SKU: BR.PB-5105-07

World premiere: Bremen, February 1, 1982

ISBN 9790004208557. 9 x 12 inches.

Gesualdo, Don Carlo, Furst von Venosa (1560-1613) gehort zu den eigenwilligsten italienischen Madrigal-Komponisten der Spatrenaissance. Seine ungewohnlich kuhne, selbst fur heutige Ohren modern klingende Harmonik, seine chromatischen Stimmfortschreitungen, seine ubersteigerte expressive Tonsprache regten mich schon vor Jahren zu einer grosseren Orgelkomposition an und inspirierten mich 1981 zu den >>Sinfonischen Metamorphosen<<. Dieses Werk ist eine vielgestaltige weitausgesponnene Fantasie. Sieben choralartige typische Klangbeispiele aus Gesualdos spaten funfstimmigen Madrigalen (4., 5. u. 6. Band) werden teils streng, teils frei zitiert und von Holz- oder Blechblasern intoniert. Diese Zitate gliedern, als formale und inhaltliche Schwer- und Ruhepunkte, den Verlauf des gesamten Werks. Jedes Zitat steht zu Beginn eines neuen Satzabschnitts; die darauffolgenden >>Metamorphosen<< entwickeln sich als rhapsodische kontrastreiche Charakterstucke. Im >>Preludio<< werden aus den vertonbaren Buchstaben vom Namen >>Gesualdo<< (G - E - Es - A - D) schwebende Klangflachen, rezitativische Gedanken und ein pragnantes rhythmisches Paukenthema gebildet. Diese ,,Grundelemente (Grundstrukturen) tauchen im Verlauf des Stucks immer wieder leitmotivisch auf. Im zweiten Abschnitt stehen sich lineare Streicher-Episoden und dichte Blaser-Klangballungen kontrastierend gegenuber. Der dritte Teil lauft als Passacaglia (Thema ist der Bass eines Gesualdo-Zitats) in mehreren Variationen ab. Im vierten Abschnitt dominiert lebhafte Streicherbewegung, kontrapunktiert von tiefen Blaser-Signalen. Der funfte Teil steigert sich- nach kantablem Beginn- zum ekstatischen Trauermarsch. Abschnitt sechs stellt sich als >>Rondello<< dar, mit um sich selbst kreisenden Klangfiguren (in verschiedenen Tongruppen (zwei, drei, funf). Im siebten und letzten Teil wird die verhalten-resignierende Stimmung des Anfangs beschworen, ehe eine knappe Stretta in den hymnischen Schluss mundet. In den Textender ausgewahlten Zitatstellen geht es meist um Todessehnsucht, Liebesqual und Verzweiflung. z. B. 1. und 2. Zitat: Moro lasso, al mio duolo (Ich sterbe, matt, an meiner Qual) (6. Buch) 3. Zitat: Gia piansi nel dolore; o dolorosa Sorte (Schon weinte ich in Schmerzen, oh schmerzliches Geschick) (6. Buch) 4. Zitat: Ahi gia mi discolero (Ach schon entfarbte ich mich) (Wehe, der Tod kommt) (4. Buch) 5. Zitat: Dolcissima mia vita (Mein allerliebstes Leben) (Dich zu lieben oder zu sterben) (5. Buch) 6. Zitat: lo moro (Ich sterbe) (5. Buch) Dem Werk liegen zwar eine Reihe von dodekaphonischen Strukturen zugrunde (die teilweise von Gesualdos Klangzitaten abgeleitet wurden), doch sind die einzelnen Abschnitte auf,,tonale Pfeiler (G - E - A - D) gegrundet; das Stuck beginnt in G und endet aufD, ist also ubergeordnet tonal konzipiert, - der Versuch einer Synthese moderner Ausdrucksmittel von Vergangenheit und Gegenwart. Die >>Metamorphosen<< sind ein Stuck Bekenntnismusik - Bekenntnis zum Leben und Schaffen Gesualdos, eines Mannes, der vom Schicksal gezeichnet war, denn der Chronik Neapels bekannt war durch die Ermordung seiner ersten Frau und ihres Liebhabers. Dieser eminente Musiker war zugleich ein Mensch von ubertriebener Sensibilitat und wilder ekstatischer Heftigkeit: ,,Er wurde von einer Horde von Damonen heimgesucht, die ihm keine Ruhe gaben, heisst es in einem zeitgenossischen Bericht. Seine Kunst und sein Leben stand unter dem Gesetz der inneren Zerrissenheit, zwischen Auflehnung und Resignation (Verzweiflung und Hoffnung), zwischen Zartheit und Leidenschaft. Davon will meine Musik etwas aussagen. (Jurg Baur)CD:Sinfonieorchester des Westdeutschen Rundfunks, cond. Rudolf BarschaiCD Thorofon CTH 2270Bibliography:Abels, Robert: Studien zur Gesualdo-Rezeption durch Komponisten des 20. Jahrhunderts (= Studien zur Musik 20), Leiden u. a.: Wilhelm Fink 2017, pp. 277-345, 485-489.Wallerang, Lars: Die Orchesterwerke Jurg Baurs als Dialog zwischen Tradition und Moderne, Koln: Dohr 2003.

