SKU: BR.EB-9342

ISBN 9790004188064. 9 x 12 inches.

Gletscher uben eine unglaubliche Faszination aus. Das strahlende Blau des blanken Gletschereises ist einzigartig, aber es kann in noch viel mehr Farben schimmern. Uber Jahrtausende hat sich gezeigt, dass der Gletscher lebt. Er wachst und zieht sich zuruck, altert, scheint zu atmen, kann toten und sterben. Wenn genugend Schnee fallt, wird der Gletscher ,,geboren. Die unteren Schichten Schnee werden von den oberen zusammengepresst und die Metamorphose des Schnees zu Gletschereis beginnt. In den unteren Lagen wird der Druck immer hoher und Luft entweicht. Aus den filigranen Eiskristallen von Neuschnee entstehen stramme Aggregatklumpen. Bei immer grosseren Eismassen kommt es zu einem Impuls der Bewegung durch die Gravitation und Eigendynamik aufgrund der Masse. All diese Gedanken habe ich in meinem ,,Gletscherquartett in Musik gesetzt. Auch naturliche Klimaschwankungen und der Klimaeinfluss des Menschen werden in den vier Streicherstimmen horbar. Denn in den letzten Jahrzehnten schmelzen Gletscher im Rekordtempo. Seit 2000 verlieren etwa die Alpengletscher zwei bis drei Prozent an Volumen pro Jahr, vorher war es jahrlich nur ein Prozent. Nicht umsonst wird der Gletscher als ,,Fieberthermometer des Weltklimas bezeichnet. (Manuela Kerer, 2018).

SKU: HL.49047454

UPC: 842819101086. 9.0x12.0x0.358 inches.

My 3rd String Quartet is in six contrasted movements. Certain musical figures recur across the work, but there are few themes as such. The main emphasis is on contrast of mood, texture, harmony, pacing and timing. Unlike many of my works this quartet had no extra-musical inspiration, and in principle should have no subtitle. Certain features already present in my music became more prominent in this new work: modes (limited collections of pitches) have always helped me to focus musical character, but here a sense of key note for each mode became much more pronounced, as did the difference between modes for each section of the work. A sort of hybrid key-system emerged (even with equivalents of major and minor) which is not normal tonality, nor does it aim to imitate it. Unlike tonality this key-system includes noises, extended performance techniques and intervals outside Western tuning as available resources. What I hope it does is to focus the listening experience onto different musical areas, to encourage a sense of both modulation from one area to another and to give the music a sense of goal. No conscious knowledge of this is needed when listening: the music should communicate directly on its own. Here, then, is this collection of six musical colours, related and unrelated, different yet belonging together, variable yet in a set order. Hence the subtitle, chosen both for both its sound and its sense: 'hana no hanataba' meaning, in Japanese, 'bouquet of flowers'. A brief description: 1) Moderately fast. Short droplets of sounds gather increasing momentum. 2) Very fast. Canons and bells at different speeds. 3) Very slow - fast - very slow - very fast - very slow. The main slow movement and its main scherzo. An emphasis on non-tempered tunings and on inhaling and exhaling waves of sound. The slow sections feature florid melodic writing. In the exuberant scherzo competing duos and trios create imaginary folk music. 4) Extremely fast/extremely slow. Open strings and harmonics fuse into a single string instrument - like a sort of large resonating Medieval tromba marina. 5) Very fast. A variation on movement 2). Variation, Schoenberg told Cage, is just a sort of repetition 'with some things changed and others not.' 6) Slow - Very Fast - Fast - Slow. The opening calm harmonies and florid melodies evoke movement 3) in different music. The fast part features one overt theme: a fanfare-like call to attention which is subject to extensive development. There is much use of non-Western tuning. At its climax the music freezes into a frieze - a wall of sound standing in front of the audience with increasing obstinacy and certainty as the work grinds towards its cadence.

SKU: SU.50028190

Copyrigh 1967. Published by: Seesaw Music.