SKU: PR.114423360
UPC: 680160686285.
When the Newport Music Festival commissioned me for a piano trio in honor of their 2021 season, I looked for a topic that would celebrate an aspect of the Newport community. While researching the area, I was struck by the nine lighthouses situated around the island. The dual nature of lighthouses was particularly appealing to me: not only do they serve a vital role in the navigation of ships around rocks and land, but they are also a beautiful sight, particularly at night when their blinking beacons are clearly visible to the eye. It occurred to me that lighthouses link the past with the present, and will endure long into the future, with their beacons serving the same purpose for every generation.I became fascinated with the lighthouse on the property of Castle Hill Inn, located at the opening of the East Passage of the Narragansett Bay. This squat thirty-four foot granite structure was erected in 1890 on a very picturesque spot, right at the water’s edge. Its “characteristic,†the nautical term for each lighthouse’s unique light sequence that allows ships to identify the lighthouse, is to alternate on for three seconds, then off for three seconds. The lighthouse has also served as the starting and finish line for numerous high profile yacht races, as well as survived a massive hurricane in 1938, though the lighthouse keeper’s nearby residence wasn’t so lucky. American novelist Thornton Wilder wrote much of his 1973 novel Theophilus North while staying at the Castle Hill Inn; a passage from the book perfectly captures the dual nature of lighthouses:“At a later visit I was able to engage the pentagonal room in a turret above the house; from that magical room I could see at night the beacons of six lighthouses and hear the booming and chiming of as many sea buoys.â€In Beacon of the Bay, we first hear the lighthouse’s characteristic as its ruby light blinks on and off. This is followed by a simple theme that represents the lighthouse performing its solitary duty. As the piece progresses, we hear waves playfully lapping around its base, then yachts gracefully floating by; this is followed by a violent storm that churns the waves with so much force that they crash against the lighthouse’s granite body. But the steadfast lighthouse holds firm to the rocks, grandly blinking its ruby light. The music quiets back down to its simple theme, with yachts sailing by once more as the piece concludes.
SKU: PR.164002390
UPC: 680160038091.
I became interested in the work of Plato through my friend and collaborator, the writer and philosopher Paul Woodruff. Paul's new translation, with Alexander Nehamas, of the Symposium gave me insights into ancient Greek ways of thinking about Love, Beauty, and Wisdom -- and managed to keep the earthy, and often bawdy side of it all in full view. But their new translation of Plato's later dialogue Phaedrus went even further: the beauty of the speeches is breathtaking, and the discourse itself is enough to keep one awake at night. Basically the Great Speech of Socrates in the Phaedrus dialogue has to do with the place of Eros in the world, and with the conflict in the soul between fleshly pleasure and philosophic discovery. I will not attempt to encapsulate this brilliant discourse in a program note: suffice it to say that reading it gave rise to my two-sided work for clarinet, violin, and piano, Phaedrus. The first movement represents the Philosophic life, and is thus subtitled Apollo's Lyre (Invocation and Hymn). It begins with an unaccompanied melody for the clarinet, which (after a pair of harp-like flourishes for the piano, expands into an accompanied canon. The voices in the dialogue (clarinet and violin) follow each other by a prescribed number of beats, but the music is totally devoid of any meter at all. The piano, representing the lyre, accompanies this lyric love-feast with repeated strummed chords. The canon has three large sections, and ends with violin echoing the unaccompanied clarinet invocation as the sound of the lyre fades. The second movement, called Dionysus' Dream-Orgy (Ritual Dance) presents, after a brief introduction, another kind of unmetered music. Rather than long lyric flights of philosophic song, however, this time we hear a unison dance of unbridled energy and sensual transport. The piece soon forms itself into a loose arch form, with contrasting metered dance sections divided by the unison unmetered orgy tune. Midway through the movement, Apollo's melody returns from the first movement, but it is a temporary reminiscence. The orgiastic dance returns, reaches a climax, and ends with a stomping of feet. While Plato asserts that a proper balance between lust and reason is necessary in all men, he (naturally) gives the nod to Philosophy as the better choice in which to live. Not so in my music: the two sides are meant to coexist and to complement each other. No sides are taken. Phaedrus was commissioned of the Verdehr Trio by Michigan State University. It is dedicated to the Vedehr Trio with great affection and admiration.
SKU: PR.14440517S
UPC: 680160667888. 9 x 12 inches.
