Three American Miniatures

SKU: ST.C463

ISBN 9790570814633.

This volume contains contrasting works by Federico Ruiz spanning quite a large and rich period of his compositional output that goes from his early Micro-Suite (1971), to lilting, sweet and rhythmic Venezuelan waltzes passing by the mysterious, intimate, and intense Nocturno (1994) plus pieces originally composed for film, and theatre. Real eclecticism in styles, moods and atmospheres that show Ruizâ??s talents and scope.

The Nocturno is a deep, intriguing, substantial piece presenting a satisfying length which moves from different paths of the mind and the heart written in an abstract, chromatic idiom, that does not dissociate itself from the Venezuelan waltz and the joropo. One could perhaps say that there is a deconstruction of the latter. For the interpretation, the composer has suggested to me that it is allowed to have some flexibility in the tempo. Ruiz kindly dedicated it to me, and I have had the pleasure of performing it in many concerts.

Although all highly expressive, the Three Venezuelan Waltzes present in this collection as well as the piece titled Aliseo, are works that are close to the colourful Venezuelan folk tradition. Federico Ruiz had given me two of them when we first met: â??Tu Presenciaâ?? (1981) and â??Eloísaâ?? (1989) and then I attended a performance of the play â??Office Number Oneâ?? by Miguel Otero Silva with a fantastic actor, Elba Escobar in the role of Carmen Rosa and, I just fell in love and was very moved by the incidental music that I later discovered, by reading the programme, had been written by Federico Ruiz. Later that evening, I called him and asked to please make a piano score of the composition, so I could have the desired piece in my hands. That is how â??Carmen Rosaâ? waltz (1987) came to exist in a piano version.

â??Eloisaâ?? is another Venezuelan waltz with more jazzy harmonies where precision in the rhythm and elegant playing is also essential, as it is in most of his pieces.

â??Tu Presenciaâ?? was dedicated to his mother, Margarita. It is written with the structure of the Venezuelan waltz, which consists of a nostalgic subject that leads to a faster, happier middle section where the typical graceful rhythm is given by the left-hand accompaniment figure of a dotted crotchet followed by a quaver and a crotchet.

The craft and magic found in the five movements of the Micro-Suite is based on a dodecaphonic row by Ernst Krenek. They remind us of the idiom of the Second Viennese School. These real miniatures seem to tell short stories. The â??Preludioâ?? is full of humour. I imagine dancing figures given by the jumps all over the keyboard and extreme dynamics; the phrases give the impression of a conversation with many questions and answers. The â??Invenciónâ?? is a kaleidoscopic piece where the hands mirror each other. The â??Passacagliaâ?? is the longest movement, at just over a minute where the prime motif is repeated three times on the bass line. For its construction Federico Ruiz uses as well the retrograde and the retrograde inversion of the twelve-tone series. It must be played expressively with dynamic contrasts between pianissimo and louder events. The â??Scherzoâ?? has repetitive motifs of a minor third in both hands and the â??Finalâ?? displays virtuosic passages for the pianist.

Aliseo was originally written for the film â??Aire libreâ? (1995), by Luis Armando Roche. It contains elements of diverse types of Venezuelan joropo. In the film, the character of Aliseo Carvallo is played by the composer himself who performs this piece on a harpsichord to welcome scientists Alexander von Humboldt and Aimé Bonpland one day at the turn of the 1800â??s, as a sample of the new music from the South American land. It presents the refinement of the late European classical era in fusion with Venezuelan folk music.

SKU: FH.VA3

ISBN 978-1-55440-565-7.

This groundbreaking series for viola offers a sound and progressive collection of Repertoire, Recordings, Etudes, Technique, and Orchestral Excerpts for the aspiring virtuoso. Representing all major style periods and a variety of genres, Viola Series, 2013 Edition offers all the music and tools needed to support a comprehensive course of study from the beginner to advanced levels. A rich and varied selection of music in each of these nine progressive volumes of repertoire appeals to violists of all ages. From the Preparatory Level through Level 8, students will be exposed to quality selections originally written for viola, fun arrangements of traditional fiddle and folk tunes, as well as contemporary pieces by notable composers such as Violet Archer, Carey Cheney, and Fritz Kriesler.
Concertinos, Airs Varies, and Divertimentos:
Divertimento in D Major - Haydn, Franz Joseph arr. Gregor Piatigorsky
- Third Movement
Air varie (Air with Variations), op 23, no. 3 - Rieding, Oskar
Concertino NO. 5 in D Major -Breval, Jean-Baptiste arr. Pierre Ruyssen
- First Movement
Sonatas:
Sonata in D Minor, op. 5, no. 8 - Corelli, Arcangelo arr. Jason Noble
- First Movement: Prelude
- Second Movement: Allemanda
Sonata in A Major, TWV 41:E1 - Telemann, Georg Philipp arr. Kathleen Wood
- First Movement
- Fourth Movement
Concert Repertoire:
Three Miniatures (complete) - Miller, Michael
Waltz, op. 12, no. 2 - Grieg, Edvard
Toy Soldiers' March - Kreisler, Fritz
Abracadabra - Duke, David
Musette and Air de ballet - Gluck, Christoph Willibald arr. Kathleen Wood
Boston Fancy - American folk dance arr. Harold Birston
Ave Verum Corpus, K 618 - Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus arr. Jason Gray
Conte serieux (Solemn Story), op. 62, no. 6 - Mendelssohn, Ludwig
Alla Greco - Baxter, Timothy.

SKU: HL.49044196

ISBN 9790001190886. UPC: 888680784737. 9.25x12.0x0.06 inches.

The melodies from George Gershwin's (1898-1937) musicals, from 'Porgy and Bess', from orchestral pieces like 'Rhapsody in Blue' or 'An American in Paris', we all know them! But the career of the young musician started as a pianist in a music publishing house where he was to encourage customers to buy music by playing it. Soon he began to compose music himself and caught the attention of the Broadway, which paved the way to his international career. Inspired by Frederic Chopin's 24 Preludes, he began to write his own 'Preludes' for the piano in the mid-1920s: Of the five preludes composed by him, he used two for the violin composition 'Short Story' and presented the other three at a concert on 4 December 1926. These 'Preludes' combine classical moments and jazz elements into an effective whole and can be played individually or as a little jazz sonata (fast - slow - fast). Thanks to the present arrangement, the charming miniatures are now available in a version for solo instrument and piano accompaniment.