SKU: HL.48186482
Reynaldo Hahn: Works for cello and piano [AL 30 749] For quite some time, posterity remembered Reynaldo Hahn (1874-1947) for just a handful of songs and the operetta Ciboulette, overlooking the incredible diversity of a catalogue as eclectic as it is appealing. Yet his chamber music contains many little-known treasures: thus, cellist Steven Isserlis, in his preface, hastens to hail the first modern edition of these two scores, which he regularly plays in recital, so much does their beauty enchant the audience. Published in 1911, the Two Improvisations on Irish Airs for cello and piano turn out to be the transcription of his first and third Preludes for piano four hands (1894). These folk themes come from the collection Songs of Old Ireland, published 12 years earlier by Charles Villiers Stanford: gracefully and tenderly, The Little Red Lark unfurls a melancholic tune of which the regular foundation respects the breadth of phrase typical of folk songs; in The Willow-Tree, the lover begs his beloved in vain to take him in her arms one last time before he lies down, lifeless, in the shade of the tree. Beyond this sensitive exploration of the Irish soul, Hahn offers us a journey into the past: the Variations chantantes sur un air ancien develop a theme borrowed from Cavalli?s opera Xerse. In this aria (1660 version: Act IV, sc. 6), Ambassador Periarco dreams of moving away from court intrigues to be able to taste the pleasures ?to which the gods have destined him?. Reynaldo Hahn?s variations succeed in maintaining the sweet simplicity of this theme, as noble as it is refined. Let us wager that this publication will delight cellists and pianists alike: it contains some nuggets. Deux improvisations sur des airs irlandais (The Little Red Lark, The Willow-Tree) Variations chantantes sur un air ancien.
SKU: PR.114422760
ISBN 9781491135785. UPC: 680160687855.
A heartfelt memorial to the composer’s sister, SAMBA FOR SUSAN bears a tempo marking of “Sensual,†and this 5-minute elegy is set as a slow bossa nova, full of the jazz flavor and syncopations of samba tradition. In the hands of this celebrated opera and theater composer, Gordon’s samba is a drama cast in a dance feel. Themes alternate, always returning transformed into fresh textures at each recurrence, creating a work that is catchy on first hearing, and reveals its depth upon repeated hearings.
SKU: HL.48025295
UPC: 196288174271.
Tangos, like ragtimes and waltzes, are an integral part of Elena Kats-Chernin's music, always in a new and varied form. In it, the composer allusively combines her present time with the classical tradition and high art with light music. Slicked Back Tango was originally composed in 1995 for piano four hands and has since been written for numerous other instrumentations. The music “harks back to the time of silent movies. I was thinking of the 1920s and film star Rudolph Valentino. The title refers to his hairstyleâ€, says Kats-Chernin.
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