In 1979, Martin produced a set of three quintets, in consideration of Gorky's piece Nighttime Enigma Nostalgia. Each is scored for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, and piano. There are passages in Nostalgia that build using two layers, a louder foreground and a quieter background. Both of these layers are independent of specific instruments, in other words, the various instruments jump in to play a role in either layer, then jump to the other layer. It is as if the ensemble has doubled. The technical musical term for multiple instruments interweaving to produce a single thread or idea is called Klangfarbenmelodie (tone-color-melody). Because there are two layers (louder and softer), both using this technique, Nostalgia is a unique example of 'double Klangfarbenmelodie.' The piece ends with a series of intense rhythmic pulsations and several apocalyptic fanfares. (From the performance notes.).
SKU: PR.414411630
ISBN 9781491114551. UPC: 680160089956. 9.5 x 13 inches.
EXCURSIONS is a one-movement work exploring two “characters.†A rhapsodic, descending passage is introduced by the cello, followed by a static, chorale-like phrase for the violin and cello. Their individual developments are separated by a slow, contrasting middle section. The composer has written: “This is analogous to situations in life: we stand by a crossroad, choosing one option and forfeiting the other. But in art, the realm of the imagination, we can perhaps afford to pursue more than one route to its ultimate destination… or can we? It is symbolic that in this work both roads eventually lead to the same place.â€.Excursions for violin, cello and piano, is a one-movement work of tripartite structure in which materials explored in the first of three large sections are brought back in the last section. The traditional statement-contrast-restatement form, which is readily suggested by such a description, is, however, not at all in the mold in which the work is cast. Rather, my aim was to subject the essential materials of the piece (two “characters†–the rhapsodic, descending passage played by the cello in the very opening and, later, a static, slow moving, chorale-like phrase for the violin and cello) to two entirely different developments separated by a slow, contrasting middle section. This is analogous to an exploration of the ramifications that two divergent choices made by the same person might lead to. In life, as we stand by a crossroad, choosing one option usually means having to forfeit the other. But in art, the realm of the imagination, we can perhaps afford to pursue more than one route to its ultimate destination…or can we? It is, I believe, symbolic that in this work both roads eventually lead to the same place: in composing Excursions, it seemed absolutely inescapable that at the end the slow, contrasting middle sections – both more resigned and peaceful than the battling spirits of the outer parts – should return briefly to end the work. The piano trio combination (once highly favored, but to this composer still as challenging today) is approached here as a collaborative effort of three equal soloists – partners. Of the available pairings, the two strings find themselves occasionally approached as a team pitted against the piano. The cello-piano combination is also not uncommon here, and there is an extended violin cadenza toward the end of the piece. The writing for the three instruments is closely and at times interlinked, but the players are all instructed to play from scores. Excursions was first performed at Brandeis University in 1982.
SKU: PR.144407050
UPC: 680160655519. 9 x 12 inches.
Celebrating 30 years, the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society commissioned a work of 20-25 minutes for violin and piano from James Primosch, University of Pennsylvania professor of music. Primosch had originally thought to create a new sonata, but what developed is more appropriately a set of five character pieces, two of which were directly inspired by poems. Five Poems was premiered in May, 2016, and Primosch's thoughts are recorded at his website: https://jamesprimosch.com/2016/05/10/five-poems-premiere/.Upon receiving a commission from the Philadelphia Chamber MusicSociety for a violin and piano piece in honor of its 30th anniversary, myplan was to write a sonata, a term suggesting a relatively abstractdiscourse. But as the piece developed, the movements struck me ascharacter pieces rather than music employing a more “symphonicâ€approach. When specific poems started to attach themselves in my mindwith two of the movements, the overall title Five Poems became clear.The title of the second movement is a line from Susan Stewart’s“Descentâ€, which deals with Aeneas’s visit to the underworld. The musicis alternately fiercely driving and quite still, though tense. RobertFrost’s Nothing Gold Can Stay summons fleet scale passages framinglyrical counterpoint. The remaining movements do not refer to specificpoems, but have titles reflecting their expressive tone. Dreamscape ismusing with an improvisatory violin line over shifting pairs of pianochords. Nightsong is a bluesy lullaby that turns highly dramatic.Vision begins with a closely argued struggle but breaks through tosomething spacious and clear.
SKU: BT.EMBZ14935
Hungarian-English-German-French.
