SKU: HL.14037707
ISBN 9781849385916. UPC: 884088578626. 8.25x11.75x0.262 inches.
Kevin Volans' String Quartet No. 9: Shiva Dances was commissioned by BBC Radio 3 and first performed by the Smith Quartet at the 2004 Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival.Kevin Volans (the composer) notes on the piece:In the past I have been interested in trying to go beyond historicism (1970s), beyond style(1980s) and beyond form (1990s) in my work. Looking back over the music of the twentiethcentury I was struck by the fact the nearlyall of it is extremely 'busy', almost cluttered. Italmost seemed that composers felt compelled to look industrious. In the new millennium Ithought it would be interesting to try and eliminate content. I also aspired to movingfrommusic (sound as art) to art (art as sound). This, of course, has already been done by a numberof composers (many from New York - Phil Niblock and La Monte Young, to name but two), butit was something I had never tried.AlthoughI found it annoying that the label 'minimalist' was given to my African-based work,and fearing this would make the label stick, I set out to write a piece which reflected my loveof minimal painting and architecture. The Japanesehave a term 'wabi' meaning 'voluntarypoverty' or 'emptiness' to describe their restrained minimal aesthetic, an aesthetic which,however, pays greatest attention to the quality of material and fine detail. I like to think thatthelack of excessive pitch material in this piece reflects a kind of voluntary poverty.When Shiva is portrayed dancing (as Nataraj) He is depicted in a circle of flames crushing asmall figure - the ego - underfoot.You get theimpression He dances on the spot, not movingaround at all. I like that.The piece is dedicated to Pablo Pascual Cilleruelo.
SKU: PR.11440902S
UPC: 680160013708.
The quartet begins with a 5-note motif, played in unison that permeates melodically and harmonically throughout the movement. The energetic and hard-driven character of the second musical idea propels the music forward with fast moving notes and greater urgency. It often alternates with the more lyrical rendition of the 5-note motif, yielding contrasting sections. After a brief coda, the 5-note motif concludes the movement much the same way it had begun but with greater intensity. The second movement explores the world of fantasy. To some extent the beginning and the ending of the movement function as the opening and closing doors that separate the reality from the dream and subconscious. It is one continuous movement in an arch form that gradually accelerates to an expansive emotional climax and returning steadily to the surface led by an ethereal solo cello. The transcendent ending is similar to the beginning, though half step higher. The third movement begins boldly with the 5-note motif transformed into a dance character in a compound meter. The asymmetrical meter of the Persian folk music influences much of the rhythmic character of the movement. The return of many materials from earlier movements interwoven into the fabric of this movement reinforces the cyclical and organic character of the quarter. Particularly, a mysterious passage, reminiscence of the second movement leading to a brief full-blown ballad is a favorite moment of Ranjbaran's in the quartet. A blazingly virtuosic viola leads the quartet to an uplifting conclusion.
SKU: PR.144407270
UPC: 680160681891. 9 x 12 inches.
My Eighth and Ninth String Quartets, begun in late 2017, are sonic cousins. Akin to real cousins, each piece exhibits differing natures. They were requested by two ensembles that have become asecond familiesa to me: The Jupiter Quartet of Urbana, Illinois and the Amernet Quartet based in Miami, Florida. Their collective dedication to, and care for, our art remains a personal and constant are-fuelinga for me. The quartets were commissioned by, and dedicated to, Margaret and Philip Verleger of Denver, Colorado. Additional financial support was provided by the School of Music at Stetson University, Timothy Peter, Dean. Quartet No.8 is laid out in a classical four-movement design. The work does break somewhat from conventional tradition by often placing quartet members into soloistic roles as the movement titles note. individual The opening piece presents at the outset a three-note motto which is turned over, tumbled, and energetically discussed, primarily by a violin duet. It is a duel. The two players part company only infrequently during the movement's progress, pausing briefly for other commentary by their alower cohortsa, the Viola and Cello do not argue, but abet their friends' aeffortsa. The piece's overall character is fairly bright and dancelike, closing in an unresolvedastandoffa. not Two principal asound-objectsa stitch the second movement scherzo together: sliding hands (glissandos) and a plucked ashufflea (pizzicato) - both instigated by the (solo) cellist. The others are influenced - or are not - by their aleadera, and follow - or interrupt - the cello throughout their four-voiced conversation. The third movement (longest of the set) is an elegy dedicated to the memory of a close personal friend, the American composer David Maslanka (1943 - 2017). Its' genesis is a simple 5-note melody derived from my own name (SaC/DaC/EaC/H). This line commences in the (solo) viola and is obsessively uttered without relief during the movement's lamentations. The closing movement revisits much of that opening three-note material, but now dressed up for the full quartet to view. It is a slowly accelerating romp which - twice - cannot avoid a nod to the Amernet and Jupiter performers by offering a humble bow to the 4th movement of Gustav Holst's PLANETS - Jupiter: The Bringer of Jollity. My quartet serves as an honouring salute of thanks for the talent, respect, and friendship of these two young quartets. STRING QUARTET No. 8 is roughly 22 minutes in duration. It was written as an homage to Franz Joseph Haydn, my adesert-island-composera, and completed in Holly Hill, Florida in early April of 2019. S.H.
SKU: PR.14440727S
UPC: 680160681907. 9 x 12 inches.
SKU: PR.11441516S
UPC: 680160600915. 8.5 x 11 inches.
Adler's ninth turn at string quartet composition was written for the Esterhazy Quartet, who were pleased to perform the world premiere in April, 2009 with the composer in attendance. Violinist Susan Jensen described the work as energetic, spirited, humorous and celebratory. The premiere follows an all-Adler 80th birthday celebration by the Esterhazy in the previous year, so this new String Quartet No. 9 is a treat. Three of the four movements proceed at a fast pace, and the Quartet is for advanced performers.
SKU: PR.114415160
UPC: 680160600892. 8.5 x 11 inches.
SKU: HL.14035177
ISBN 9780711979406. 8.25x11.75x0.142 inches.
Irish composer Kevin Volans' work has gained international acclaim over the years. Drawing on a combination of European and African compositional techniques, his music displays a unique charm. Volans' distinctive sound is heavily in demand, and since the mid-1980s his work has been performed regularly at such venues as the Pompidou Centre, the Royal Albert Hall and the Lincoln Center in New York. This work for string quartet was commissioned by the Shobana Jeyasingh Dance Company, and was first performed on the 16th December 1990 at the Almeida Theatre, London, by the Smith Quartet. Score. Parts available: CH61342.
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