SKU: IS.FQ6575EM

ISBN 9790365065752.

Alex Christiaens was born in 1957and started courses on solfège, piano, music theory and music history at the conservatorium of Hasselt. After his secondary education (Latin-Greek), he was awarded a Master degree in translation and started to work for a Flemish bank. Since then, he has been living in Leuven. Music remained an important part of his life. After having finished the piano course at the conservatorium of Leuven, he continued his musical journey by completing the organ course with Peter Breugelmans, the harmony and composition course with Erika Budai and the clarinet course with Bart Van den Bosch. He regularly performed in public, not only as a soloist but also as the accompanist of singers, choirs and instrumentalists. Since many years, he has been active as an organist in Leuven and has been singing in the choir Tourdion under the leadership of Rik Ghesquière. He started composing as part of the harmony course. Most of his compositions are short works written for piano or solo instruments with accompaniment .

SKU: IS.FQ6574EM

ISBN 9790365065745.

Alex Christiaens was born in 1957and started courses on solfège, piano, music theory and music history at the conservatorium of Hasselt. After his secondary education (Latin-Greek), he was awarded a Master degree in translation and started to work for a Flemish bank. Since then, he has been living in Leuven. Music remained an important part of his life. After having finished the piano course at the conservatorium of Leuven, he continued his musical journey by completing the organ course with Peter Breugelmans, the harmony and composition course with Erika Budai and the clarinet course with Bart Van den Bosch. He regularly performed in public, not only as a soloist but also as the accompanist of singers, choirs and instrumentalists. Since many years, he has been active as an organist in Leuven and has been singing in the choir Tourdion under the leadership of Rik Ghesquière. He started composing as part of the harmony course. Most of his compositions are short works written for piano or solo instruments with accompaniment .

SKU: BO.B.3105

ISBN 9788480202350.

English comments:
With reference to the melody used to write the Fanstasia-Concerto, the composer Jordi Cervello says: A few years ago, a friend of mine, Jorge Wagensberg sang me a beautiful old Jewish melody inspired by the hymn Leja Dodi (Come, my beloved) by the Sefardie cabbalist Solomon Alkabez (1505-1576), who is buried in Israel. I was immediately entranced by its two extensive thematic ideas which complement each other perfectly. Its melodic and folk qualities seemed to me to make it an ideal theme for a work for guitar and orchestra. The orchestration is a fine thread of metallic timbres, which are present both in the very delicate subtleties of the pianissimi passages and the brilliant tutti. Moreover, the cler tonal definition of the melody contrasts with audacious harmonic contrapunctual textures, characteristic of the most advanced musical styles of our times. The solo guitar part is a model piece of compositon for the guitar, both for its melody and harmony. It puts forward extremely original formulas which are very effective from an instrumental point of view. Its abundant use of arpeggios, chords, harmonic pedals and other instrumental resources ensure that the dialogue with the orchestra is based completely on guitar-playing techniques, putting the guitarist's expressive skill and mastery to the test. This work was first performed on December 3 1997 in Sabadell's La Farandula Theatre performed by the Valles Symphonic Orchestra conducted by its permanent conductor Salvador Brotons. The guitar solo part was played by Jaume Torrent, to whom the work is dedicated.

Comentarios del Espanol:
En relacion al origen de la melodia utilizada en este Concierto-Fantasia, el compositor Jordi Cervello comenta: Hace ya algunos anos, mi amigo Jorge Wagensberg me canto una antigua y deliciosa melodia judia compuesta sobre el himno Leja Dodi (Ven mi bien amada) del cabalista sefardi Solomon Alkabez (1505-1576), cuya tumba se encuentra en Israel. En seguida me cautivo por las dos amplias ideas tematicas que contiene, las cuales se complementan muy armoniosamente. Por sus caracteristicas melodicas y por su caracter popular me parecio un tema ideal para una obra de guitarra y orquesta. La orquestacion de este concierto es una filigrana de sugerencias timbricas, presentes tanto en las mas delicadas sutilezas de los pianissimi como en los efusivos tutti. Asimismo, la clara definicion tonal de la melodia contrasta con audaces texturas armonicas y contrapuntisticas propias de la estetica musical de nuestros dias. La parte del instrumento solista en un modelo de escritura guitarristica, tanto desde el punto de vista melodico como del armonico y propone formulas que resultan de una gran originalidad y eficacia instrumental. La prodigalidad de arpegios, acordes, pedales armonicos y otros recursos instrumentales, garantizan un dialogo con la orquesta desde un lenguaje plenamente guitarristico, a traves del cual, el interprete pone a prueba tanto su capacidad expresiva como la vituosistica. El estreno de esta obra tuvo lugar el dia 3 de octubre de 1997 en el Teatro La Farandula de Sabadell, interpretada por la Orquesta Sinfonica del Valles bajo la direccion de su director titular Salvador Brotons, y actuando como solista el guitarrista Jaume Torrent a quien esta dedicada la obra.

