SKU: PR.11641867S

UPC: 680160683208.

Contextures: Riots -Decade '60 was commissioned by Zubin Mehta and the Southern California Symphony Association after the successful premiere of the Concerto for Four Percussion Soloists and Orchestra. It was written during the spring and summer months of 1967. Riots stemming from resentment against the racial situation in the United States and the war in Vietnam were occurring throughout the country and inevitably invaded the composer's creative subconscious. Contextures, as the title implies, was intended to exploit various and varying textures. As the work progressed the correspondence between the fabric of music and the fabric of society became apparent and the allegory grew in significance. So I found myself translating social aspects into musical techniques. Social stratification became a polymetric situation where disparate groups function together. The conflict between the forces of expansion and the forces of containment is expressed through and opposition of tonal fluidity vs. rigidity. This is epitomized in the fourth movement, where the brass is divided into two groups - a muted group, encircled by the unmuted one, which does its utmost to keep the first group within a restricted pitch area. The playful jazzy bits (one between the first and second movements and one at the end of the piece) are simply saying that somehow in this age of turmoil and anxiety ways of having fun are found even though that fun may seem inappropriate. The piece is in five movements, with an interlude between the first and second movements. It is scored for a large orchestra, supplemented by six groups of percussion, including newly created roto-toms (small tunable drums) and some original devices, such as muted gongs and muted vibraphone. There is also an offstage jazz quartet: bass, drums, soprano saxophone and trumpet. The first movement begins with a solo by the first clarinetist which is interrupted by intermittent heckling from his colleagues leading to a configuration of large disparate elements. The interlude of solo violin and snare-drum follows without pause. The second movement, Prestissimo, is a display piece of virtuosity for the entire orchestra. The third movement marks a period of repose and reflection and calls for some expressive solos, particularly by the horn and alto saxophone. The fourth movement opens with a rather lengthy oboe solo, which is threatened by large blocks of sound from the orchestra, against an underlying current of agitated energy in the piano and percussion. This leads to a section in which large orchestral forces oppose one another, ultimately bringing the work to a climax, if not to a denouement. Various thematic elements are strewn all over the orchestra, resulting in the formation of a general haze of sound. A transition leads to the fifth movement without pause. The musical haze is pierced gently by the offstage jazz group as if they were attempting to ignore and even dispel the gloom, but a legato bell sound enters and hovers over both the jazz group and the orchestra, the latter making statements of disquieting finality. Two films were conceived to accompany portions of Contextures. The first done by Herbert Kosowar, was a chemography film (painting directly into the film using dyes and various implements) with fast clips of riot photographs. The second was a film collage made by photographically abstracting details from paintings of Reginald Pollack. The purpose was to invoke a non-specific response - as in music - but at the same time to define the subject matter of the piece. The films were constructed to correspond with certain developments in the piece and in no way affect the independence and musical flow of the piece, having been made after the piece was completed. Contextures: Riots - Decade '60 is dedicated to Mehta, the Southern California Symphony Association and the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. The news of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King came the afternoon of the premiere, April 4, 1968. That evening's performances, and also the succeeding ones, were dedicated to him and a special dedication to Dr. King has been inserted into he score. All the music that follows the jazz group - beginning with the legato bell sound playing the first 2 notes to We shall overcome constitutes a new ending to commemorate Dr. King's death.

SKU: HL.234787

ISBN 9781581065510. UPC: 888680688653. 9.0x12.0x0.242 inches.

Recorded by Jozsef Ormeny, piano with the Lviv Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, Roman Rewakowicz, conductor. Instrumentation: Piano Solo: 2+1.2.2.2: 4.3 Bb Tpt.3.1: Timp.Perc(2).Hp: Str Duration: circa 15 minutes.

SKU: TM.07066SET

Orchestrated by Rimsky-Korsakov. Dawn on the Moska River (Act I Scene 1). For famous introduction, see #05505 KHOVANTCHINA, LA: Entr'acte Act IV, Scene 2 No. 5 Galitian Journey.

SKU: TM.07400SC

SKU: TM.00621SET

Solo (no pf) in set; P/C in set. Solo/pf sold separately.

SKU: M7.AV-5856-40

ISBN 9790203917236.

SKU: BR.PB-4850-07

World premiere: Aachen, June 2, 1971

ISBN 9790004206485. 6.5 x 9 inches.

Dieses vierteilige Opus ist keine avantgardistische Musik, sondern fur den Normalhorer gedacht, obwohl darin verschiedene moderne Kompositionstechniken verwendet werden. Die vier Satze des Werkes sind Impressionen uber Gedichte des grossen italienischen Lyrikers G. Ungaretti, der 1970 82jahrig starb. Giorno per giorno (Tag fur Tag) ist der Titel des Zyklus auf den Tod eines seiner Kinder - in der Musik fur Orchester zugleich die Uberschrift fur das ganze Werk und den ersten Satz - und bedeutet inhaltlich: Schmerz ohne Trostung und ohne Ausweg ( es hat irgendeine Trostung notwendig, mein armes zerfallenes Herz). Auch die anderen Satzbezeichnungen stehen uber einzelnen Gedichten oder Gedichtgruppen von Ungaretti; so ist der zweite Satz uberschrieben Allegria di naufragi (Freude der Schiffbruche). Das Wagnis dieser Schiffbruche wird musikalisch durch aleatorische Strukturen symbolisiert (Und auf einmal nimmst du die Fahrt wieder auf). Der dritte Satz tragt die Uberschrift La terra promessa (Das verheissene Land'. Die Stille einer mediterranen Herbstlandschaft klingt an (Die Traube ist reif, das Feld ist bestellt). Das Finale mit dem Titel Soldati beginnt mit einer falschen Fanfare und steigert sich nach mehreren unruhigen Episoden zu einem aggressiven Schlussteil (Den Tod busst man lebend ab).(Jurg Baur).

SKU: HL.49041890

ISBN 9783795781224. German.

Ludwig van Beethoven stellte seine 8. Sinfonie am 27. Februar der Offentlichkeit vor; zuvor erklangen anlasslich dieser Akademie das Schwesterwerk, die Sinfonie Nr. 7 A-Dur, sowie die Schlachtensinfonie 'Wellingtons Sieg oder die Schlacht bei Vittoria', die Beethoven einen seiner grossten Erfolge als Komponist bescherte. Zwar war die Aufnahme der Achten durch das Publikum nach den vorangegangenen Programmpunkten eher kuhl, und auch heute noch steht die Achte wie auch etwa die Pastorale im Schatten der ungeraden Sinfonien - doch gewinnt sie bei Horern mehr und mehr an Beliebtheit: die vielen unerwartenden Wendungen in diesem Werk liessen die Einschatzugn eines Paradebeispiels fur den Humor in der Musik entstehen.Herbert Schneider legt in seiner Werkeinfuhrung dar, wie die Achte entstand, erstmals aufgefuhrt, gestochen und schliesslich gedruckt, wie sie auf Zeitgenossen und spatere Generationen wirkte, und schildert dies in diesem Buch auf Grund wissenschaftlich begrundeter Fakten auf anschauliche Weise; analytische und die Interpretation betreffende Kommentare schliessen sich an. Anregungen zur weiteren Beschaftigung mit dieser popularen Sinfonie geben Literaturhinweise und eine Diskographie. Anhand der vollstandig wiedergegebenen Partitur kann der Leser den Notentext beim Horen verfolgen und die analytischen Kommentare nachvollziehen.