The Dreamers - A Gothic Tale for Horn Trio by Niels Marthinsen. Programme note: The Dreamers for horn violin and piano is the sixth of a series of seven compositions named after Karen Blixen's collection of short stories Seven Gothic Tales. My musical gothic tales are written for very different ensembles - THE SUPPER AT ELSINORE is a saxophone quartet THE OLD CHEVALIER is for bass trombone and piano THE MONKEY is a chamber orchestra work - but they all share musical material in a criss-cross of contextual references reminiscent of Blixen's narrative complexity: Themes and motivs from one pieceappear in others in new and surprising shapes and combinations. Karen Blixen's THE DREAMERS has the most complex narrative structure of all her seven gothic tales. The story is made up of three tales with different narrators but with the same principal caracter in various disguises all three imbedded within a fourth tale that serves as a framework for the entire short story.The main story line unravels the life of a famous opera diva who looses her voice during a terrible fire. Before this her life was perpetual bliss and the tragedy drives her into assuming different personality guises in order to escape reality.Toward the end she is confronted with her true identity and dies.THE DREAMERS isn't 'about' anything. The music is inspired by the artistic content of Blixen's short story - it's emotionalism dramatic construction atmosphere period and settings - but unfolds in time and musical space in ways that are completely independent of the story's narrative progression...except one might say that the three players try their best to either catch or escape each other and that when they finally meet it happens abruptly even tragically - and only barely provides a little consolation.

I Broke Off A Golden Branch was commissioned and first performed by the Schubert Ensemble in 1992. The words ‘I broke off a golden branch’ come from a Croatian folksong which is very obliquely referred to inthe second of the work’s two movements. Judith Weir dedicated this lovely piece of chamber music for Violin Viola Cello Double Bass and Piano to William Howard. Full score. Violin Viola Cello and Double Bass partsare included separately as well. Duration ca. 15 minutes.Judith Weir is a British composer and Master of the Queen's Music. In 1994 Weir received the Critics’ Circle Music Section Award for the mostoutstanding contribution to British musical life.

Composed by the Czech composer Bohuslav Martinü in 1927, La Revue De Cuisine is a ballet initially created for a sextet. This score was reviewed and tailored for an Orchestra.
This ballet, talking about the life of kitchen utensils, is divided in ten sections:
1. Prologue (Allegretto)
2. Introduction (Tempo de marche)
3. Danse du moulinet autour du caudron (Poco meno)
4. Danse du chaudron et du couvercle (Allegro)
5. Tango (Danse d'amour. Lento)
6. Duel (Poco a poco allegro. Tempo di Charleston)
7. Entracte (Lamentation du chaudron. Allegro moderato)
8. Marche funèbre (Adagio)
9. Danse radieuse (Tempo di marche)
10. Fin du drame (Allegretto)
The story focuses on the marriage of the Pot and Lid which is put at risk by the Twirling Stick, and the music features some strong jazz influences.
Bohuslav Martinü(1890-1959) also wrote 13 other ballets, 15 operas and 6 symphonies and some orchestral and chamber music.
Instrumentation: Clarinet, Bassoon, Trumpet, Violin, Cello, Piano. / Partitions classique / Ensemble et orchestre / Musique de chambre / LEDUC