SKU: PR.164002950

ISBN 9781491114568. UPC: 680160633449. 9 x 12 inches.

Dan Welcher’s fascinating work for soprano sax is both a refraction of Mendelssohn’s music for A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and his own incidental music to Shakespeare’s comedy. The work’s title, AS LIGHT AS BIRD FROM BRIER, quotes from Oberon (King of the Fairies) invoking revelry at the play’s climactic wedding scene. Welcher’s fantasy skips among the most beloved themes of Mendelssohn’s Midsummer – giving the saxophonist quite a workout, and the listener a midsummer delight.
AS LIGHT AS BIRD FROM BRIER is loosely based on Shakespeare’s play A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which has haunted me since I was nine years old. My parents subscribed me to The Children’s Record Guild, and every month a new 78rpm vinyl record would arrive in the mail. They were mostly fairy tales and “kids lit,” but in this case it was a very condensed performance of the actual play, with Mendelssohn’s music. I loved it immediately, and still do – I saw a performance in 2014 at the Stratford Festival that literally stalks my dreams.When I was commissioned by saxophonist Stephen Page to compose a work for soprano saxophone and piano two years later, I channeled Mendelssohn as an inspiration: specifically, the Overture, the Scherzo, the Intermezzo, the fairy’s song “You spotted snakes with double tongue,” and the Rustics’ Dance. But it’s not a pastiche – most of the music is completely my own, though attentive listeners will detect snatches of Mendelssohn’s haunting score throughout.This piece joins MILL SONGS and FLORESTAN’S FALCON among works honoring my favorite 19th-century composers (in those cases, Schubert and Schumann) without ripping them off. As Stravinsky did in his ballet Pulcinella, I have borrowed fragments of melody from a much-loved composer, and made a fabric of harmonies and scales that are genetically related to Mendelssohn, but unmistakably Welcher.In this work, the saxophonist is Puck – skittish, dazzlingly fast, and brilliant in the outer parts, and a mischievous Cupid in the long, central Love Song. (Remember how Puck anoints Titania’s eyes with the juice from a magic flower, which causes her to fall in love with Bottom the weaver, who has been bewitched and wears a donkey’s head?) The music traces Puck’s magic flight, the finding of the flower, Titania’s love-scene with Bottom and her fairies, and the rustic players – whose rehearsal of the funniest play-within-the-play in literature is interrupted by Puck’s dirty tricks.I greatly enjoyed the process of writing this piece, and often found myself quite moved even as I was writing it... which rarely happens. Stephen Page, who commissioned the work, is a consummate artist (and a bit of a Puck himself). The title comes from Oberon’s final speech in the play:Through the house, give glimmering light,By the dead and drowsy fire.Every elf and fairy spriteHop as light as bird from brier,And this ditty, after me,Sing, and dance it trippingly.

SKU: BT.AMP-145-010

9x12 inches. English-German-French-Dutch.

There are just over twenty secular cantatas in Bach's prolific output, which include The Coffee Cantata (No 211), The Wedding Cantata (No 202), Phoebus and Pan (No 201) and the Hunt Cantata (No 208) which contains the famous aria Sheep May Safely Graze. Written for four vocal soloists it was originally scored for a relatively large orchestra (including flutes (recorders), oboes and horns) and mixed choir. Although secular in character, the words describe how well a faithful shepherd keeps watch over his flock and hence has obvious allusions to the teachings of the Christian church. Bring a bit of the Baroque era to your concert with this first class arrangement by Philip Sparke.

Bach schreef zijn Jachtcantate (BWV 208) - met daarin de aria Schafe können sicher weiden (Sheep May Safely Graze) - in 1713, ter gelegenheid van de verjaardag van hertog Christian van Sachsen-Weißenfels. Later volgdenbewerkingen voor vergelijkbare verjaardagsfeesten en naamdagen. De cantate is geschreven voor vier solisten (Diana, Pales, Endymion en Pan), een relatief groot orkest (met (blok)fluiten, hobo’s en hoorns) en koor. Sheep MaySafely Graze wordt gezongen door Pales, de godin van kudden en weiden, begeleid door een paar blokfluiten of dwarsfluiten. Deze bewerking van Philip Sparke betekent een verrijking voor elk repertoire.

Bachs produktives Schaffen brachte nur etwa zwanzig weltliche Kantaten hervor, darunter auch die Jagd-Kantate (BWV 208), welche die berühmte Arie Schafe können sicher weiden enthält. Geschrieben für vier Solisten, ist die Kantate für ein relativ großes Orchester instrumentiert, das neben Flöten, Oboen und Hörnern auch einen gemischten Chor vorsieht. Bringen Sie mit dieser gelungenen Bearbeitung etwas barocke Atmosphäre in Ihr Konzert!

L’immense production de Jean-Sébastien Bach ne contient qu’une vingtaine de cantates profanes dont la Cantate du café (BWV 211), la Cantate du mariage (BWV 202), Phébus et Pan (BWV 201) et la Cantate de la chasse (BWV 208), dont est extrait l’air Sheep May Safely Graze (Schafe können sicher weiden - Que les brebis paissent en paix). Bach était depuis peu au service du duc de Weimar lorsqu’il accepta, en 1713, une invitation Weißenfels pour l’anniversaire du duc Christian de Saxe-Weißenfels. cette occasion, il composa la Cantate de la chasse, une cantate de félicitations l’adresse du duc, passionné de chasse. Par la suite, Bachremania cette cantate pour célébrer d’autres fêtes et anniversaires. La Cantate de la chasse est orchestrée pour quatre voix solistes incarnant des figures mythologiques (Diane, Pales, Endymion et Pan), un ensemble orchestral assez large (incluant des fl tes/fl tes bec, des hautbois et des cors) et un Chœur mixte. Le texte, chantant les vertus de la chasse, est un panégyrique peine déguisé du duc régnant. Accompagnée par deux fl tes (fl tes bec), Palès, déesse des troupeaux et des p tures, entonne l’air Sheep May Safely Graze. Bien que de caractère profane, le texte utilise l’image du berger comme l’image même de la gr ce en référence une parole fondamentale de Jésus.

L’immenso lavoro di Johann Sebastian Bach contiene una ventina di cantate profane tra le quali la Cantata della Caccia (BWV 208) dalla quale è estratta Sheep May Safely Graze (Schafe können sicher weiden). Accompagnata da due flauti dolci, Pales, Dea dei greggi e dei pastori, intona l’aria Sheep May Safely Graze. Pur se di carattere profano, il testo utilizza l’immagine del pastore come l’immagine della grazia riportata ad una parola fondamentale di Gesù.