Trans
figured Life - Still
Life, Op. 165 (violin and
piano) - David
Braid
I am keen on
concise musical forms
such as Prelude and
Fugue, where there is one
clear straightforward
idea, followed by another
that is more involved and
developed.
In
keeping with that idea,
this work consists of two
distinct pieces, the
first - Transfigured Life
- aims to draw in the
listener with its quick,
dancing rhythm and
simple, melodic violin
part. It 'transfigures'
via a few short solo
piano interludes into
just two alternating
notes to end - which are
the core of the original
idea, now made clear by
clearing everything else
out of the
way.
The second
piece - Still Life -
retains its sense of
stillness through an
uncomplicated piano line
that gives lots of space
for the violin's
contrasting (but again
simple) part. As an
absolute, not
programmatic, piece the
title refers to the
atmospheric colour and
pacing only; it's up to
the listener to see
'Still life' of their
choosing in their own
mind.
A note on
performance: Despite
my reference to 'simple'
lines, and the work's
determined avoidance of
mainstream modernist
squeak - the work has
certain performance
challenges of phrasing
and ensemble that
requires considerable
skill and musicianship.
The work has had the
privilege of being
recently recorded by
violinist Ezgi
Sarıkcıoğlu and
pianist Rossitza
Stoycheva, and is
available on all major
platforms:
Chamber Music violin, piano SKU: CF.FE192 Composed by Louise Talma. Set o...(+)
Chamber Music violin,
piano
SKU:
CF.FE192
Composed by
Louise Talma. Set of
Score and Parts. With
Standard notation. 18+8
pages. Carl Fischer Music
#FE192. Published by Carl
Fischer Music (CF.FE192).
ISBN 9780825877568.
UPC: 798408077563. 9.5 x
13 inches.
The
Pytheas Center for
Contemporary Music notes:
Talma was the first woman
to receive two
Guggenheims, the first
woman elected to the
National Institute of
Arts and Letters (1974),
the first American woman
to have a full-scale
opera performed in
Germany, the first
American to teach at
Fontainebleau, and the
first woman to receive
the Sibelius Medal for
composition. This is only
the highlights of a long
life of composing. Talma
spent a good amount of
time at the MacDowell
Colony, where she wrote
many of her finest works,
including the Violin
Sonata. Having studied
composition with Nadia
Boulanger over 17 summers
in her youth, Talma
dedicated the Sonata to
her former teacher and
long-time friend on the
occasion of Boulanger's
75th birthday. The single
movement reflects Talma's
style in 1962, with more
than a passing nod to
12-tone construction. For
advanced performers.
Duration: 16'.