It's an unforgettable experience to go on stage for the first time and win applause with your playing. This album encourages children to make a first appearance and gives effective help in doing so. It brings together pieces that can be used to achieve real success they comprise easy arrangements of favorite works by Dowland, Vivaldi, Handel, Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Weber, Schubert, Schumann, Liszt, and Brahms. The CD enclosed with the publication includes recordings of the piano accompaniment for each piece and a full performance by noted Hungarian musicians. This CD makes practice at home easier and gives assistance with performance style as well. The publication offers numerouspieces of advice to young violinists, including how to get ready for a concert, how to control stage fright, and how to be confident on stage. In addition, it has features some charming illustrations by Edit Szalma. It’s an unforgettable experience to go on stage for the first time and win applause with your playing. This album encourages children to make a first appearance and gives effective help in doing so. It brings together pieces that can earn realsuccess: easy arrangements of favorite works by Dowland, Vivaldi, Handel, Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Weber, Schubert, Schumann, Liszt, Anton Rubinstein and Brahms. The CD enclosed with the publication includes recordings of the piano accompaniment for eachpiece and a full performance by noted Hungarian musicians. So the disc makes practice at home easier and gives assistance with performance style as well. The publication offers numerous pieces of advice to young violinists, including: how to getready for a concert, how to control stage fright, and how to be confident on stage. In addition, some charming illustrations by Edit Szalma are included.Es ist ein unvergessliches Erlebnis, wenn wir zum ersten Mal das Podium betreten und mit unserem Spiel Erfolg ernten. Dieses Album möchte die Kinder zu ihren ersten Auftritten ermuntern und ihnen dazu eine effektive Hilfestellung bieten. Es enthält deshalb lauter Stücke, mit denen man wirklich erfolgreich sein kann: leichte Transkriptionen der beliebtesten Werke von Dowland, Vivaldi, Händel, Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Weber, Schubert, Schumann, Liszt, Anton Rubinstein und Brahms. Auf der CD-Beilage des Albums sind - von namhaften ungarischen Interpreten vorgetragen - die Klavierbegleitung sämtlicher Stücke und deren vollständige Fassung zu hören.
SKU: PR.14440515S
UPC: 680160667819. 9 x 12 inches.
In 1979, Martin produced a set of three quintets, in consideration of Gorky's piece Nighttime Enigma Nostalgia. Each is scored for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, and piano. One role of music is to evoke. Therefore, Nighttime is a nocturne, a night piece suggestive of flickering shadows, perhaps created by firelight. It is a recurrent setting in human existence. The music opens with the scene of twilight calm, gently disturbed with the slight uncertainty about what is around us, what we cannot see. Later, the clarinet takes on a solo role, and the notes bleed like careless paint into the other instruments that quietly sustain them. Next, the flute takes over the role of solo. The piece ends with a repeated cadence of morning light. (From the performance notes.).
SKU: BT.EMBZ2524
English-German-Hungarian.
An Evening in the Village was composed in 1908 as no. 5 of the Ten Easy Piano Pieces. It has become one of Bartók s favorite works, which the composer himself was fond of playing at recitals. As he explained in an American interview, it was an original composition that is ... with themes of my own invention but ... the themes are in the style of the Hungarian-Transylvanian folk tunes. There are two themes. The first one is a parlando-rubato-rhythm and the second one is more in a dance-like rhythm. The second one is more or less the imitation of a peasant flute playing. Bartók also orchestrated the piece in 1931 as no. 1 of Hungarian Sketches.
SKU: HL.49018957
ISBN 9783795759568. UPC: 196288125617. 9.0x12.0x0.194 inches. Andreas Schuermann.
25 easy pieces from the Baroque, Classical and Romantic eras, playable in the first three finger patterns in the first position, for violin pupils from the second year of learning. Apart from lesser known works, this edition also contains many popular pieces, such as themes from Vivaldi's Four Seasons, Handel's Fireworks Music and Water Music, Mozart's Magic Flute or Beethoven's Symphony No. 9. This volume's intention is to grant access to classical masterpieces of concert literature with the help of such easy arrangements and spread the joy of classical music.The approach to the pieces is made easier by the accompanying CD which, on the one hand, offers the opportunity to listen to and get to know the pieces beforehand, and, on the other hand, thanks to the separate piano accompaniments, provides first experience in ensemble playing and conveys the vivid joy of music-making.When the CD was recorded by Prof. Benjamin Bergmann, violin, and Leonid Dorfman, piano, they deliberately decided in favour of moderate tempos to make it easier for the young violinists to play along with the piano part. A treasure trove for auditions at schools and music schools.
SKU: HL.49047147
UPC: 196288134060.
The “Easy Concert Pieces†series for Violin and Piano is intended for tuition purposes and are particularly suitable for performanceat auditions and school concerts, for competitions, examinations - and for music making at home too, of course. Recordings and backing tracks for all the pieces are included on the accompanying Audio-Download. Volume 3 (intermediate) requires familiarity withthe first four positions. Besides well-known works such as the famous Air by Bach, the Largo from Handel's opera “Xerxes†and a movement from Vivaldi's Four Seasons, there are rewarding concerto and sonata movements by Küchler and Fiocco, as well as less familiar Romantic compositions by Rieding and Trowell. Modern music is represented in two lovely pieces by Hermann Schroeder, also inspired by the theme of the seasons. Young violinists will enjoy the four pop pieces that round off the selection.
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