SKU: DZ.DZ-4272

ISBN 9782898521898.

En septembre 2018, le guitariste Toby McWilliams a commandé à Cruz l’écriture d’une pièce solo en trois mouvements après avoir entendu ses Five Pieces in C dans l’émission de radio internationale Classical Guitar Alive. McWilliams a demandé que le premier mouvement soit en forme sonate-allegro, suivi de deux autres pièces reflétant les choix de tempo d’une sonatine en trois mouvements typique. Comme c’est le cas pour la plupart des œuvres de Cruz, cette Sonatine a été achevée en tant que musique pure, sans programme sous-jacent. Cependant, dans sa quête de trouver des titres autres que des indications de tempo, Cruz a extrait trois mots de la correspondance entre lui-même et McWilliams qui, ensemble, ajoutent une touche personnelle à la collection tout en suggérant une progression des événements d’une journée imaginaire.

Un point d’intérêt dans le premier mouvement, le thème A : Cruz commence sur l’accord IV et évite intentionnellement d’utiliser un accord I tout au long de la pièce. Bien que la section B commence dans la tonalité de dominante, elle se dirige rapidement vers un centre tonal de ré majeur.

Festival (3ème mouvement) utilise un thème d’ouverture bitonal : mi majeur dans la voix supérieure tandis que la ligne de basse utilise mi mineur.

In September of 2018, guitarist, Toby McWilliams commissioned Cruz to write a three-movement guitar solo after hearing his Five Pieces in C on the internationally syndicated radio show, Classical Guitar Alive. McWilliams requested the first movement to be in sonata-allegro form followed by two other pieces that reflect the tempo choices of a typical three-movement sonatina. As is the case with most of Cruz’s music, this Sonatina was completed as music written for music’s sake. However, in his quest to find titles other than tempo markings, Cruz plucked three words from the correspondence between himself and McWilliams that together, add a personal touch to the collection while suggesting a progression of an imaginary day’s events.

A point of interest in the first movement, A theme: Cruz begins on the IV chord and intentionally avoids using a proper I chord throughout. While the B section does begin in the dominant key, it moves quickly towards a D major tonal center.

Festival (3rd movement) uses a bitonal opening theme: E major in the top voice while the bass line uses E minor.

SKU: FG.55011-642-9

ISBN 9790550116429.

Kalevi Aho's Piano Concerto No. 2 is scored for a string orchestra comprising just twenty players. The first performance took place at the concluding concert of the 2003 Mantta Music Festival, in Vilppula Church on 29th June. The soloist was Antti Siirala and the strings of the Lahti Symphony Orchestra were conducted by Osmo Vanska. The demanding piano writing is primarily a consequence of Siirala's remarkable command of the 'Beethovenian-Lisztian-Brahmsian' pianistic tradition. At times the piano part is lean and linear, but the work also contains multi-layered, full-toned piano textures and massive rolling octaves. The concerto requires great artistry on the part of the performer. The Second Piano Concerto lasts roughly half an hour and comprises three untitled movements played without a break. The first movement and the finale are extremely fast; these outer movements contain plenty of playful music. The slow second movement is more serious in tone, and its piano texture is very ample. The difficult cadenza at the end of the finale brings more serious emotions to the coda as well.

SKU: CL.011-1723-00

This setting of a beautiful melody with decidedly Latin harmonic suggestions forms a delightful band vehicle. Although rhythmically quite simple, the broad melodic lines and rich chordal variety will bring the best out of any band.