SKU: HL.14020990
ISBN 9780711923904. 5.5x7.5x0.283 inches.
If Davies's Cello Concerto has already evoked comparisons with Elgar's, that is perhaps an indication not only of its wealth of solo melody (there is hardly a page where the cello is not singing, or if not that, then dancing), and of its predominantly slow tempos, but also of its musical stature. This second Strathclyde concerto is a virtuoso piece for the entire ensemble, which is used almost throughout as a clutch of soloists rather than as a tutti block. The general tone is one of passionate but interior dialogue, especially in the opening Moderato and the slow movement; and though the finale is more extrovert, the work ends back in quietness and rumination.
SKU: HL.14008406
ISBN 9780711948716.
A work for solo violin and orchestra, commissioned by Donald McDonald for the 21st birthday of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and the 60th birthday of the composer. It was first performed in November 1993 in Glasgow, by James Clark and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra conducted by Maxwell Davies. The spell is one quoted by George Mackay Brown in his book An Orkney Tapestry: 'Let not plough be put to acre except a fiddle cross first the furrow.' Davies's dancing concerto imagines the fiddler following a route from field to field, from dance to dance, accompanied by a bunch of companions in the form of an orchestra. As the music goes on, so it gets brighter and livelier, moving from the dark colouring of clarinets, bassoons and strings to full ensemble with prominent brass and (solo) tuned percussion, as if the dancers as much as the fields were beginning to glow with new life. Score (miniature). Duration c. 20mins.
SKU: HL.14013846
12.0x16.5x0.514 inches.
SKU: HL.14008396
ISBN 9780711921337. 8.5x12.0x0.533 inches.
This work was commissioned by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra to celebrate its 40th birthday. The first performance took place in June 1986 at St. Magnus' Cathedral, Kirkwall, as part of the tenth St. Magnus Festival. Written for and first performed by Isaac Stern, Davies's Violin Concerto brings together two streams in his music: symphonism and folk-fiddling. In its strongly developed substance, it asks to be measured in the company of Beethoven, Brahms and Sibelius, while there is also, particularly in the middle movement, a strong element of the Scots lament. The orchestra is generally muted in colour, though there is a dramatic role for the timpanist. There are three movements, played without a break - this is only one of many connections with the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto. Duration c. 30mins.
SKU: BR.PB-5509
The concertos in A minor and B flat major were first written as violoncello concertos between 1750 and 1753. They thus rank among the very first concertos for solo cello in Germany.
ISBN 9790004211694. 9 x 12 inches.
The concertos in A minor, B flat major and A major were first written as violoncello concertos between 1750 and 1753. They thus rank among the very first concertos for solo cello in Germany. The A minor Concerto, composed in 1750, is performed quite frequently today. C. P. E. Bach most likely wrote the Concerto in B flat major Wq. 171 as the last of the little work group in 1753 in Potsdam, at the court of King Frederick the Great. He reworked the composition for flute and harpsichord shortly thereafter. Various sources prove that copies of the work had made it known quite extensively in the second half of the 18th century. In his new Urtext edition, Ulrich Leisinger bases himself on two reliable manuscripts.
SKU: FG.55011-608-5
ISBN 9790550116085.
Aulis Sallinen (b. 1935) is one of the most famous Finnish contemporary composers. In his early instrumental works, Sallinen was still seeking to establish a style of his own. He had studied at the Sibelius Academy in the late 1950s, first with Aarre Merikanto - a composer representing a national brand of Neoclassicism - and then with Joonas Kokkonen, at that time just transitioning from Neoclassicism to dodecaphony. Twelve-tone music had won fairly widespread acceptance in contemporary Finn-ish music, and Sallinen was influenced, too. The Variations are Sallinen's first real work for the cello - an instrument that would later be one of his favourites, its warm, deep voice corres-ponding to his music's often dark undercurrent. The Variations for Cello and Orchestra, Op. 5 were composed in 1961-1962 and premiered in October 1962. The basic motif consists of a set of three descending intervals stated by the cello at the beginning: D-D flat-F, C-B-G and B flat-A-F sharp. Their use as basic material is a ref-lection of the composer's dodecaphony-oriented period, and variation of this material provides the framework for the piece. Variations for Cello and Orchestra are now published for the first time. Available are a reduction for cello and piano, study score and complete performance material with orchestra.
SKU: BR.PB-5354
Bach's manuscript leaves several questions unanswered.
ISBN 9790004211533. 9 x 12 inches.
When an editorial formula proves to be as compelling as in the case of the E-major Concerto BWV 1042, then its obvious that it is going to be applied again: this time to Klaus Hofmanns new Urtext edition of the A-minor Concerto. Bachs manuscript leaves several questions unanswered. The slurring, particularly in the solo part, is once again equivocal and inconsistent. Bach himself expected his performers to be creative, which is why the interpretative suggestions of Baroque expert Sigiswald Kuijken are particularly welcome. The edition for violin and keyboard instrument (with continuo ad lib.) once again contains three violin parts (the first unmarked, the second with markings and comments by Sigiswald Kuijken, the third as a facsimile). This provides well-grounded stimuli for ones own personal interpretation based on historically informed performance practice. The keyboard arrangement by Siegfried Petrenz is transparent and easy to play. A violoncello part has been added for chamber-music.Bach's manuscript leaves several questions unanswered.
SKU: BR.PB-5531-07
Beethoven would probably have loved to be able to commission a new edition of his violin concerto from Clive Brown, since he is one of the top specialists, with a profound knowledge and experience of performance practice in Beethoven's day.
ISBN 9790004212608. 6.5 x 9 inches.
What with all the traditional editions available on the market, can we still expect new readings? This is what editor Clive Brown asked himself as he meticulously examined the often conflicting sources. The result is a wealth of new readings in the score, which deserve as much attention as the extensively commented arrangement for violin and piano. The treatment of the solo instrument is particularly interesting: next to the Urtext solo part, the edition also contains a historically informed and marked-up part with fingerings and bowings that go back to Franz Clement, the soloist of the premiere performance, and to the Viennese performance tradition of Beethovens time. For violinists of today, this is a treasure trove of new, innovative ideas and suggestions for the individual shaping of the part.
SKU: HL.14004538
ISBN 9780853608318. 0.228 inches.
Commissioned by the BBC for Moray Welsh and the BBC Symphony Orchestra and first performed in Cheltenham in 1993. Facsimile Study Score. Duration c. 25 minutes.
SKU: BT.EMBZ14893
The concerto was inspired by István Várdai's play and is dedicated to him. The triple movement structure and the character of the movements follow the patterns of classical concertos, while the thematic connections spanning the movements rather reflect the structural principles of Romantic symphonies. In the first movement, which resembles the form of a sonata, the characters of the themes are spectacularly separated. The motif of the main theme, constructed with glissandos, is supplemented by a theme the composer refers to as a motif of fate, and the two together form a significant contrast with the minor theme with its lyrical tone and the playful, ending themeresembling a children's song. The contrasts between depth and height, as well as darkness and light, have a significant role in all three movements. The music of the first movement gradually rises to increasingly bright and higher regions, the gloomy atmosphere of the marginal parts in the second movement is offset by the tune's transcendental light in its central part, while the rondo theme of the third movement with its 6/8 metre dance-like character is supplemented with motifs of a contrasting nature from the earlier movements.
