SKU: BT.MUSM570369027

Isthmus denotes a narrow strip of land with sea on either side, forming a link between two larger ars of land. The title is a metaphor for an effort to bond artistically my experiences of living in Cyprus, my birthplace, and in the USA, my recently adopted homeland. Having lived in a small, partitioned island for my formative years and in England for eleven years, water has always had a double meaning: it has at once served as a gateway to other cultures but also as a border, a violent and absolute interruption of a continuum. While in the USA, or indeed in a now connected Europe, it is possible to travel on land for days without having to encounter a border, in the countries where I lived for most of my life, that was not possible. As an artist, this notion of establishing boundaries and consciously trying to break them is very close to me, as my music deals both with modernity but also with tradition and, similarly, with metaphor and reality. As a Cypriot, the sea, the world of antiquity, the mysteries of the oracles, the notion of borders and the pastoral are all very central to my way of thinking. In Cyprus, different layers of history are frequently superimposed on a single building that might still preserve its Roman, Byzantine, Venetian and Ottoman features in its layers of stone and architecture. Similarly, ancient ruins or the barbed wire of modern conflict often interrupt placid fields. An isthmus, therefore, can be seen to symbolize my artistic struggle to join strikingly different experiences and notions in a cohesive way. Similar to an isthmus, in this short piece, I connect these experiences with the purpose of creating a distinct and unique sonic context, connecting technology and tradition, the pastoral with the urban, the musical with the extra-musical and the abstract with the concrete. For example, the choir does not always sing in the traditional sense, but the singers imitate various natural sounds, such as water, air, crickets or birds, to create a vivid visual impression for the work. Scandinavian herding calls blend with field recordings from the seas of Cyprus and the lakes of Upstate New York, communicated within clearly defined, singular acoustic sources and spaces through wireless speakers. The text used is both onomatopoeic, articulating an imaginary language, but also literal, with a setting of the poem, “To make a prairie” by the iconic American poet Emily Dickinson and a tiny fragment from Callimachus’ “Hymn to Demeter.” Technology is used sparsely and very intentionally to articulate the expressive qualities of pastoral imagery, creating one unified synthetic timbre with the choristers’ sounds. This piece is dedicated to the wonderful singers of the Georgia Institute of Technology Chamber Choir with special thanks to Professors Hsu and Ulrich, without whose support this composition would not have been possible. Practical notes: A choir of no less than 24 singers is sought with 4 additional soloists (2 Sopranos and 2 Altos). Each singer must have their own wireless speaker, secured either in the music folder or as a strap inside their shirts. All sounds must match in volume the sound from the speakers, creating one unified timbre. The speakers should not be noticeable to the public. The four soloists are placed offstage at the beginning of the work. From 1:35’ onwards they enter the hall and take their positions, ideally at the four corners of the hall. If the hall is too large, the singers can find alternate positions, but these should always be antiphonal. The four soloists sing predominantly in the “kulning” style and the antiphonal aspect is very important to the work. There are two sound files for each section (SATB) that are triggered by each singer’s mobile device. The first occurs at the start of the piece, and the second, about a minute before the end. The sound files are able to be purchased separately, on CD, or are available directly from UYMP.

SKU: GI.G-002696

UPC: 641151026961. English.

In this five-volume series of reflections, Fr. Foley stretches a common understanding of mystagogy beyond the narrow interpretation from the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, which sees mystagogy essentially as a period of post-baptismal catechesis. Mystagogy, in its fuller sense, is a treasured way in which Christians have examined their faith over many centuries. It is an embodied, affective, community-based style of reflection that juxtaposes the action of the liturgy with our own experience of that action, and asks a series of often pointed and always essential questions. It demands that we wake up in worship, shake off the passivity that has enveloped us after years of repetition, and look afresh at the sacramental events that define us. The Body Gathers (a discussion of what it means to gather as a community of believers) The talks integrate familiar music with profound insights, and are perfect for use in the RCIA post-Vigil mystagogical process, for a parish staff retreat, or for personal spiritual reflection on the Mass and the Eucharist. Parish liturgy committees and other small groups will benefit from the accompanying booklet, which contains a process for reflection that includes questions to help delve deeper into the Eucharist as mystagogy. Also available as part of a 5-CD set (002695).

SKU: GI.G-002698

UPC: 641151026985. English.

