Michael Berkeley: recent world premières and CD releases

Tempo ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 57 (225) ◽  
pp. 39-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Conway
Keyword(s):  
Chamber Music ◽  
String Quartet ◽  
String Quartets ◽  
Joint Commission ◽  
String Quintet ◽  
String Trio ◽  
The City ◽  
Clarinet Quintet

Michael Berkeley's choral and operatic successes have tended to obscure his accomplishments in the field of chamber music, which include a serialist String Trio (1978), two String Quartets and a Clarinet Quintet from the 1980s and the string quartet Torque and Velocity (1997). His latest essay in the genre, Abstract Mirror, for string quintet, was premièred on 11 February 2003 at Bishopsgate Hall by the Chilingirian Quartet, with cellist Stephen Orton. The work was a joint commission by the players and the City Music Society.

Symphonies Reframed

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gjertrud Pedersen
Keyword(s):  
Chamber Music ◽  
String Quartet ◽  
Chamber Ensemble ◽  
Educational Value ◽  
Chamber Ensembles ◽  
String Trio ◽  
Original Works ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Core Questions ◽  
First Time

Symphonies Reframed recreates symphonies as chamber music. The project aims to capture the features that are unique for chamber music, at the juncture between the “soloistic small” and the “orchestral large”. A new ensemble model, the “triharmonic ensemble” with 7-9 musicians, has been created to serve this purpose. By choosing this size range, we are looking to facilitate group interplay without the need of a conductor. We also want to facilitate a richness of sound colours by involving piano, strings and winds. The exact combination of instruments is chosen in accordance with the features of the original score. The ensemble setup may take two forms: nonet with piano, wind quartet and string quartet (with double bass) or septet with piano, wind trio and string trio. As a group, these instruments have a rich tonal range with continuous and partly overlapping registers. This paper will illuminate three core questions: What artistic features emerge when changing from large orchestral structures to mid-sized chamber groups? How do the performers reflect on their musical roles in the chamber ensemble? What educational value might the reframing unfold? Since its inception in 2014, the project has evolved to include works with vocal, choral and soloistic parts, as well as sonata literature. Ensembles of students and professors have rehearsed, interpreted and performed our transcriptions of works by Brahms, Schumann and Mozart. We have also carried out interviews and critical discussions with the students, on their experiences of the concrete projects and on their reflections on own learning processes in general. Chamber ensembles and orchestras are exponents of different original repertoire. The difference in artistic output thus hinges upon both ensemble structure and the composition at hand. Symphonies Reframed seeks to enable an assessment of the qualities that are specific to the performing corpus and not beholden to any particular piece of music. Our transcriptions have enabled comparisons and reflections, using original compositions as a reference point. Some of our ensemble musicians have had first-hand experience with performing the original works as well. Others have encountered the works for the first time through our productions. This has enabled a multi-angled approach to the three central themes of our research. This text is produced in 2018.

London, Wigmore Hall: Maxwell Davies's new ‘Naxos Quartets’ (and earlier works on CD)

Tempo ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 58 (228) ◽  
pp. 68-69
Author(s):  
Paul Conway
Keyword(s):  
Chamber Music ◽  
String Quartet ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
String Quartets ◽  
Individual Character ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Peter Maxwell Davies ◽  
Original Approach

In a project that will be completed in 2007, Sir Peter Maxwell Davies has been commissioned by the Naxos recording company to write ten string quartets. Large-scale ambitions already realized, the intimacy of chamber music offers an opportunity not only to consolidate but also to probe and quest with the precision of scaled-down forces. It is timely, then, to be reminded that, although it has not been a major preoccupation such as opera, concerto and symphony writing, the quartet form has drawn from him some significant examples evincing an original approach. A recent Metier release usefully gathers together on one disc all Max's works for string quartet prior to the Naxos series. In these persuasive recordings, the members of the Kreutzer Quartet display a keen understanding of the individual character of each piece, the circumstances of its creation and the purpose for which it was intended.

scholarly journals Women of American Chamber Music

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laena Batchelder ◽  
Class of 2019
Keyword(s):  
Chamber Music ◽  
String Quartet ◽  
Women Composers ◽  
Classical Music ◽  
String Quartets ◽  
Death Valley ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Violin Sonata ◽  
Program Notes ◽  
History Of

On February 20, 2019, Laena Grace Batchelder, with her colleagues, performed a recital of three chamber pieces by American women composers. The first was Amy Beach’s Violin Sonata played with Mr. Edward Newman. The other two pieces were string quartets performed by the Uproar String Quartet, which included Batchelder’s fellow TCU students: Manuel Ordóñez, Ashley Santore, and Manuel Papale. They played Missy Mazzoli’s Death Valley Junction and Jennifer Higdon’s An Exaltation of Larks. In addition to the performance, Batchelder researched the current status of women in classical music, the history of American female composers, and the three composers she programmed and their pieces. From this research, she wrote detailed program notes for the audience to read.

