SKU: FG.55011-071-7

ISBN 9790550110717.

Completed in Karstula, Finland during late July 2010, this carefully structured, but also free-ranging work is drawn from ideas for a much earlier work in four movements, Fantasy dating from the 1980s.
Kai Nieminen has been for a long time an admirer of the work of artist Paul Klee (1879-1940), and the solo presented in its final form here is influenced by the painting Dances caused by Fear or as it is often refered to Dancing from Fear painted towards the end of Klee's life in Bern, 1938.
Having left Germany for Switzerland in December 1933, Klee's later works were often full of signs and lines, very often represented in black, depicting human figures or various objects against a variety of coloured backgrounds, in the case of this painting of a brownish hue. This development in his painting style and technique is felt by some to be an effect perhaps of his long-term illness, systemic sclerosis, but in the case of Dances caused by Fear there is suggested an atmosphere of panic and terror, an attempt to escape from horrors to come (World War II), represented in the violent movement of the arms and legs of the figures, and the dark, indeed brooding nature of the colours.
In Kai Nieminen's guitar work Images of Fear, there is only a very brief passage of calm at the very beginning, after which come three main connected sections in which a wide range of musically unsettling ideas emerge one by one, making use of the tritone, minor seconds, glissandos, tamboura, campanella, etc. The third and final section incorporates the grouping of 5 sixteenth-notes, to give an uneasy feeling to the music, with a short haunting and pleading five-note phrase (Cantando) heard immediately following this passage, before the work ends with further glissandos, and distant and diminishing harmonics.
As with Kai Nieminen's other guitar works, the use of 'orchestral colour' is vital to the performance, and passages suggestive of for example brass, strings, woodwind, etc., should be taken into account and played with suitably considered contrast of tone.

John Mills.

SKU: PR.11441915S

UPC: 680160673698. 9 x 12 inches.

The Chinese Zodiac Suite is the culmination of a three-year project to honor the partnership of Old Dominion University with Minzu University of Beijing, a cooperative effort to bridge the cultures of both sides. In his new composition, Hailstork uses Western musical language to depict the 12 animal signs of the zodiac from Eastern folklore. The suite was performed by the Minzu University student orchestra at a meeting with the Board of Directors of the Confucius Institute at Old Dominion University (CIODU) in Beijing. Executive director of the CIODU, Dr. Qiu Jin Hailstork, prefaced the performance with, You can hear the sounds of rats scratching behind the walls; cows working hard in the fields; rabbits jumping up and down; a snake slithering through the grass; galloping horses and grazing sheep; a monkey swinging through the trees; the rooster, boss of the barnyard, crowing; the sleeping dog who wakes up and starts barking; and the poor pig, so sad because his life's only purpose is to be someone's dinner!.

SKU: AP.50187

UPC: 038081573571. English. Words by Sara Teasdale.

Acknowledge life's many gifts with this splendid setting of Sara Teasdale's poem that reminds us to spend all you have for loveliness. A lilting rhythmic flow and some refreshing mixed meter moments create a buoyant effect. Greg's tuneful lines and sensible part writing are satisfying to sing and pave the way to success. Absolutely delightful!

About Alfred Choral Designs

The Alfred Choral Designs Series provides student and adult choirs with a variety of secular choral music that is useful, practical, educationally appropriate, and a pleasure to sing. To that end, the Choral Designs series features original works, folk song settings, spiritual arrangements, choral masterworks, and holiday selections suitable for use in concerts, festivals, and contests.

SKU: AP.50189

UPC: 038081573595. English. Words by Sara Teasdale.

Acknowledge life's many gifts with this splendid setting of Sara Teasdale's poem that reminds us to spend all you have for loveliness. A lilting rhythmic flow and some refreshing mixed meter moments create a buoyant effect. Greg's tuneful lines and sensible part writing are satisfying to sing and pave the way to success. Absolutely delightful!

About Alfred Choral Designs

The Alfred Choral Designs Series provides student and adult choirs with a variety of secular choral music that is useful, practical, educationally appropriate, and a pleasure to sing. To that end, the Choral Designs series features original works, folk song settings, spiritual arrangements, choral masterworks, and holiday selections suitable for use in concerts, festivals, and contests.

SKU: AP.46533

UPC: 038081531083. English. Words by Sara Teasdale.

Sara Teasdale's poem about the end of life is the foundation of this soul-stirring choral setting. Text painting and sensitive musical choices bring the meaning of the words alive in an unforgettable way. Exquisite choral writing!

About Alfred Choral Designs

The Alfred Choral Designs Series provides student and adult choirs with a variety of secular choral music that is useful, practical, educationally appropriate, and a pleasure to sing. To that end, the Choral Designs series features original works, folk song settings, spiritual arrangements, choral masterworks, and holiday selections suitable for use in concerts, festivals, and contests.

SKU: AP.50132

UPC: 038081573021. English.

Celebrate the joy of making music all life long with this powerful ode to our art. With lyrics about the many ways that music makes a difference in our lives, singers will embrace the message and be inspired to share it. Bookended by a resonant choral fanfare and including an optional flute obbligato, it's a dynamic opener or closer for all who love music!

About Alfred Choral Designs

The Alfred Choral Designs Series provides student and adult choirs with a variety of secular choral music that is useful, practical, educationally appropriate, and a pleasure to sing. To that end, the Choral Designs series features original works, folk song settings, spiritual arrangements, choral masterworks, and holiday selections suitable for use in concerts, festivals, and contests.

SKU: AP.46744

UPC: 038081531991. English. Words adapted from poems by Sir Richard Fanshawe; Francis Beaumont; music; new words; by Jay Althouse.

Practical, timeless advice abounds in this jaunty contemporary choral with texts lifted from Renaissance-era poetry and a translation of ancient verse. The opening melody winds around the tonic triad before the B section breaks into colorful contemporary harmony in a chorale setting. Light, yet legit.

About Alfred Choral Designs

The Alfred Choral Designs Series provides student and adult choirs with a variety of secular choral music that is useful, practical, educationally appropriate, and a pleasure to sing. To that end, the Choral Designs series features original works, folk song settings, spiritual arrangements, choral masterworks, and holiday selections suitable for use in concerts, festivals, and contests.

SKU: AP.48983

UPC: 038081563077. English. Words by William Butler Yeats.

Lilting music resembles a folk song from the British Isles in this happy setting of Yeats' text, inspired by memories of childhood summers spent in the Irish countryside. The 12-line poem expresses a city-dweller's longing for the simple, tranquil life of Innisfree. Includes proven part-singing strategies---the tune first appears in unison, then becomes a canon; a peaceful bridge passes the melody through lower voice parts, while others sing sweet counterlines; and a modulation leads to full triadic harmony.

SKU: AP.46601

UPC: 038081531762. English.

Though most of the piece is in English, a brief Latin phrase provides the framework for this pensive meditation on the world of music and sound that surrounds us. The gentle ebb and flow of tempo allows choirs to explore new depths of choral expression. Sign language is available on Alfred's Movin' DVD.