In this five-volume series of reflections, Fr. Foley stretches a common understanding of mystagogy beyond the narrow interpretation from the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, which sees mystagogy essentially as a period of post-baptismal catechesis. Mystagogy, in its fuller sense, is a treasured way in which Christians have examined their faith over many centuries. It is an embodied, affective, community-based style of reflection that juxtaposes the action of the liturgy with our own experience of that action, and asks a series of often pointed and always essential questions. It demands that we wake up in worship, shake off the passivity that has enveloped us after years of repetition, and look afresh at the sacramental events that define us. Become What you Eat (a mind-expanding presentation on the act of receiving the Body of Christ) The talks integrate familiar music with profound insights, and are perfect for use in the RCIA post-Vigil mystagogical process, for a parish staff retreat, or for personal spiritual reflection on the Mass and the Eucharist. Parish liturgy committees and other small groups will benefit from the accompanying booklet, which contains a process for reflection that includes questions to help delve deeper into the Eucharist as mystagogy. Also available as part of a 5-CD set, #002695.

SKU: GI.G-002699

UPC: 641151026992. English.

In this five-volume series of reflections, Fr. Foley stretches a common understanding of mystagogy beyond the narrow interpretation from the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, which sees mystagogy essentially as a period of post-baptismal catechesis. Mystagogy, in its fuller sense, is a treasured way in which Christians have examined their faith over many centuries. It is an embodied, affective, community-based style of reflection that juxtaposes the action of the liturgy with our own experience of that action, and asks a series of often pointed and always essential questions. It demands that we wake up in worship, shake off the passivity that has enveloped us after years of repetition, and look afresh at the sacramental events that define us. Go in Peace (an address reflecting on the dismissal that is not a conclusion but a beginning). The talks integrate familiar music with profound insights, and are perfect for use in the RCIA post-Vigil mystagogical process, for a parish staff retreat, or for personal spiritual reflection on the Mass and the Eucharist. Parish liturgy committees and other small groups will benefit from the accompanying booklet, which contains a process for reflection that includes questions to help delve deeper into the Eucharist as mystagogy. Also available as part of a 5-CD set, #002695.

SKU: CA.3118419

ISBN 9790007134235. Key: G major / e minor. Language: German/English.

The Pentecost cantata Desired ray of light BWV 184 is based on a Kothen composition, probably a congratulatory cantata, whose instrumental parts (only these have survived) Bach reused in the Leipzig Pentecost cantata. Only the chorale setting was evidently newly composed. Despite the narrow leeway that the already finished composition left for the librettist, he nevertheless succeeded in crafting a coherent Pentecost text. The fact that the cantata begins with a long tenor accompagnato with two flutes followed by a pastoral duet is surprising. The placing of the chorale not at the end of the work but before the concluding chorus is unusual. Bach was evidently aware of the effect that the ending of this lively movement would have and wanted to retain this in its sacred form as well. The sacred version was first performed on the third day of Pentecost in 1724, probably after a parody version of another Kothen cantata (BWV 173) had already been performed on the second day of Pentecost. Score and parts available separately - see item CA.3118400.

SKU: HP.8965

UPC: 763628189655.

Classic hymn by John D. Becker The text, based on the Beatitudes, is beautifully supported throughout by a flowing keyboard accompaniment. The refrain is a prayer proclaiming: Lead me, Lord, by the light of truth to seek and to find the narrow way, making this a perfect selection for discipleship, commitment Sundays, confirmation, and more.

SKU: BR.PB-5714

ISBN 9790004216514. 10.5 x 14 inches.

