SKU: PR.11641867S

UPC: 680160683208.

Contextures: Riots -Decade '60 was commissioned by Zubin Mehta and the Southern California Symphony Association after the successful premiere of the Concerto for Four Percussion Soloists and Orchestra. It was written during the spring and summer months of 1967. Riots stemming from resentment against the racial situation in the United States and the war in Vietnam were occurring throughout the country and inevitably invaded the composer's creative subconscious. Contextures, as the title implies, was intended to exploit various and varying textures. As the work progressed the correspondence between the fabric of music and the fabric of society became apparent and the allegory grew in significance. So I found myself translating social aspects into musical techniques. Social stratification became a polymetric situation where disparate groups function together. The conflict between the forces of expansion and the forces of containment is expressed through and opposition of tonal fluidity vs. rigidity. This is epitomized in the fourth movement, where the brass is divided into two groups - a muted group, encircled by the unmuted one, which does its utmost to keep the first group within a restricted pitch area. The playful jazzy bits (one between the first and second movements and one at the end of the piece) are simply saying that somehow in this age of turmoil and anxiety ways of having fun are found even though that fun may seem inappropriate. The piece is in five movements, with an interlude between the first and second movements. It is scored for a large orchestra, supplemented by six groups of percussion, including newly created roto-toms (small tunable drums) and some original devices, such as muted gongs and muted vibraphone. There is also an offstage jazz quartet: bass, drums, soprano saxophone and trumpet. The first movement begins with a solo by the first clarinetist which is interrupted by intermittent heckling from his colleagues leading to a configuration of large disparate elements. The interlude of solo violin and snare-drum follows without pause. The second movement, Prestissimo, is a display piece of virtuosity for the entire orchestra. The third movement marks a period of repose and reflection and calls for some expressive solos, particularly by the horn and alto saxophone. The fourth movement opens with a rather lengthy oboe solo, which is threatened by large blocks of sound from the orchestra, against an underlying current of agitated energy in the piano and percussion. This leads to a section in which large orchestral forces oppose one another, ultimately bringing the work to a climax, if not to a denouement. Various thematic elements are strewn all over the orchestra, resulting in the formation of a general haze of sound. A transition leads to the fifth movement without pause. The musical haze is pierced gently by the offstage jazz group as if they were attempting to ignore and even dispel the gloom, but a legato bell sound enters and hovers over both the jazz group and the orchestra, the latter making statements of disquieting finality. Two films were conceived to accompany portions of Contextures. The first done by Herbert Kosowar, was a chemography film (painting directly into the film using dyes and various implements) with fast clips of riot photographs. The second was a film collage made by photographically abstracting details from paintings of Reginald Pollack. The purpose was to invoke a non-specific response - as in music - but at the same time to define the subject matter of the piece. The films were constructed to correspond with certain developments in the piece and in no way affect the independence and musical flow of the piece, having been made after the piece was completed. Contextures: Riots - Decade '60 is dedicated to Mehta, the Southern California Symphony Association and the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. The news of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King came the afternoon of the premiere, April 4, 1968. That evening's performances, and also the succeeding ones, were dedicated to him and a special dedication to Dr. King has been inserted into he score. All the music that follows the jazz group - beginning with the legato bell sound playing the first 2 notes to We shall overcome constitutes a new ending to commemorate Dr. King's death.

SKU: PR.416415720

UPC: 680160636150.

Illuminating Journey is composed to celebrate Maestro Carl St. Clair's 25th Anniversary season with Pacific Symphony. Maestro St. Clair is one of the few conductors who has dedicated his time to new music and support for living composers. I first encountered Maestro St. Clair in 2004 when I was one of the finalists for the Young Composers Competition. After I won that competition, I had an opportunity to work with Maestro St. Clair on the piece that he commissioned for the Pacific Symphony in 2005. That's the beginning of the journey of our friendship. Illuminating Journey is inspired by Maestro St. Clair's personality and the music he loved. The piece is mainly based on the pitch material from Maestro St. Clair's name CARL which can be translated as C = C, A = A, R = Re, and L = La. That pitch material already has the character of Illuminating sound for the open 5th and octave. The piece also incorporates some musical references that have some meaning for Maestro St. Clair, such as the hopefulness of the melodic intervals from West Side Story, There's a Place for Us, composed by Leonard Bernstein, who was also Maestro St. Clair's mentor. Illuminating Journey starts with the rhythmic motion of the pitch C and moves on to create a set of pitches. The note C functions as a center for the endless energy of this piece and creates a triumphant ending. I would personally like to thank Maestro St. Clair for his dedication on my music and his friendship throughout the past 10 years. The work with Maestro St. Clair and the Pacific Symphony was an early step in my career as a composer. I often mentioned that I may not be able to come this far without that part of my life. Thank you very much, Maestro St. Clair and the Pacific Symphony. Let's celebrate our Illuminating Journey together.