SKU: PR.416415760

UPC: 680160636532. 9 x 12 inches.

The 1712 Overture stands out in P.D.Q. Bach's oeuvre for two reasons, among others: it is by far the most programmatic instrumental piece among those by the minimeister of Wein-am-Rhein so far unearthed, and 2) its discovery has led to a revelation about the composer's father, Johann Sebastian Bach, that has exploded like a bombshell on the usually serene musicological landscape. The overture is based on an anecdote told to P.D.Q. Bach by a cousin, Peter Ulrich. Since P.U. Bach lived in Dudeldorf, only a few miles down the road from Wein-am-Rhein, he was P.D.Q.'s closest relative, and he was, in fact, one of the few members of the family who was on speaking terms with P.D.Q. The story, related to P.D.Q. (fortunately for us posterity types) in a letter, may be summarized thus: The town of Dudeldorf was founded by two brothers, Rudi and Dieter Dudel, early in the 18th century. Rudi remained mayor of the newborn burg for the rest of his long life, but Dieter had a dream of starting a musicians' colony, an entire city devoted to music, which dream, he finally decided, could be realized only in the New World. In 1712, he and several other bagpipers sailed to Boston, never to return to Germany. (Henceforth, Rudi became known as der deutscher Dudel and Dieter as the Yankee Dudel). Unfortunately, the head of the Boston Musicians' Guild had gotten wind of Dudel's plans, and Wilhelm Wiesel (pron. VEE-zle), known none too affectionately around town as Wiesel the Weasel, was not about to share what few gigs there were in colonial America with more foreigners and outside agitators. He and his cronies were on hand to meet Dudel's boat when it pulled into Boston Harbor; they intended to prevent the newcomers' disembarkation, but Dudel and his companions managed to escape to the other side of the bay in a dinghy, landing with just enough time to rent a carriage and horses before hearing the sound of The Weasel and his men, who had had to come around the long way. The Germans headed West, with the Bostonians in furious pursuit. soon the city had been left far behind, and by midnight so had the pursuers; Dieter Dudel decided that it was safe for him and his men to stop and sleep until daybreak. When they awoke, they found that they were in a beautiful landscape of low, forested mountains and pleasant fields, warmed by the brilliant morning sun and serenaded by an entrancing variety of birds. Here, Dudel thought, her is where I will build my colony. The immigrants continued down the road at a leisurely pace until they came upon a little church, all by itself in the countryside, from which there suddenly emanated the sounds of a pipe organ. At this point, the temptation to quote from P.U. Bach's letter to P.D.Q. cannot be resisted: They went inside and, after listening to the glorious music for a while, introduced themselves to the organist. And who do you think it was? Are you ready for this -- it was your old man! Hey, no kidding -- you know, I'm sure, that your father was the guy to get when it came to testing new organs, and whoever had that one in Massachusetts built offered old Sebastian a tidy sum to go over there and check it out. The unexpected meeting with J.S. Bach and his sponsors was interrupted by the sound of horse hooves, as the dreaded Wiesel and his men thundered on to the scene. They had been riding all night, however, and they were no spring chickens to start with, and as soon as they reached the church they all dropped, exhausted, to the ground. The elated Germans rang the church bells and offered to buy everyone a beer at the nearest tavern. There they were taught, and joined in singing, what might be called the national anthem of the New World. The melody of this pre-revolutionary patriotic song is still remembered (P.D.Q. Bach quotes it, in the bass instruments, near the end of the overture), but is words are now all but forgotten: Freedom, of thee we sing, Freedom e'er is our goal; Death to the English King, Long live Rock and Ross. The striking paucity of biographical references to Johann Sebastian Bah during the year 1712 can now be explained: he was abroad for a significant part of that year, testing organs in the British Colonies. That this revelation has not been accepted as fact by the musicological establishment is no surprise, since it means that a lot of books would have to be rewritten. The members of that establishment haven't even accepted the existence of P.D.Q. Bach, one of whose major works the 1712 Overture certainly is. It is also a work that shows Tchaikowsky up as the shameless plagiarizer that some of us have always known he was. The discovery of this awesome opus was made possible by a Boston Pops Centennial Research Commission; the first modern performance took place at the opening concert of the 100th anniversary season of that orchestra, under the exciting but authentic direction of John Williams.