More than my earlier works, this one is interspersed with metrically bound rhythms and musicianly characters that constantly recrystallize and drift towards or away from familiar situations.The familiar: These are dance-like figures and music-making formulas, but also songs and, in two cases fragments of Bach's music - playfully collected memories of impressions in which - consciously and unconsciously - I am embodied with that collective comfort in whose protection bourgeois thinking and feeling, magically protected, grow up and emerge apart.(It is well known that such security has its fetishes from the childlike to the adult stage: Home, religious bond, holidays, tradition, longing for childhood - the superficiality may have little idea of the depth that opens up underneath. There is also no question that we are still marked by such security even when the contradictions and alienation of existence force us to step out of their protection, to recognize and act upon reality, and to oppose the domination of such inner bonds where their original truth has become the fatal untruth of comfortable illusion, stubbornly and fearfully conjured idyll and reactionary narrow-mindedness.My music feeds on figures in which such memories are encapsulated. It deals with them not much differently than in other pieces with the elements of the traditional musical concept of material, having already always reflected compositionally as a product of sociality and anticipation of musical expression, i.e. it moved into a structurally expanded context and expressively redefined from there.Such an approach aims at overcoming lack of freedom: grasping as part of conceiving, i.e. not philosophical reflection, but rather an artistically gripping reflex by intervening in the physical immediacy of such predetermined elements. These penetrate and infect the structural events, inducing a musicianship that cannot be relied upon; the music jumps onto rhythms like onto moving vehicles, allows for being carried by them until they deform or disintegrate. This creates an incline of rhythmically shaped situations: sequence and interweaving of dances and structures.The role of the solo string quartet is versatile, obbligato and concertante, leading and accompanying in a changing sense. Set as a chamber music apparatus in an orchestral landscape, it repeatedly forces its own sound dimensions onto the orchestra, it must accept being drowned out at times, it nests in the holes of tutti fields, it acts as a louse in the fur, forcing one to listen in and out.The Tanzsuite with Deutschlandlied is structured as follows:I. Section. 1. Introduction - 2. Waltz - 3. March - 4. Bridge -II. Section. 5. Siciliano - 6. Capriccio - 7. Valse lente -III. Section. 8. Bridge - 9. Gigue - 10. Tarantelle - 11. Bridge -IV. Section. 12 Aria I - 13 Polka - 14 Aria IIV. Section. 15. Introduction - 16 Gallop - 17 Coda (Aria III)All 17 parts merge into one another.(Helmut Lachenmann, 1980)CDs/LP/DVD:Arditti-Quartett, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, cond. Olaf HenzoldCD Montaigne Auvidis MO 782019Berner Streichquartett, Sinfonieorchester des SWF, cond. Sylvain Cambreling (Excerpt)CD BMG/RCA 74321 73510 2 (Musik in Deutschland 1950-2000)Berner Streichquartett, Sinfonieorchester des SWF, cond. Sylvain CambrelingLP DMR 1028-30Arditti Quartet, SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg, cond. Hans Zender Excerpt on CD ,,Auswahl von zehn Urauffuhrungen aus 70 Jahren, SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg Arditti Quartet, Staatsorchester Stuttgart, cond. Sylvain Cambreling DVD ,,Lachenmann-Perspektiven 6 (Breitkopf & Hartel, BHM 7816) Bibliography:Cavalotti, Pietro: Differenzen. Poststrukturalistische Aspekte in der Musik der 1980er Jahre am Beispiel von Helmut Lachenmann, Brian Ferneyhough und Gerard Grisey (= Sonus. Schriften zur Musik, hrsg. von Andreas Ballsteadt, Band 8), Schliengen: Argus 2006, pp. 79-128.Das sind doch alles Deutschlandlieder! Helmut Lachenmann im Gesprach mit Michael Rebhahn, in: Der Taktgeber. Das Magazin der Jungen Deutschen Philharmonie, Heft 40 (Sommer 2019), S. 6f.Stawowy, Milena: Fluchtversuche in die Hohle des Lowen. Helmut Lachenmanns Tanzsuite mit Deutschlandlied, in: MusikTexte 67/68 (1997), pp. 77-90.Toop, Richard: Concept and Context: A Historiographic Consideration of Lachenmanns Orchestral Works, in: Helmut Lachenmann Inward Beauty, hrsg. von Dan Albertson, Contemporary Music Review 23 (2004), Heft 3/4, pp. 125-144.

World premiere: Donaueschingen (Donaueschinger Musiktage), October 18, 1980.

SKU: HL.14042523

ISBN 9788759826911.

To Mediterrane Meditiationer / Two Mediterranean Meditations for Piano solo was composed by Per Nørgård in 1980. Dedicated Ragnhild Toft. 

1. Græsk motiv (Greek motif) 
2. Medstrømme (Cocurrent) 

The piano pieces (Two Mediterranean meditations) was inspired by a little town, Isternia, in the Greek island Tinos. During a stay there I was captured by the timeless peace that emitted from the shimmering white sculptured steps, and by the sounds in the narrow streets, creating an atmosphere of balanced activity on the background of a meditative silence. The pianopieces are related to the work “Isternia” (1979, for cimbalon solo, later rewritten for other instruments); the music seems to possess a certain timeless or rather ´genre-less´ character; this is effected through the use of archetypal melodies and meters changed in a rather ´cubistic´ way. In this respect the work is related to my “Sonora” (for flute and harp) and the duet “Medstrøms og modstrøms” (“Cocurrent & countercurrent”) 

Per Nørgård 

SKU: BT.DHP-0991451-050

English.

