SKU: PR.16400222S

UPC: 680160037841.

This work follows my Quartet No. 1 by five years. In terms of style and aesthetic aim, however, it seems light years away. Where the first work, a 28-minute, four-movement piece, took aim at cosmic conflicts and heroic resolutions, the present work is intended as a kind of divertissment. Harbor Music lasts a mere eleven minutes, is cast in a single movement with six sections, and should leave both performers and listeners with a feeling of good humor and affection.   The title comes from my experience as a guest in the magnificent city of Sydney, Australia. One of its most attractive features is its unique system of ferry boats: the city is laid out around a large, multi-channeled harbor, with destinations more easily approached by water than by land. Consequently, inhabitants of Sydney get around on small, people-friendly boats that come and go from the central docks at Circular Quay. During a week's visit in 1991, I must have boarded these boats at least a dozen times, always bound for a new location - the resort town of Manley, or the Zoo at Taronga Park, or the shopping district at Darling Harbour.   In casting about for a form for my second string quartet, a kind of loose rondo came to mind. Each new destination would be approached from the same starting-out point (although there are subtle variations in the repeating theme; it's always in a new key, and the texture is never the same). The result, I hope, is a sense of constant new information presented with introductory frames of a more familiar nature.   The embarkation theme, which begins the piece, is a sort of bi-tonal fanfare in which the violins are in G major and the viola and cello are in B-flat major. It is bold, eager, and forward-looking. The first voyage maintains this bi-tonality, beginning as a 9/8 due for second violin and viola in a kind of rocking motion -much as a boat produces when reaching the deeper water in the harbor. A sweet, nostalgic theme emerges over this rocking accompaniment. This music is developed somewhat, then transforms quickly into a much faster and lighter episode, filled with rising and falling scales (again, in differing keys). A scherzando interlude in short notes and changing meters provides contrast, and the episode ends with a reprise of the scales.   The second embarkation follows, this time in A major/C major. It leads quickly into a very warm and slow theme, in wide-leaping intervals for the viola. This section is interrupted twice by solo cadenzas for the cello, suggesting distant boat-horns in major thirds. The end of the episode becomes a transition, with boat-horns leading into the final appearance of the embarkation music, this time in trills and tremolos instead of sharply accented chords. The nostalgic theme of the first episode makes a final appearance, serving now as a coda. The rocking motion continues, in a lullaby fashion, leaving us drowsy and satisfied on our homeward journey.   Harbor Music was written for the Cavani Quartet, and is dedicated to Richard J. Bogomolny. Commissioned by his employees at First National Supermarkets as a gift, it represents a thank you from many of the people (including this composer) who have benefitted from his vision and generosity. An ardent advocate of chamber music (and a cellist himself), Mr. Bogomolny has for many years been Chairman of the Board of Chamber Music America. -- Dan Welcher.

SKU: BA.BA11394

ISBN 9790006568567. 30 x 21.5 cm inches. Text Language: English. Text: Al Fakir, Salem / Maggio, Veronica / Pontare, Vincent / Bergling, Tim / Pournouri, Ash.

“Hey brother! There's an endless road to rediscover
Hey sister! Know the water's sweet but blood is thicker …”

“If the sky comes falling down, for you / There’s nothing in this world I wouldn’t do”. The subject of this energetic, life-affirming hit is being there for one another. Whether sung by female or mixed choirs, the fanfare-like theme is equally powerful and will keep the audience tapping their feet.


The editor:

Hans Vainikainen (b. 1976) hails from a new generation of conductors in the Swedish choral tradition. His conducting repertoire covers a wide range of genres and eras, from Mahler’s Eighth Symphony to the Swedish DJ Avicii. In 2005 he won the Swedish Conductors’ Prize, and two years later he was appointed artistic director of the Katarina kyrka, the home of Katarinakörerna, one of Sweden’s largest choral societies.

Hans Vainikainen heads Stockholm’s Katarinakörerna with more than 500 singers in various combinations. Their programmes cover both sacred and secular music. In his search for suitable arrangements, his eye fell on one the world’s best-known pop artists, Tim Bergling, known professionally as Avicii. He then arranged three of Avicii’s best songs for classical choirs, intending them to be encore pieces.

“Hey Brother”, “Levels” and “Without you” are now available for six-part mixed or female choir. The arrangements offer a wide variety of vocal and choral possibilities and attention has been paid that all parts are of the same musical standard. Whether homophonic or unisono, they artfully intertwine from one passage to the next. However, for all their sophistication the arrangements remain manageable and easy to learn, displaying the typical groove of each Avicii song within a multi-layered texture.

SKU: BT.DHP-0870073-216

Harm Evers showed his true character with this likeable march. With its interesting rhythms and unusual approach, this is sure to be memorable to musicians and audience alike.

Deze opgewekte mars is een van de meest gespeelde composities van Harm Evers. Zangerige melodieën gecombineerd met pittige, syncopische ritmes zijn de hoofdingrediënten van deze mars met een optimistische boodschap.

Sein Temperament bewies Harm Evers mit dieser sympathischen Marschkomposition, die mit ihren interessanten Rhythmen ein wenig aus der Art schlägt und sich so Musikern und Publikum einprägen wird.

En l’honneur de Harm Evers, nous vous recommandons High Spirits, une marche pétillante qui s’inscrit dans la tradition des grandes marches. High Spirits apportera une touche de vivacité tout programme de concert - pour le plus grand plaisir du public.

Harm Evers trasmette la sua grande personalit in questa piacevole marcia caratterizzata da ritmi interessanti e che esce dagli schemi convenzionali. High Spirits coinvolger i musicisti en il pubblico.