SKU: HL.14027993

ISBN 9788759811832. English.

Premiered at the festival 'Magma Berlin 2002' by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by David Robertson, 29th November 2002.

3 Flutes, 1st and 2nd also Alto Flutes in G, 3rd also Piccolo
3 Oboes, 3rd also Cor Anglais in F
3 Clarinets in Bb, 3rd also Bass Clarinet in Bb
3 Bassoons, 3rd also Contra Bassoon

4 Horn in F
3 Trumpets in Bb
3 Trombones
1 Tuba

Timpani

4 Percussion, four players
Player 1 - Vibraphone, Glockenspiel, Water Chime, Bell Tree, Japanese Wood Blocks, Cymbal (Suspended), TamTam (Medium)
Player 2 - Triangle, Tubular Bells, Crotales, Marimba, Chinese Cymbal
Player 3 - TamTam (Large), Java Gong(Large, very low), Bell Lyra (Handheld), Sizzle Cymbal
Player 4 - Bass Drum, Glockenspiel, Xylophone

1 Harp

1 Piano, also Celesta

Strings - 16/14/12/10/8

All transposing instruments are notated in their relevant transpositions.
Any accidental apply only to the note that it immediately precedes, except tied notes.
Naturals appear occasionally 'for safety'.

'LISTENING EARTH' is a symphonic drama, a one- movement composition in four parts based on the work by two writers, Joseph Addison (1672-1719) and W.H.Auden (1907-1973). Joseph Addison is not particularly well known; he was English, a classical scholar, essayist, poet and politician, but one of his hymns was used by Benjamin Britten. in his setting of a Thomas Tallis canon.
The hymn is singularly beautiful and being a composer always inspired by extramusical stimuli such as poems, nature, paintings, I was immediately convinced when I carne across the Addison hymn, that here was exactly what I wanted to use as my major source of inspiration for this piece, commissioned by and written for The Berlin Philharmonic.
I don't refer to the hymn in its entirety, but have chosen the following 3 excerpts, all acting as mottos for the first three sections of the piece, thus turning the piece into a straightforward tonepoem in the classical.

SKU: CA.4006511

ISBN 9790007060190. Key: D major. Language: Latin/English.

Score available separately - see item CA.4006500.

SKU: CA.3105211

ISBN 9790007206314. Language: German/English. Text: Birkmann, Christoph.

It only became apparent a few years ago that the text of the soprano cantata Falsche Welt, dir trau ich nicht came from the collection Gott-geheiligten Sabbaths-Zehnden by the Leipzig theology student and Bach pupil Christoph Birkmann, printed in 1728 in Nuremberg. Birkmann was probably therefore the author of the text. The cantata was written for the 23rd Sunday after Trinity, which fell on 24 November 1726 in the year of its first performance. As in other cantatas in the first annual cycle, Bach chose an instrumental sinfonia as the opening movement - here the first movement of the 1st Brandenburg Concerto. The soprano soloist has two recitatives and two arias, in which the falsehood of the world is juxtaposed with trust in God. The cantata text is rounded off with the first verse of the chorale In dich hab ich gehoffet, scored for four-part chorus, as is usual with Bach. With the use of two horns and three oboes added to the string ensemble, the cantata has colorful and varied orchestration. Score and part available separately - see item CA.3105200.

SKU: CA.4018811

ISBN 9790007064532. Language: German/English. Text: Franck, Johann. Text: Johann Franck.

Also contains an arrangemet for organ During Mendelssohns years of study with Zelter, the arrangement of chorales already played an important role, and he continued to be occupied with the protestant chorale throughout his symphonic and oratorical work. The break Bach's works in connection with the reperformance of the St. Matthew Passion led to a series of cantatas based on well-known chorale melodies for choir, instruments, and sometimes also for soloists. Score and part available separately - see item CA.4018800.

SKU: CA.3104111

ISBN 9790007205782. Language: German/English.

Score available separately - see item CA.3104100.

SKU: CA.3106311

ISBN 9790007043711. Key: C major. Language: German/English.

With its scoring for a large number of performers, who according to earlier practice were divided into various groups, this Cantata is clearly a festive work. In the richness of its scoring it was equalled, but not surpassed, by Bach's first Leipzig Cantate for the Election of the Town Council, BWV 119, of 1723. It is noticeable that the words of BWV 63 relate to Christmas only in the recitatives, while the choruses and arias express the praise of God in general terms. Score and part available separately - see item CA.3106300.