Pacific Dreams describes the experience of Miguel, a traveling composer from Spain who, feeling somewhat alienated from his homeland, is wandering through an area of Sydney known as The Rocks. At a small outdoor market in a typical street of this oldcolonial neighbourhood, he discovers a print of William DeShazos painting Pacific Dreams Portrayed in the painting is the surf of one of the exotic islands in the Pacific. Next, with the impressive Sydney Harbour Bridge looming over the narrowstreets of The Rocks, he envisions sultry Pacific beaches. Suddenly a theme he once composed about the lakes in Japan comes to him. Is it the Asian influences present in cosmopolitan Sydney that bring this theme to mind? Or perhaps the waters aroundSydney, over which he could sail to Tahiti? He is uncertain. Could this same theme be used to create a new composition about his feelings for the metropolis Sydney? How then to work his Pacific Dreams into the mix? Miguel is certainly no fan ofHawaiian music. Mayby he could use the vocabularies of islands like Hawaii and Tahiti, their beautiful vowel combinations being sung ad libitum by a mixed choir.With these ideas and his newly purchased print of Pacific Dreams, he boards the Metroat Circular Quay. He has a final glimpse of the harbour and the Sydney Opera House as the train races into the ground. On to the hotel! To work! He must compose!Maestoso : Miguel is impressed as he gazes upon the Sydney Harbour Bridge. And yet, hewants to go away from this city. Away, to an exotic island in the Pacific.Steady Rock : In the Rocks, musicians are playing at a square. Miguel basks in the atmosphere but at the same time he is fantasizing about Hawaii and Tahiti.Andante Lamentoso :In his hotel room, Miguel is feeling sad and lonely in this big city. He takes comfort in his Pacific Dreams.Allegro : Miguel boards the boat that takes him from Darling Harbour to Circular Quay. In his mind he is traveling on to Hawaii. Or is ithome, where the bolero is playing? He is pulled back to reality by the skyline of Sydney.

Wir schlüpfen in die Haut von Miguel und reisen mit ihm nach Australien. Einigermaßen entfremdet von seiner spanischen Heimat schlendert er durch das Viertel The Rocks in Sydney. Auf einem kleinen Markt entdeckt er einen Druck des Gemäldes Pacific Dreams von William DeShazo. Das Bild stellt die Meeresbrandung auf einer exotischen Insel im Pazifik dar. Während die eindrucksvolle Harbour Bridge von Sidney vor ihm auftaucht, ist er in Gedanken bei den heißen Stränden im Stillen Ozean. Auf einmal kommt ihm das Thema in den Sinn, das er einst über die Gewässer Japans komponiert hatte. Liegt es an den asiatischen Einflüssen, die im kosmopolitischen Sydney so vielfältig vertretensind? Oder sind es die Wasser rund um Sydney, über die er nach Tahiti segeln könnte? Er ist sich unsicher. Könnte er genau dieses Thema für eine neue Komposition über die Metropole Sydney verwenden? Wie sollte er seine Träume vom Pazifik, seine Pacific Dreams, in diese Mixtur einbringen? Vielleicht könnte er den Wortschatz von Inseln wie Hawaii und Tahiti für seine Komposition verwenden. Und einen gemischten Chor die schönen Vokalverbindungen ad libitum singen lassen. Mit diesen Ideen im Kopf steigt er in die Metro am Circular Quay. Auf ins Hotel und frisch ans Werk! Jetzt muss er einfach komponieren....

SKU: M7.AHW-1205

English.

These melodious duets composed in the inimitable Williams musical style, for teacher and student, progressing from beginner to intermediate level. There has always been a deficiency in the number of easy (easier) duet books for trumpet. Ones that occupy a more narrow range and are approachable by players in their first few years of study. This one is an absolute classic.

SKU: HL.1341905

UPC: 809164027799. 18.0x41.0x5.25 inches.

The Forte Port Nylon acoustic-electric guitar delivers the rich, full-bodied tone expected from a nylon-stringed guitar, coupled with modern enhancements for exceptional comfort and playability. Featuring our Forte Port acoustic design, its enhanced top bracing and offset soundhole placement result in both improved sonic performance and playability. The deep cutaway design facilitates fretboard access, enhancing the overall balance and playability of the instrument. Additionally, the modern mahogany neck, along with the ovangkol fretboard, features a comfort “C” profile, narrow 48mm nut and a 12″ radius, making it effortless to transition from a steel-stringed acoustic or electric guitar. The Forte Port Nylon features the Fishman® Presys I preamp, which delivers a superb amplified tone that beautifully complements the warm, natural sound of nylon strings. Its under-saddle Fishman® Sonicore pickup excels at capturing the guitar's full, organic tonal character. Whether you're in the studio or on stage, the Forte Port Nylon delivers exceptional sound quality both unplugged and amplified.

SKU: CF.CM8676

ISBN 9780825846984. UPC: 798408046989. 6.875 X 10.5 inches. Key: Bb major.

A South African working song with optional percussion, this piece is a great way to introduce a different culture to young performers. The narrow-ranged part-writing is not too difficult, but the lively syncopated rhythms will keep the choir on its toes.