SKU: CA.3112305

ISBN 9790007166519. Text language: German/English. Text: Fritsch, Ahasverus.

This six-movement cantata uses the hymn of the same name by Ahasverus Fritsch, first recorded in 1698 in the Darmstadter Liederbuch. This places it amongst those chorale cantatas which use a hymn from the repertoire associated with Pietism. As was customary, the hymn text is retained in the outer movements, whereas the text for the inner movements - two secco recitatives and a tenor and a bass aria - are concerned with the contrast between the hostile world and the certainty of Jesus; the links between the cantata text and the Feast of the Epiphany are correspondingly tenuous. In the first movement the soprano sings the hymn melody complete, accompanied by mainly homophonic vocal parts, whilst the instrumental writing is largely influenced by the melody of the first line of the hymn. Remarkable is the tenor aria, with its contrasting central section and its chromatic twists and turns, in which Bach once again proves himself to be a master of harmony. The demands on the chorus are fairly modest, whereas the instrumentalists are challenged in the first movement and in both the arias. Score available separately - see item CA.3112300.

SKU: CA.3112349

ISBN 9790007207519. Language: German/English. Text: Fritsch, Ahasverus. Text by Ahasverus Fritsch.

This six-movement cantata uses the hymn of the same name by Ahasverus Fritsch, first recorded in 1698 in the Darmstadter Liederbuch. This places it amongst those chorale cantatas which use a hymn from the repertoire associated with Pietism. As was customary, the hymn text is retained in the outer movements, whereas the text for the inner movements - two secco recitatives and a tenor and a bass aria - are concerned with the contrast between the hostile world and the certainty of Jesus; the links between the cantata text and the Feast of the Epiphany are correspondingly tenuous. In the first movement the soprano sings the hymn melody complete, accompanied by mainly homophonic vocal parts, whilst the instrumental writing is largely influenced by the melody of the first line of the hymn. Remarkable is the tenor aria, with its contrasting central section and its chromatic twists and turns, in which Bach once again proves himself to be a master of harmony. The demands on the chorus are fairly modest, whereas the instrumentalists are challenged in the first movement and in both the arias. Score and part available separately - see item CA.3112300.

SKU: CA.3112319

ISBN 9790007166564. Text language: German/English. Text: Fritsch, Ahasverus.

This six-movement cantata uses the hymn of the same name by Ahasverus Fritsch, first recorded in 1698 in the Darmstadter Liederbuch. This places it amongst those chorale cantatas which use a hymn from the repertoire associated with Pietism. As was customary, the hymn text is retained in the outer movements, whereas the text for the inner movements - two secco recitatives and a tenor and a bass aria - are concerned with the contrast between the hostile world and the certainty of Jesus; the links between the cantata text and the Feast of the Epiphany are correspondingly tenuous. In the first movement the soprano sings the hymn melody complete, accompanied by mainly homophonic vocal parts, whilst the instrumental writing is largely influenced by the melody of the first line of the hymn. Remarkable is the tenor aria, with its contrasting central section and its chromatic twists and turns, in which Bach once again proves himself to be a master of harmony. The demands on the chorus are fairly modest, whereas the instrumentalists are challenged in the first movement and in both the arias. Score and parts available separately - see item CA.3112300.

SKU: CA.3112303

ISBN 9790007166465. Text language: German/English. Text: Fritsch, Ahasverus.

This six-movement cantata uses the hymn of the same name by Ahasverus Fritsch, first recorded in 1698 in the Darmstadter Liederbuch. This places it amongst those chorale cantatas which use a hymn from the repertoire associated with Pietism. As was customary, the hymn text is retained in the outer movements, whereas the text for the inner movements - two secco recitatives and a tenor and a bass aria - are concerned with the contrast between the hostile world and the certainty of Jesus; the links between the cantata text and the Feast of the Epiphany are correspondingly tenuous. In the first movement the soprano sings the hymn melody complete, accompanied by mainly homophonic vocal parts, whilst the instrumental writing is largely influenced by the melody of the first line of the hymn. Remarkable is the tenor aria, with its contrasting central section and its chromatic twists and turns, in which Bach once again proves himself to be a master of harmony. The demands on the chorus are fairly modest, whereas the instrumentalists are challenged in the first movement and in both the arias. Score available separately - see item CA.3112300.