SKU: ST.C463

ISBN 9790570814633.

This volume contains contrasting works by Federico Ruiz spanning quite a large and rich period of his compositional output that goes from his early Micro-Suite (1971), to lilting, sweet and rhythmic Venezuelan waltzes passing by the mysterious, intimate, and intense Nocturno (1994) plus pieces originally composed for film, and theatre. Real eclecticism in styles, moods and atmospheres that show Ruizâ??s talents and scope.

The Nocturno is a deep, intriguing, substantial piece presenting a satisfying length which moves from different paths of the mind and the heart written in an abstract, chromatic idiom, that does not dissociate itself from the Venezuelan waltz and the joropo. One could perhaps say that there is a deconstruction of the latter. For the interpretation, the composer has suggested to me that it is allowed to have some flexibility in the tempo. Ruiz kindly dedicated it to me, and I have had the pleasure of performing it in many concerts.

Although all highly expressive, the Three Venezuelan Waltzes present in this collection as well as the piece titled Aliseo, are works that are close to the colourful Venezuelan folk tradition. Federico Ruiz had given me two of them when we first met: â??Tu Presenciaâ?? (1981) and â??Eloísaâ?? (1989) and then I attended a performance of the play â??Office Number Oneâ?? by Miguel Otero Silva with a fantastic actor, Elba Escobar in the role of Carmen Rosa and, I just fell in love and was very moved by the incidental music that I later discovered, by reading the programme, had been written by Federico Ruiz. Later that evening, I called him and asked to please make a piano score of the composition, so I could have the desired piece in my hands. That is how â??Carmen Rosaâ? waltz (1987) came to exist in a piano version.

â??Eloisaâ?? is another Venezuelan waltz with more jazzy harmonies where precision in the rhythm and elegant playing is also essential, as it is in most of his pieces.

â??Tu Presenciaâ?? was dedicated to his mother, Margarita. It is written with the structure of the Venezuelan waltz, which consists of a nostalgic subject that leads to a faster, happier middle section where the typical graceful rhythm is given by the left-hand accompaniment figure of a dotted crotchet followed by a quaver and a crotchet.

The craft and magic found in the five movements of the Micro-Suite is based on a dodecaphonic row by Ernst Krenek. They remind us of the idiom of the Second Viennese School. These real miniatures seem to tell short stories. The â??Preludioâ?? is full of humour. I imagine dancing figures given by the jumps all over the keyboard and extreme dynamics; the phrases give the impression of a conversation with many questions and answers. The â??Invenciónâ?? is a kaleidoscopic piece where the hands mirror each other. The â??Passacagliaâ?? is the longest movement, at just over a minute where the prime motif is repeated three times on the bass line. For its construction Federico Ruiz uses as well the retrograde and the retrograde inversion of the twelve-tone series. It must be played expressively with dynamic contrasts between pianissimo and louder events. The â??Scherzoâ?? has repetitive motifs of a minor third in both hands and the â??Finalâ?? displays virtuosic passages for the pianist.

Aliseo was originally written for the film â??Aire libreâ? (1995), by Luis Armando Roche. It contains elements of diverse types of Venezuelan joropo. In the film, the character of Aliseo Carvallo is played by the composer himself who performs this piece on a harpsichord to welcome scientists Alexander von Humboldt and Aimé Bonpland one day at the turn of the 1800â??s, as a sample of the new music from the South American land. It presents the refinement of the late European classical era in fusion with Venezuelan folk music.

SKU: HL.48186489

UPC: 888680832667. 6.75x9.75 inches.

“AL 30 757 ' French Music for Mixed Choir Those who love choral singing often lament not knowing how to go about finding, among the heaps of scores written for multiple singers, the rare gem whose discovery would intensify the enjoyment of singing together. What unknown treasure might bring a programme the touch of originality that makes it stand out? As the fruit of long and hard research on the subject, this anthology of French pieces for choir is one we hope will go down in history. The first section is made up of original works written for choral ensemble: Gabriel Fauré's Op. 35 Madrigal exhales a melancholy sensuality that is shared to some degree by Reynaldo Hahn's Rondels ' and within this Renaissance pastiche lies a real masterpiece, 'Gardez le trait de la fenêtre'. Le Ballet des ombres, written by a young Berlioz, drinks from the whimsical source of Romanticism (Herder). The second section assembles choral transcriptions of melodies ' such as Beau soir by Debussy and Deux Prières by Milhaud ' along with excellent arrangements like 'Choral inappétissant' extracted from Satie's piano in Sports et divertissements. A treasure trove of pure delight.&rdquo.

SKU: HL.48024371

ISBN 9781540028310. UPC: 888680749378. 9x12 inches.

From the composer: When pianist Inon Barnatan asked me to write him a new work, he had a particular stipulation: that I somehow connect my piece with Ravel's Gaspard de la Nuit, which he would program alongside my new work. This seemed an intriguing proposition. I decided not to refer to any musical material in Gaspard, but took my cue from the textual elements that accompany the score. The title of the work comes from a collection of poems by Aloysius Bertrand. It is is generally translated as “The Treasurer (or Jewel Keeper) of the Night.&rdquo.

SKU: JU.JMG1355

ISBN 9781959503200. UPC: 850055807792.

From the pen of Lloyd Larson comes this versatile and highly useful piano collection. These all year long songs cover the gamut of the church year: Advent, Christmas, Lent/Holy Week, Palm Sunday, Lent, Easter, Pentecost, and Thanksgiving. Through the format of brief introits, interludes, and postludes (codas), these tasteful hymn and carol arrangements can be played with minimal rehearsal. And thanks to Lloyd’s careful and consistent craftmanship, each setting is a winner. This is a book that will become a treasured addition to your repertoire which you’ll use time after time!