SKU: AP.43857

UPC: 038081507002. English.

This original composition first fell upon the ears of excited, rambunctious, elementary-aged children as part of an educational concert series geared toward teaching the sections of the orchestra. The room quickly grew silent and the audience was captivated by the haunting melodies and clashes of bold chords, intertwined with moments of tranquility and wonder. Each and every section of the orchestra will feel equally important as it tackles this challenging, yet appealing piece! (5:15).

SKU: BT.DHP-1206226-130

English-German-French-Dutch.

The Spider's Web is a metaphor for danger, uncertainty and risk. Throughout the piece moments of danger contrast with moments of tranquility at certain points these two ideas merge and in others they battle against one another. In this piece which requires a lot of technical skills for the players, the composer moves unexpectedly from moments of peacefulness to situations of threat and danger. An impressive, versatile and truly spectacular piece!

The Spider's Web (het spinnenweb) is een metafoor voor gevaar, onzekerheid en risico. Door het hele werk heen contrasteren momenten van dreiging met momenten van rust op bepaalde punten komen deze twee ideeën samen en op andere plekken gaan ze de strijd met elkaar aan. In dit werk, dat veel technische vaardigheid van de spelers vraagt, gaan momenten van vredige kalmte onverwacht over in situaties van dreiging en gevaar. Een indrukwekkend, veelzijdig en spectaculair werk!

The Spider's Web (Das Spinnennetz) ist eine Metapher für Gefahr, Unsicherheit und Risiko. Während des Stücks stehen Momente der Gefahr im Kontrast zu Momenten der Ruhe an bestimmten Stellen verschmelzen diese beiden Ideen miteinander, an anderen kämpfen sie gegeneinander. In diesem Stück, das den Spielern viel technisches Können abverlangt, bewegt sich der Komponist unerwartet von Momenten der Ruhe zu Situationen der Bedrohung und Gefahr. Ein beeindruckendes, vielseitiges und wirklich spektakuläres Stück!

The Spider's Web (La toile d’araignée) symbolise danger, incertitude et risque. Tout au long de la pièce, des moments de danger contrastent avec des passages tranquilles certains endroits, ces deux idées se fusionnent et, ailleurs, elles luttent l’une contre l’autre. Dans une œuvre qui exige de grandes compétences techniques, le compositeur alterne, de manière inattendue, entre moments de tranquillité et passages menaçants et inquiétants. Une pièce éloquente, flexible et franchement spectaculaire !

SKU: ST.Y291

ISBN 9790220223372.

CONTENTS
1. Blackbird (Anne Stevenson) (b - g)
2. The moon is distant (Emily Dickinson) (b - g sharp)
3. Bird in hand (Anne Stevenson) (e flat - g flat)
4. On not being able to look at the moon (Anne Stevenson) (b - g)

For medium voice and piano or ensemble of flute, harp and string quartet, Moon and Birds is a substantial cycle of songs to words by Anne Stevenson and Emily Dickinson. Its sequence of four settings, 'Blackbird', 'The moon is distant' (Dickinson), 'Bird in hand' and 'On not being able to look at the moon' unfolds a symmetrical structure of contrasting yet interlocking moods in which the reflective second and fourth numbers, lunar visions of mystic tranquillity flawed by doubt and pain, temper with human frailty the bright epiphanies of the first and third songs.

There is a fascinating challenge here for the performer to embrace both elation and gravitas in a single reading, Samuel's vigorous musical invention binding the developing web of feeling with its own formal strengths and subtly illustrative moments. In the version for string quartet, flute and harp, first performed by Contemporary Connections on 4 November 2011 at St James's Church Piccadilly, the flute takes a prominent role throughout. Violins, viola and cello at times elaborate on the simpler textures of the keyboard version, though the two scores remain entirely compatible. The bluesy harmonies of the concluding number, whether weighted by sonorous string quartet or profiled in edgier piano chords, bring the cycle to a sombre conclusion with a proper sense of an emotional world traversed.