SKU: HL.48182456

UPC: 888680831288. 7.0x10.5x0.313 inches.

“Composed in 1964, Et Exspecto Resurrectionem Mortuorum is a religious piece by Olivier Messiaen which title means ?And I wait for the resurrection of the dead?. Commissioned by André Malraux, this orchestra lasts approximately 35 minutes and was written for the commemoration of the dead in the world wars. It features five movements: I. ”“Des profondeurs de l'abîme, je crie vers toi, Seigneur: Seigneur, écoute ma voix!”“ II. ”“Le Christ, ressuscité des morts, ne meurt plus; la mort n'a plus sur lui d'empire.”“ III. ”“L'heure vient où les morts entendront la voix du Fils de Dieu...”“ IV. ”“Ils ressusciteront, glorieux, avec un nom nouveau -- dans le concert joyeux des étoiles et les acclamations des fils du ciel.”“ V. ”“Et j'entendis la voix d'une foule immense...”“ This is the conductor's score which includes all parts. Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992) was a French Organist and composer passionate about Ornithology and one of the most important composers of his century. Inspired by Japanese music, he had a very special way of composing and his work can be identified by its complexity, its diatonic aspect, its harmony with limited transposition, its colour and its additive rhythms. He composed many works related to ornithology and birdsongs, including the Bird Catalogue in 7 volumes and the Treatise on rhythm, colour and ornithology in 7 volumes.”.

SKU: HL.51489064

UPC: 840126937640. 6.75x9.5x0.214 inches.

The twelve “London Symphonies” comprise the sublime final statement of Haydn's symphonic oeuvre. They were written for the London impresario Johann Peter Salomon, and Haydn himself conducted their premieres during his lengthy stays in the English metropolis in 1791/92 and 1794/95. Hailing from 1791, the Symphony in D major no. 96 numbers among the first symphonies written in and for London. The epithet given to it by posterity, “The Miracle”, was bestowed erroneously, for the miracle - that no one was injured when a chandelier fell during a concert - took place during a performance of a different Haydn symphony. And yet it is a miracle of musical esprit nonetheless; from the subtle relations between the motives consisting of broken triads that open all four movements, to the virtuosic shifts in mood owing to surprising harmonies, Haydn here submits a prime example of how he develops musical ideas. This study edition adopts the musical text of the Haydn Complete Edition, thereby guaranteeing the highest scholarly quality. An informative preface and a brief Critical Report make the handy score an ideal companion for all current and soon-to-be Haydn fans.

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SKU: HL.48185342

UPC: 888680837099. 10.5x13.5x0.51 inches.

Illuminations on the Afterlife - Part 2, VII to XI is the second part of this religious orchestral piece by Olivier Messiaen composed between 1987 and 1991. This conductor edition features the movements VII to XI of the orchestra. VII. Et Dieu essuiera toute larme de leurs yeux? (And God will dry the tears from their eyes) VIII. Les etoiles et la Gloire (Stars and Glory) IX. Plusieurs oiseaux des arbres de vie (Birds from trees of life) X. Le chemin de l?Invisible (Path to the Invisible) XI. Le Christ, lumiere du Paradis (Christ, light of the Paradise) The full orchestra lasts approximately one hour and was commissioned by the New York Symphonic Orchestra. It incorporates some birdsong from Oceania and some modes of limited transposition. Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992) was a French organist and composer passionate about Ornithology and one of the most important composers of his century. Inspired by Japanese music, he had a very special way of composing and his work can be identified by its complexity, its diatonic aspect, its harmony with limited transposition, its colour and its additive rhythms. He composed many works related to ornithology and birdsong, including the 'Bird Catalogue' in 7 volumes and the 'Treatise on rhythm, colour and ornithology' in 7 volumes..