SKU: HL.14005345

ISBN 9780711938335.

A Vision was written for the tenor Anthony Rolfe Johnson and commissioned by the London Mozart Players. The first performance was at the Gregynog Festival in June 1991. Geoffrey Burgon has set 7 poems of John Clare (1793-1846) and the poems that Burgon has chosen were all written whilst Clare was in Northampton Asylum. The work is scored for tenor and string orchestra. There is a prominent part for solo violin, which reflects Clare's love of that instrument and upon which he would play folk tunes and dances.

SKU: SU.28120010

Ballet Suite in 5 movements (revised version)3222; 4331; timp, perc, hp, pno; stgs Duration: 24' Composed: 2008 Published by: Alla Pavlova Music Although it maintains the charm of the original Hans Christian Andersen tale, Alla Pavlova's Thumbelina is a considerable musical, visual and narrative expansion of the story to make it suitable as a full-length ballet and family-programming alternative to The Nutcracker. Musically, it is scored for full symphony orchestra ([3,2,2,2]-[4,3,3,1]-[timp.,perc.]-[Hp]-[Strings], Percussion: Bass dr., Snare dr., Wooden Block, Tambourine, Triangle, Glock., Vibraphone, Celesta) and contains not only many beautiful, lyrical and moving waltzes and other classical themes, but also rhythms such as tango, boogie-woogie and ragtime. Narratively, the story has been adapted to include a varied and colorful cast of characters. The Thumbelina Suite (which has been recorded by the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra for Naxos) can be heard at http://www.allapavlova.com/listen.html or by clicking on the image below. She has created a synopsis of the ballet, which is of course based on the Andersen fairy tale. We’ll gladly send this synopsis on request. Recording: 21st Century Classics – Naxos 8.579003 Performance materials available on rental only:.

SKU: FG.55011-610-8

ISBN 9790550116108.

Two Mythical Scenes for orchestra was completed in 1956, when Sallinen was Aarre Merikanto's composition student for his second term. The work received its premiere performance only after a good deal of pressure from Prof. Merikanto's side, and was finally premiered in a concert by the Sibelius Academy Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Jussi Jalas. The work received opus number 1, as it was the first publicly performed work by Sallinen.
The composer has told that he was inspired by a 1947 book published by the Finnish Literary Society (SKS) Myytillisia kuvia (Mythical Scenes/Images). The second movement of the work, Kalmanvaen joulukirkko (The Christmas Service of the Dead) is based on the stories in which the dead rise from their graves early in the Christmas Day morning to attend their own special ceremony led by a dead priest. The opening movement Kulkue (Procession) depicts the dead in a procession towards the church.
In 2020 Sallinen revised the score slightly. In his own words with very small changes helping the sixty years younger and less experienced self. The revisions mostly concerned nuances and dynamics, bowings and some bridges. The original structure, rhythmic and harmonic world is still the same as they were when young Sallinen composed the work in 1956.

SKU: HL.14027994

ISBN 9788759864593.

New York is the city which fascinates and inspires Ruders. Time and again he goes back there to work. 'Manhattan Abstraction' (1982) subtitles - a symphonic skyline for large orchestra - was conceived there. Ruders' Brittish colleague Oliver Knussen defines the piece as: - a performance of an extraordinary Morden-Times-like construction. It is a sort of symphonic sculpture, which in the composer's own words words propels forth from one particular inspiration: the New York profile, as seen from Liberty Island, one icy cold January day with it's open, clear sky and dazzling sun light. 'Manhatten Abstraction' appears as an amalgam of some of the compositorical habits found in present pieces. For instance, are present here compositorical ideas and melodic loans from 'Capriccio Pian'e Forte', 2nd String Quartet(1979), 'Four Compositions' (1980), and 2nd Piano Sonata(1982). The question at hand is mainly concerned with the enhanced elaboration of Ruders' use of the classic English change-ringing system: a permuting method pre-determining the order of tone-appearances and /or tone groups; a serial technique in other words. In spite of the rigidly fixed material, Ruders somehow manages to chisel out a personal expression by way of emphasising contrasting elements already existing within the material itself. The spiky, repetitive sections form a counterpart to a more human violin-solo. This dialectical tension is - as hinted by the title - a symphonic abstraction of a fascinating metropolis; the most beautiful and the ugliest. The subtitle: a symphonic skyline reflects the musical erection of the Manhattan profile, which under the clear sky, materializes into the most powerful and compelling man-made sculpture on earth. Thus 'Manhattan Abstraction' is a homage to, as well as a vision of, this giant contraption of concrete, glass, and chrome.

SKU: EC.RBM-253

Casey at the Bat was commissioned in 2001 by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra as a part of their Americana concert series from that season. The work is a colorful and highly descriptive narrative setting of the famous poem, “Casey at the Bat” by Ernest Lawrence Thayer, first published in an 1885 edition of The San Francisco Chronicle.(The poetry has been slightly paraphrased from the original to replace some arcane terminology.)This composition was conceived in a distinctly cartoonish style – reminiscent of the orchestral music so masterfully created by Carl Stalling and other great film score writers during the Golden Age of the animated short. In addition to brief quotes from Till Eulenspiegel of Richard Strauss, the melody from Take Me Out to the Ballgame (Tilzer-Norworth) is interpolated throughout the fabric of the piece (although the lyrics are never sung).The first performance of this work took place during the Spring of 2001, under the baton of Richard Kaufman and featuring Pat Sajak as narrator of the well-known poem.Audio excerpts from a matchless narrative performance of this piece by Shakespearean actor Sir Derek Jacobi (with the National Symphony of London and the composer conducting) are included below for perusal purposes. The full performance may be purchased as an audio file from Kodanja Records of Dallas, TX. ( dur: 8’ )

SKU: CA.2300403

ISBN 9790007240790. English/German. Text: Newman, John Henry.

This is the best of me, wrote Edward Elgar after the final measure of his Dream of Gerontius. Premiered in 1900, in Great Britain the work has long been a standard work in the repertoire of large oratorio choirs. Elgar's moving, poetic setting of the eponymous poem by Cardinal John Henry Newman is about a dying man and his journey beyond death to God. Before the eyes of the listeners, a musical image of the soul is created which flies past mocking demons to God with its protecting angel at its side, is allowed to look at God briefly, then faces the purgatory confident and comforted. The work is a real rarity in the history of oratorio, and for large choirs it is a thrilling alternative to the established repertoire of Requiem settings. Its popularity is thanks to the suggestive, often sensuous power of the music, the great choral scenes of the demons and the angels, and the three impressive solo parts.All previous editions were reprints based on the historic first printed materials, which are inconsistent. By contrast, Carus has produced a modern, newly-engraved edition, compatible in all sections, which takes all the sources into consideration and evaluates the autograph manuscript in detail. For this edition the complete orchestral material is available on sale, and the vocal score and full score contain both English and German singing texts. The full score is also available digitally.*,A milestone of late Romantic choral music, and a standard work in Great Britain*,First modern score with a full Critical Report and complete performance material- English and german singing texts