SKU: ST.Y274
ISBN 9790220223358.
1st perf: Keisuke Okazaki, Tokyo Opera City Recital Hall, Tokyo, Japan, 22 April 2008 1st UK perf: Darragh Morgan, Schott Recital Room, Bauer & Hieber, London, 5 February 2009 Though the jagged figures and phrases of Lucky's Dream by Morgan Hayes are unmistakably those of a contemporary musical expressionist, the shadow of Bach also falls on this work, inspired by the virtuosity of the young Japanese soloist Keisuke Okazaki and his playing of the E major Partita. In fact, though 'standard' contemporary techniques are widely used in the piece - left-hand pizzicato, harmonics and microtones, all deployed in edgy, unpredictable rhythms - there is also a classical shape to the structure. In this two-part form, lasting around four minutes, the first section is reflective, dwelling on single notes, phantoms as it were of pitches that are subtly deflected through slow glissandi. Then a spectral dance ensues, delivered largely on plucked strings, ethereal, disembodied, strange. The 'Lucky' in question is a character from Samuel Beckett's play Waiting for Godot, and Lucky's Dream is a complementary work to the earlier, impassioned Lucky's Speech (2006). The two items can stand alone or may be performed consecutively. Both are to be found on the recent all-Hayes CD released on the NMC label (NMC D163), which also features the composer's 17-minute Violin Concerto as further evidence for his original approach to writing for the instrument.
SKU: ST.Y237
ISBN 9790220221835.
1st perf: Darragh Morgan, The Picture Gallery, Royal Holloway College, University of London, 15 November 2006 Programme Note Lucky's Speech was composed at the request of the violinist Darragh Morgan, for the launch of his recital CD Opera on the NMC label in June 2006. The title refers to a pivotal moment in Samuel Beckett's play Waiting for Godot, when the hitherto silent character Lucky suddenly pours forth a torrential stream of gibberish. This idea also suggested the cadenza of my Violin Concerto, composed in the same year, and it is reflected in both cases by an almost breathless musical activity punctuated by pizzicato commentaries. I should like to thank Darragh Morgan for his invaluable advice in the preparation of the score.
(c) Copyright Morgan Hayes
SKU: HL.14043547
8.25x11.75x0.05 inches.
Judith Weir 'S Sundew For Violin And Cello. Score. ' The Bog-Based Sundew Plant Isn'T As Pleasant As The Name Suggests. It Produces Beads Of Fluid, Resembling Dew, But In Fact A Sticky Deposit In Which Visiting Insects Become Trapped. The Plant Closes In On The Insect And Digests It For The Extra Nutrition It Needs In An Acidic Habitat. Each Of The 36 Bars Can Be Understood As A Time-Lapse Study Of Parts Of This Process. Often One Instrument Encloses And Digests The Music Of The Other. Occasionally One Player Tries To Struggle Free; At Other Times Both Exist Motionless, Stuck To Each Other. In The Final Bars, A Lucky Insect (The Violin) Escapes From The Goo And Flies Off IntoThe Ether. ' Judith Weir.
