Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 for String Orchestra

Concerto for String Orchestra - the magnum opus of Grayna Bacewicz (1909-1969) the outstanding composer and violinist - was composed in 1948 and at once became one of the most frequently performed works of this Polish artist. This masterpieceof neoclassicism fascinates as much by its invention and virtuosic briliance as its harmonious combination of formal elements of a traditional nature with new tonal ideas. The form of the three-movement Concerto oscillates between that of the baroqueconcerto grosso and the early classical sonata cycle. The neoclassical tendency is evident above all in the articulation of the musical structure in keeping with the rigours of periodicity and the manner of developing thematic threads derived fromthem while the concertato character of particular movements and the generally linear texture indicate baroque connections. The first movement (Allegro) - in the form of an early classical sonata allegro - begins with a subject with energeticfigurations emblematic for the whole piece and based on a constant pendulum-like semiquaver movement anchored securely on D. It is precisely because of the nature of this subject that Bacewiczs work has been compared to the Brandenburg Concertosby Jan Sebastian Bach The second movement (Andante) while retaining its concertato charakter is at the same time an example of the composers ability to create emotionally serene lyrical moods and her sense of cantilena derived from the spiritof romantic song (a motto-subject presented at the beginning by cello solo). In this movement it is both the process of evolution and the instrumental colouring which constitute the constructional agents forming here a self-containedvalue. In thethird movement (Vivo) the composer returns to her favourite type of music understood as an expression of pure motion in the form of figural motives with infinite transformational possibilities. The spontaneity of the music the constant mutabilityof the tonal situations and the sophisticated acerbic harmonies - as Witold Lutosawski described them - form a colourful mosaic built in the structural skeleton of a sonata rondo. Concerto for String Orchestra is not only proof of thestylizing tendency of the composer but also of an unerring intuition concerning the technical and expressive possibilities inherent in a string instruments ensemble. [Magorzata Gsiorowska translated by Ewa Cholewka]

Authoritative Urtext edition of Johann Sebastien Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No.4 In G BWV 1049.The six Brandenburg Concertos BWV 1046-1051 prized jewels of the world's musical heritage were written in 1721 during Bach?s appointment in Cöthen.Of the six works Bach originally wrote earlier versions of numbers 1 and 5 which differ not only with regard to articulation but also at times different tones different rhythms instrumentation and of course form. These Urtext publications [BA 5201-BA 5206] taken from the New Bach Edition now give performers the possibility to play these earlier versionsperhaps even along side the version known today.

A new edition of one of Berkeley's most frequently performed works in this the composer's centenary year. This work is a classic in the repertoire of British Music for this medium. The first movement has the sparkling elegance ofMozart whom Berkeley idolised but also the driving rhythm of a Bach Brandenburg Concerto; the second is a serenade; the third a kind of scherzo; but the final movement seems to reflect the tragic war years with a slowreminiscence of the opening theme at the very end. A critical commentary by Berkeley expert Peter Dickinson is provided.

The tenth concerto in B minor in L'Estro Armonico (best translated as The Harmonious Inspiration) which is edited here in A minor - for four solo guitars - is one of the most famous in the entire collection -- indeed inVivaldi's entire output. Scored for four solo violins two solo violas solo violoncello and an strings orchestra. Johann Sebastian Bach not only admired Vivaldi's Opus 3; he copied it openly. In a general sense the Vivaldipieces gave impetus to much that is in the German master's Brandenburg Concertos. More particulary six concertos of Vivaldi's Opus 3 were copied by Bach as the basis for six of his concertos: two for 0rgan (BWV 593 and 596 basedon Opus 3 nos. 8 and 11 respectively) three for solo harpsichord ) BWV 978 972 and 976 based on Opus 3 nos. 3 9 and 12 respectively) and one for four harpsichords and orchestra in A minor (BWV 1065 based on Opus 3 no. 10).Bach frequently rewrote concertos scored for one kind of instrument substituting another. It is evident that Bach thought not so much in terms of the violinistic nature of the originals but in their harmonic and rhythmicpotential which could be realized on any instrument. Since Bach has already justified an arrangement of Opus 3 number 10 by the great aesthetic success of his four-harpsichord version it serves to reason that an arrangementfor four guitars is equally valid. Just as Bach preserved everything of the original Vivaldi and added only a few doubling to accomodate the left hands of the harpsichordists so in this version the substitution of guitars is donewith little or no change of original-notes. The arpeggios especially prominent in the second movement lend themselves ideally to guitar playing and the ability of the guitar to play both lyrical lines as well as passage worksuits the violinistic lines and passages of the original.

Finie la grande musique du vent-Bach reste. Mais, ce n'est pas seulement de donner les parties de cor des altos. Il s'agit d'un remaniement qui maintient l'intégrité de la musique adaptée à une nouvelle instrumentation. Marqué avec quatre parties de violon alto et deux parties, cette pièce peut être réalisée efficacement en utilisant un ou plusieurs joueurs de chaque partie. L'écriture antiphonaire met en évidence le génie contrapuntique de ce chef-d'oeuvre. Parfait pour le festival, à des étudiants de fonctionnalités, ou comme un ouvreur ou plus! / Orchestre A Cordes