Music from the last movement of the Ninth Symphony. Par BEETHOVEN LUDWIG VAN. The European Hymn is the hymn not only of the European Union but of Europe in a broader sense. The melody has been taken from the Ninth Symphony by Ludwig van Beethoven from 1823. In the last movement of this symphony Beethoven set music to the 'Ode to Joy' by Friedrich von Schiller from 1785. This poem sprang from Schiller's idealistic vision of men who become brothers – a vision Beethoven shared with him. In 1972 the Council of Europe adopted Beethoven's 'Ode to Joy' as its anthem. The well-known conductor Herbert von Karajan was commissioned to arrange three instrumental versions – for solo piano, wind orchestra and symphony orchestra. Without words, in the universal language of music, the anthem is an expression of the idealistic values of freedom, peace and solidarity which Europe stands for. In 1985 the heads of state and government adopted the hymn as the EU's official anthem. It does not replace the national anthems of the member states, but rather celebrates common values as well as unity in diversity. The score of this offical anthem is exclusively available from the Schott publishing house./ Répertoire / Orchestre

Par BEETHOVEN LUDWIG VAN. The European Hymn is the hymn not only of the European Union but of Europe in a broader sense. The melody has been taken from the Ninth Symphony by Ludwig van Beethoven from 1823. In the last movement of this symphony Beethoven set music to the 'Ode to Joy' by Friedrich von Schiller from 1785. This poem sprang from Schiller's idealistic vision of men who become brothers – a vision Beethoven shared with him. In 1972 the Council of Europe adopted Beethoven's 'Ode to Joy' as its anthem. The well-known conductor Herbert von Karajan was commissioned to arrange three instrumental versions – for solo piano, wind orchestra and symphony orchestra. Without words, in the universal language of music, the anthem is an expression of the idealistic values of freedom, peace and solidarity which Europe stands for. In 1985 the heads of state and government adopted the hymn as the EU's official anthem. It does not replace the national anthems of the member states, but rather celebrates common values as well as unity in diversity. The score of this offical anthem is exclusively available from the Schott publishing house./ Répertoire / Piano

Ursula Mamlok's SIX RECITAL PIECES FOR YOUNG PIANISTS, composed in 1981, as well as FOUR RECITAL PIECES FOR YOUNG PIANISTS, composed shortly afterwards in 1982, belong, no doubt, to the most fruitful and successful years of the composer.At the request of her friend, violinist and amateur pianist Lilo Glick, Ursula Mamlok wrote these pieces, which Lilo premiered at the Bennington Summer Music Festival of 1982.The exact dates of composition of each individual piece can be found in the original version of the score, showing the dates of THE RELUCTANT RAINDROP and ON THIN lCE were 10.28.1981, PASSING STORM CLOUDS and A CLARION CALL 10.29.1981 framing them, SUNRISE IN THE EAST and SUNSET IN THE WEST were added a month later on 11.23.1981. Small additions and corrections can be found in a 2nd copy, done during her visit toGermany in December 2005.Typical of Mamlok's musical language of these character pieces - written between the dodecaphonic works PANTA RHEI for violin, cello and piano of 1981 and FANTASIE VARIATIOATS for solo-cello of 1983 - is her use of extended tonality, intervals of diads, tritones, pentatonic scale structures, cluster chords, dynamic contrasts, the use of extremely wide ranges, rhythmic shifts, subtle use of pedalling, all playing an important role in this music.While each of these 6 miniatures, with their picturesque titles is in itself a self-contained character piece SIX RECITAL PIECES FOR YOUNG PIANISTS forms a cyclic whole.No doubt, the great variety inherent in these 6 miniatures will not only be stimulating, but also convey much enjoyment to the performing pianist.Dr. Dieter Michael Backes (Mainz, 2006) / Piano