SKU: HL.14037707

ISBN 9781849385916. UPC: 884088578626. 8.25x11.75x0.262 inches.

Kevin Volans' String Quartet No. 9: Shiva Dances was commissioned by BBC Radio 3 and first performed by the Smith Quartet at the 2004 Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival.

Kevin Volans (the composer) notes on the piece:
In the past I have been interested in trying to go beyond historicism (1970s), beyond style(1980s) and beyond form (1990s) in my work. Looking back over the music of the twentiethcentury I was struck by the fact the nearlyall of it is extremely 'busy', almost cluttered. Italmost seemed that composers felt compelled to look industrious. In the new millennium Ithought it would be interesting to try and eliminate content. I also aspired to movingfrommusic (sound as art) to art (art as sound). This, of course, has already been done by a numberof composers (many from New York - Phil Niblock and La Monte Young, to name but two), butit was something I had never tried.AlthoughI found it annoying that the label 'minimalist' was given to my African-based work,and fearing this would make the label stick, I set out to write a piece which reflected my loveof minimal painting and architecture. The Japanesehave a term 'wabi' meaning 'voluntarypoverty' or 'emptiness' to describe their restrained minimal aesthetic, an aesthetic which,however, pays greatest attention to the quality of material and fine detail. I like to think thatthelack of excessive pitch material in this piece reflects a kind of voluntary poverty.When Shiva is portrayed dancing (as Nataraj) He is depicted in a circle of flames crushing asmall figure - the ego - underfoot.You get theimpression He dances on the spot, not movingaround at all. I like that.
The piece is dedicated to Pablo Pascual Cilleruelo.

SKU: HL.14035177

ISBN 9780711979406. 8.25x11.75x0.142 inches.

Irish composer Kevin Volans' work has gained international acclaim over the years. Drawing on a combination of European and African compositional techniques, his music displays a unique charm. Volans' distinctive sound is heavily in demand, and since the mid-1980s his work has been performed regularly at such venues as the Pompidou Centre, the Royal Albert Hall and the Lincoln Center in New York. This work for string quartet was commissioned by the Shobana Jeyasingh Dance Company, and was first performed on the 16th December 1990 at the Almeida Theatre, London, by the Smith Quartet. Score. Parts available: CH61342.

SKU: GI.G-M522

Now available on SmartMusic! The CD for Book 2 from the Do It! Play in Band series by James O. Froseth includes: • Modeling by all the artists listed below. • Professional studio backgrounds capture the rich diversity of American music culture with a repertoire of American, Latin American, African, European, and Far Eastern styles. • Music of other times, including 12th-century conductus, 15th-century Dance of the Bouffons, 16th-century French branle, 18th- and 19th-century folk songs and dances, 1940s and '50s jazz, blues, and rock-and-roll. • The repertoire and recorded contexts are motivating, informative, and entirely musical. • Every song includes text, providing information about phrasing, rhythm, style, affect, emotion, history, and culture. • A unique Rhythmic Pattern Dictionary allows students to look it up and listen up. • An individualized format allows students to progress at different rates with a theme and variation format. • Ear training and improvisation are integral parts of the lesson format. • Artist performers set musical standards in sound with more than 80 great performances on CD for every instrument, and one CD lasts for the entire book! • Performers include: Michael Henoch, Oboe (Chicago Symphony Orchestra), Randall Hawes, Jeffrey Zook, Sharon Sparrow, Kevin Good (Detroit Symphony Orchestra), Albert Blaser, Clarinet (Cleveland State University), Brian Bowman, Euphonium/Baritone (Duquesne University), Timothy McAllister (Crane School of Music, SUNY at Potsdam), Steve Houghton, Percussion (LA percussion recording artist and clinician), Donald Sinta, Richard Beene, Bryan Kennedy, Debra Chodacki, Fritz Kaenzig, Tuba (University of Michigan), Kristin Beene (Toledo Symphony Orchestra), and Jean Moorehead Libs, Trumpet (Plymouth Symphony Orchestra). This CD is for all the instruments for Book 2.