SKU: PR.164002390

UPC: 680160038091.

I became interested in the work of Plato through my friend and collaborator, the writer and philosopher Paul Woodruff. Paul's new translation, with Alexander Nehamas, of the Symposium gave me insights into ancient Greek ways of thinking about Love, Beauty, and Wisdom -- and managed to keep the earthy, and often bawdy side of it all in full view. But their new translation of Plato's later dialogue Phaedrus went even further: the beauty of the speeches is breathtaking, and the discourse itself is enough to keep one awake at night. Basically the Great Speech of Socrates in the Phaedrus dialogue has to do with the place of Eros in the world, and with the conflict in the soul between fleshly pleasure and philosophic discovery. I will not attempt to encapsulate this brilliant discourse in a program note: suffice it to say that reading it gave rise to my two-sided work for clarinet, violin, and piano, Phaedrus. The first movement represents the Philosophic life, and is thus subtitled Apollo's Lyre (Invocation and Hymn). It begins with an unaccompanied melody for the clarinet, which (after a pair of harp-like flourishes for the piano, expands into an accompanied canon. The voices in the dialogue (clarinet and violin) follow each other by a prescribed number of beats, but the music is totally devoid of any meter at all. The piano, representing the lyre, accompanies this lyric love-feast with repeated strummed chords. The canon has three large sections, and ends with violin echoing the unaccompanied clarinet invocation as the sound of the lyre fades. The second movement, called Dionysus' Dream-Orgy (Ritual Dance) presents, after a brief introduction, another kind of unmetered music. Rather than long lyric flights of philosophic song, however, this time we hear a unison dance of unbridled energy and sensual transport. The piece soon forms itself into a loose arch form, with contrasting metered dance sections divided by the unison unmetered orgy tune. Midway through the movement, Apollo's melody returns from the first movement, but it is a temporary reminiscence. The orgiastic dance returns, reaches a climax, and ends with a stomping of feet. While Plato asserts that a proper balance between lust and reason is necessary in all men, he (naturally) gives the nod to Philosophy as the better choice in which to live. Not so in my music: the two sides are meant to coexist and to complement each other. No sides are taken. Phaedrus was commissioned of the Verdehr Trio by Michigan State University. It is dedicated to the Vedehr Trio with great affection and admiration.

SKU: BR.EB-6794

World premiere Dusseldorf, December 6, 1976CDIgor Ozim (Violine), Gunter Ludwig (Klavier)CD Koch 3-1198-2 BibliographyGudelhofer, Matthias: Jurg Baur. Die spate Kammermusik, Koln: Dohr 2002

ISBN 9790004169919. 9 x 12 inches.

1. Satz Ritornell - Perpetuum mobile 2. Satz Ritornell - Fantasia 3. Satz Mesto 4. Satz Ritornell - Burletta - Ritornell Ein Ritornell (kurz, melodios) umschliesst das ganze Stuck wie eine Rahmenerzahlung, leitet zum 1. , 2. und 4. Satz, steht wie eine besinnliche Frage am Ende (Es war einmal). Die Musik des ganzen Werks ist von allen Zwangen befreit; eine quasi improvisierte Reihung von Formteilen in jedem Satz. Dodekaphonik, Aleatorik, Klangspiele, Cluster wechseln, als Farbe, -als Felder eingesetzt. Das Klavier ubernimmt verschiedene Aufgaben, Begleitung, Gegenrhythmen, Klangfelder, Dialoge mit der Violine; diese wiederum dominiert meist technisch und musikalisch - aber unaufdringlich, fuhrt wie selbstverstandlich den Reigen an. Jeder einzelne Satz ist charakteristisch-typisch gepragt wie ein ,,moment musical. Satz 1 Perpetuum mobile. Technisch sehr anspruchsvoll fur die Violine, - will immer im Spiel bleiben - endet in insistierenden dreifachen Kanon ff - bricht ab - Satz 2 Klangspiele flag. pizz, gliss. , alternierend in Geige und Klavier (Saiteneffekte), Satz 3 Trauermarschahnliches Mesto Klopfgerausche fur Violine und Klavier als Metron, Ausdrucksstarke Kantilenen Satz 4 Mehrteilige humorvolle Burletta endet auf kreisender Violinfigur, fuhrt unmerklich ins Ritornell zuruck. CD Igor Ozim (Violine), Gunter Ludwig (Klavier) CD Koch 3-1198-2 Bibliography Gudelhofer, Matthias: Jurg Baur. Die spate Kammermusik, Koln: Dohr 2002

World premiere Dusseldorf, December 6, 1976CD Igor Ozim (Violine), Gunter Ludwig (Klavier)CD Koch 3-1198-2 BibliographyGudelhofer, Matthias: Jurg Baur. Die spate Kammermusik, Koln: Dohr 2002.