of the hall. If the hall is too large, the singers can find alternate positions, but these should always be antiphonal. The four soloists sing predominantly in the “kulning” style and the antiphonal aspect is very important to the work. There are two sound files for each section (SATB) that are triggered by each singer’s mobile device. The first occurs at the start of the piece, and the second, about a minute before the end. The sound files are able to be purchased separately, on CD, or are available directly from UYMP.

SKU: BT.DHP-0971085-120

Jacob de Haan was commissioned to compose this concert piece by the St. Peters Wind Symphony from Brisbane, Australia. Ross Roy is the monumental late 19th century villa where St. Peters Lutheran College was founded in 1945. The villa has always remained the school symbol. In this composition, Jacob de Haan sees the Ross Roy as a metaphor for the years spent at school (a monument in time), where one's personality is formed. So, the opening theme the artist calls the Ross Roy theme initially has monumental characteristics.The rhythmic motion, which strides along in the lower register and percussion at the beginning of the next section is typical of Tempo di Marcia. Thismovement, accompanied by repetitions of sound, is a metaphor for the structure and discipline in school. This is the introduction to a march theme, symbolic of passing through the classes up to the final examinations.Then, the Ross Roy theme is dealt with again, now in a playful, humorous variation. As if the composer is saying there should also be time for a smile in school. The same theme can be heard in major key and a slower tempo in the following section, expressing pride and self-confidence. This is also the introduction to the expressive middle section that represents love, friendship and understanding.We then return to the march theme in a slightly altered construction. The oriental sounds, constituting the modulation to the final theme, are symbols of the diversity of cultures in the school. The characteristic final theme first sounds solemn, but turns into a festive apotheosis. It is no coincidence that the final cadence is reminiscent of the close to a traditional overture, for the school years can be considered the overture to the rest of one's life. The premiere of Ross Roy was conducted by Jacob de Haan in Brisbane, on August 22, 1997.

Ross Roy is de naam van de monumentale villa in Brisbane (Australië) waar in 1945 het St. Peters Lutheran College is gesticht. In opdracht van het collegeorkest componeerde Jacob de Haan dit gevarieerde concertwerk vol metaforen. De structuur en discipline van de school horen we in de met toonherhaling gepaard gaande ritmische beweging in basregister en slagwerk. Het volgende, martiale thema staat symbool voor het doorlopen van de klassen. Een schertsende, humoristische versie van het hoofdthema ontbreekt niet: op school moet immers ook tijd zijn voor vrolijkheid. Het karakteristieke slotthema mondt uit in een feestelijke apotheose.

Ross Roy ist der Name einer monumentalen Villa in Brisbane, Australien, in der 1945 das St. Peter Lutheran College gegründet wurde. Im Auftrag dieses Schulorchesters komponierte Jacob de Haan dieses Konzertwerk, das voll von Metaphern ist. Die Struktur und Disziplin dieser Schule hören wir in der mit Tonwiederholungen gepaarten rhythmischen Bewegung des Bassregisters und des Schlagwerks. Das folgende martialische Thema steht als Symbol für das Durchlaufen der Klassen bis zum Ende der Schulzeit. Eine scherzhafte, humoristische Version des Hauptthemas darf nicht fehlen, denn in der Schule muss auch Zeit für kleine Späße und Lachen sein! Das charakteristische Schlussthemamündet in einem festlichen Höhepunkt.

Ross Roy est le symbole grandiose de l’excellence du compositeur. L’œuvre tient son nom de l’imposante villa éponyme située Brisbane en Australie et qui abrite en ses murs le Collège Saint Pierre, une institution luthérienne fondée en 1945. C’est pour l’Orchestre d’Harmonie de cet établissement que Jacob de Haan composa cette œuvre riche en métaphores. « J’ai tenté de décrire les valeurs de cette école. Ainsi, le thème initial se développe-t-il sur un motif rythmique imposant qui alterne entre les instruments graves et la batterie. Ce motif symbolise l’autorité et le cadre structuré de l’école. On retrouve ce thème plusieurs reprises et notamment sousune forme humoristique et espiègle : nous découvrons les bons côtés de l’école, la joie des élèves, les sentiments de fierté, d’amour et d’amitié. Autre élément thématique, une marche qui symbolise la progression des élèves dans leur cursus pour arriver leurs examens de fin d'étude. » En guise de conclusion, Jacob de Haan nous offre un thème grandiose qui s’élargit en apothéose.

SKU: VD.978-3-86846-124-4

SKU: BT.DHP-1064019-120

9x12 inches. English-German-French-Dutch.