SKU: HL.48024880

ISBN 9781784545154. UPC: 840126918670. 7.25x10.25x0.319 inches.

This publication presents under one cover various short works for sundry orchestral scorings. Larghetto for Orchestra is MacMillan's orchestration (2017) of his celebrated Miserere for a cappella mixed choir (2009), a setting in Latin of Psalm 51, 'Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy great mercy', the penitential text famously set in the 17th century by Gregorio Allegri. The Larghetto orchestration was commissioned by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra in celebration of Manfred Honeck's 10th Anniversary as Music Director. Memoire imperiale is one of a number of variations on General John Reids march tune Old Gaul commissioned from Scottish composers to mark the centenary in 1994 of the Faculty of Music at Edinburgh University. The Faculty was established following a bequest by General Reid (1721-1807), a former law student at the University and a renowned flute player and composer of marches for the BritishArmy, and he asked that an annual concert be organised at which one or more of his compositions be played. Composed in 2012 for the Britten Sinfonia, One is a monody in which a single line is passed around the instruments, painting it with different colours as it emerges and develops. Lasting only a few minutes, its singularity is maintained until blossoming in the lastfew bars. For Sonny (2011, orch 2013) and Ein Lamplein verlosch (2018, orch 2019) are short, private memorial tributes originally for string quartet and here rescored for string orchestra. Hirta was composed in 2016 as part of Deccas The Lost Songs of St Kilda project. Nearly a century ago, the last 36 residents were evacuated from the most remote part of the British Isles, St Kilda, an isolated archipelago off the beautiful and rugged western coast of Scotland. After 86 years, the music of St Kilda was rediscovered, recorded in a Scottish care home by Trevor Morrison, an elderly man who had been taught piano by an inhabitant of St Kilda. The songs were 'reimagined' for the Decca album by various.

SKU: AP.48050S

UPC: 038081557816. English.

Ye Banks and Braes of Bonnie Doon is an original Scottish air written by Charles Miller in 1788 and arranged by Jim Palmer. Lyrics were added by the famous poet Robert Burns in 1791. Illustrating the countryside near a Scottish river, this beautiful flowing melody is supported by rich harmonies, interesting ornaments, and a wide range of dynamics. A wonderful choice for any concert or festival. (3:05) This title available in MakeMusic Cloud.

SKU: HL.14027979

ISBN 9788759888780. English.

Corona - The Solar Trilogy No. 3 for Orchestra was composed by Poul Ruders in 1995. Programme note: CORONA makes the final part of the SOLAR-TRILOGY, a huge symphonic triptych about the life and behavior of the Sun. The first'panel' GONG depicts the birth, life and final collapse of our nearest star, the second ZENITH describes in its ultra-slow tempo the patient rise of the Sun toward midday ferocity and its subsequent setting. CORONA, then, is a symphonic 'portrait' of the phenomenally hot whispy brim encircling and radiating from the Sun, a sizzling halo of electrons and photons visible only during a total eclipse. Formally CORONA follows the process of such totalityin progress:the gradual eclipsing by the Moon - total darkness with thefierce, sparkling outer corona - the gradual 'rebirth' of the light toward the full gl.ory and warmth of the Sun.Besides the obvious astronomical narrative of the SOLAR-TRILOGY there's a metaphysical angle too, underlying each of the three compositions: GONG, in spite of its apparent energy, may be the most pessimistic of them all, epitomizing the death and ultimate annihilation of the prime source of Life itself. ZENITH is a hommage to human aspiration and spiritual endurance and CORONA ends with Hope and Glory after a journey from depression throughtotal despair. Super-structurally, the zenith of ZENITH makes the zenith of the entire trilogy, i.e. when the E- flat of the unisone horns in ZENITH is heard, we are exactly halfway through the collected work. Poul Ruders.

SKU: FG.55011-134-9

ISBN 9790550111349.

The five first of the six symphonies by Erkki Melartin (1875-1937), dated from 1903 to 1916, represent the National Romantic Finnish musical heritage based on Austo-German orchestral tradition. Melartin himself thought of Symphony No. 3 as his testament and a description of a battle towards enjoying life, since the time of its birth was a period when Melartin's own life nearly ended. He had fallen ill of tuberculosis, and partly had to give up his work as a composer and teacher of music theory in order to recover from the - at the time often fatal - disease in a local sanatorium. At the premiere the symphony had an impact on its audience, as it indeed seemed to describe the joys and sufferings and the final peace of mind of the composer. The new editions of Melartin's symphonies have born as a project of Erkki Melartin Society with support of the Finnish Cultural Foundation. The performance materials are available for hire from Fennica Gehrman.