The theme of this work is the history of the town of Grafenrheinfeld (Bavaria, Germany) in the twentieth century, a town that is now mainly associated with its nuclear plant. The German word for this is Kraftwerk, which can be divided into the words Kraft (power) and Werk (work). In this composition, it is a metaphor for the ?work? that can be realised through ?power? in a negative way (war) and in a positive way (reconstruction). Musically speaking, power also plays an important role in this work, as opposed to vulnerability, the sense of loss and the insecurity about the lost identity. Based on the text of Lied der Franke ?Kraftwerk? is a powerfully descriptive work thatwill add energy to any concert.

De geschiedenis van Grafenrheinfeld (Beieren, Duitsland) in de twintigste eeuw vormt het thema van dit werk. Deze plaats wordt nu voornamelijk geassocieerd met zijn kerncentrale. Het Duitse woord hiervoor is Kraftwerk, datje kunt onderverdelen in de woorden Kraft (kracht) en Werk (werk). In deze compositie is het dan ook een metafoor voor het ‘werk’ dat door ‘kracht’ wordt gerealiseerd, in negatieve zin (oorlog) en in positieve zin (wederopbouw). Krachtspeelt ook in muzikaal opzicht een belangrijke rol in dit werk, geplaatst tegenover kwetsbaarheid.

Der Titel Kraftwerk steht zunächst für ein Kraftwerk im wörtlichen Sinn, beschreibt aber zugleich die Bedeutung der einzelnen Begriffe Kraft und Werk im positiven und negativen Sinn. Krieg, Zerstörung, Verzweiflung und Trauer, aber andererseits auch Frieden, Hoffnung, Wiederaufbau, Zuversicht und Sorglosigkeit sind die Bilder und Gefühle, die Jacob de Haan in seiner Komposition heraufbeschwört. Ein kontrastreiches Werk, das bleibenden Eindruck hinterlässt!

Le nom de la ville de Grafenrheinfeld en Bavière est étroitement associé la centrale nucléaire qu’elle abrite. Le terme Kraftwerk est constitué des mots Kraft (la puissance, la force) et Werk (centrale, travail, oeuvre). Jacob de Haan s’appuye sur la polysémie du mot Werk pour créer deux atmosphères musicales antagonistes : la puissance d’une centrale nucléaire qui peut se révéler négative pour l’homme et la puissance d’une oeuvre ou d’un travail constructif dans un environnement positif. Une oeuvre surprenante.

La citt tedesca di Grafenrheinfeld in Baviera è strettamente legata alla centrale nucleare che essa ospita. Il termine Kraftwerk è costituito dalle parole Kraft (forza, potenza) e Werk (centrale, lavoro). Jacob de Haan si appoggia sulla polisemia della parola Werk per creare due atmosfere musicali antagoniste: la potenza di una centrale nucleare che può rivelarsi negativa per l’uomo e la potenza di un’opera o di un lavoro costruttivo in ambiente positivo. Un brano sorprendente.

SKU: BT.DHP-1206226-030

English-German-French-Dutch.

The Spider's Web is a metaphor for danger, uncertainty and risk. Throughout the piece moments of danger contrast with moments of tranquility at certain points these two ideas merge and in others they battle against one another. In this piece which requires a lot of technical skills for the players, the composer moves unexpectedly from moments of peacefulness to situations of threat and danger. An impressive, versatile and truly spectacular piece!

The Spider's Web (het spinnenweb) is een metafoor voor gevaar, onzekerheid en risico. Door het hele werk heen contrasteren momenten van dreiging met momenten van rust op bepaalde punten komen deze twee ideeën samen en op andere plekken gaan ze de strijd met elkaar aan. In dit werk, dat veel technische vaardigheid van de spelers vraagt, gaan momenten van vredige kalmte onverwacht over in situaties van dreiging en gevaar. Een indrukwekkend, veelzijdig en spectaculair werk!

The Spider's Web (Das Spinnennetz) ist eine Metapher für Gefahr, Unsicherheit und Risiko. Während des Stücks stehen Momente der Gefahr im Kontrast zu Momenten der Ruhe an bestimmten Stellen verschmelzen diese beiden Ideen miteinander, an anderen kämpfen sie gegeneinander. In diesem Stück, das den Spielern viel technisches Können abverlangt, bewegt sich der Komponist unerwartet von Momenten der Ruhe zu Situationen der Bedrohung und Gefahr. Ein beeindruckendes, vielseitiges und wirklich spektakuläres Stück!

The Spider's Web (La toile d’araignée) symbolise danger, incertitude et risque. Tout au long de la pièce, des moments de danger contrastent avec des passages tranquilles certains endroits, ces deux idées se fusionnent et, ailleurs, elles luttent l’une contre l’autre. Dans une œuvre qui exige de grandes compétences techniques, le compositeur alterne, de manière inattendue, entre moments de tranquillité et passages menaçants et inquiétants. Une pièce éloquente, flexible et franchement spectaculaire !