Notes on Sonata Cycle of Cross-Cutting Development in Brahms' Chamber Music

10.34690/136 ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 156-169
Author(s):  
Наталия Семёновна Шлифштейн
Keyword(s):  
Chamber Music ◽  
String Quartets ◽  
Cycle Structure ◽  
Development Cycle ◽  
Sonata Cycle ◽  
The Law ◽  
The Cross ◽  
Law Of Attraction ◽  
Instrumental Ensembles ◽  
Clarinet Quintet

Развитие искусства, по словам Пастернака, подчиняется закону притяжения. Один из многочисленных примеров этому - бетховенская идея цикла сквозного развития, мимо которой не прошел ни один из последующих композиторов: от Шопена (Соната b-moLL) до Брукнера и Малера. Значительное место в этом процессе принадлежит Брамсу. В публикуемых «Заметках...» на примере шести различных по составу и времени написания камерно-инструментальных ансамблей композитора - фортепианных трио op. 8 (вторая редакция) и op. 40, струнных квартетов op. 51 и op. 67, Кларнетового квинтета op. 115 - обнаруживается разнообразие воплощений этой идеи: в одном случае ключевым моментом образования сквозной структуры цикла оказывается взаимодействие тональностей - одноименных и параллельных; в другом - взаимодействие метроритмов; и, наконец, импульс к построению сквозной композиции цикла может исходить от лаконичной темы, наделенной функцией эпиграфа. Перефразируя известную мысль Асафьева, можно сказать: идея одна, а форм ее претворения множество. The deveLopment of art, according to Pasternak, obeys the Law of attraction. One of the various exampLes is the idea of the cross-cutting deveLopment cycLe by Beethoven; none of the Later composers from Chopin (Sonata b flat minor) to Bruckner and MahLer passed by this idea. Brahms occupies a significant pLace in this process. One can discover a variety of embodiments of the idea in this articLe on the exampLe of six chamber and instrumentaL ensembLes of the composer, different by number of instruments and time of writing: piano trios op. 8 (2 version) and op. 40, string quartets op. 51 and op. 67, CLarinet Quintet op. 115. In one case, the interaction of keys - paraLLeL and reLative ones-is the centerpiece of the formation of the cross-cutting cycLe structure. In another case, the point is the interaction of metre-rhythms. And finaLLy, the impuLse to the buiLding of the cross-cutting cycLe composition can come from a concise theme endowed with the function of the epigraph. To paraphrase an idea of Asafiev, it can be stated that the idea is the same, but the forms of embodiments are muLtipLe.

Rodolfo Halffter et al. - RODOLFO HALFFTER: Chamber Music, Volume 2. Giga, op. 31; Tres piezas breves, op. 13a2; Dos sonatas de El Escorial, op. 23; Homenaje a Antonio Machado, op. 133; Divertimento, op. 7a4-13; Laberinto, op. 343; Capricho, op. 409; Epinicio, op. 423,4; Secuencia, op. 393. 1Miguel Ángel Jimenez (gtr), 2Beatriz Millán (hp), 3Francisco José Segonia (pno), 4Cinta Vrea (fl), 5Vicente Fernández (ob), 6Nerea Meyer (cl), 7Francisco Mas (bn), 8César Asensi (tpt), 9Victor Arriola (vln), 10Paulo Vieira (vln), 11Alexander Trotchinsky (vla), 12Rafael Domínguez (vlc), c. 13Manuel Coves. Naxos 8.572419 - RODOLFO HALFFTER: Chamber Music, Volume 3. String Quartet, op. 241; Cello Sonata, op. 262. Tres Movimientos, op. 281; Ochos tientos, op. 351. 1Bretón String Quartet, 2John Stokes (vlc), Francisco José Segonia (pno). Naxos 8.572420 - NORDIN: Undercurrents1,2; Surfaces Scintillantes2; Cri du Berger1; The Aisle2; Pendants I-III2. 1Benjamin Carat (vlc). 2Gageego!/Pierre-Andre Valade. Phono Suecia PSCD 192 - SUNLEIF RASMUSSEN: Dancing Raindrops; Suite for guitar and effect processor; Andalag #2; Like the Golden Sun; Mozaik/Miniature. Aldubarán. Dacapo 8.226567. - WEINBERG: Sonatas for violin and piano Nos. 1, op. 12; 4, op. 39; Sonata for violin solo No. 1, op. 82. Sonatina for violin and piano, op. 46. Yuri Kalnits (vln), Michael Csányi-Wills (pno). Toccata Classics TOCC 0007. - ‘Dedicated to Trio’. SVEN-DAVID SANDSTRÖM: 5 Pieces. ÖSTERLING: Lundi1. MONNAKGOTLA: 5 Pieces. HEDELIN: Akt. TALLY: Winter Island. 1Dan Laurin (rec), Trio Zilliacusperssonraitinen (ZPR). Phono Suecia PSCD 189. - HENZE: ‘Hommages’. Sonata for 6 players; Margareten-Walzer; Ländler; La mano sinistra; Epitaph; Toccata mistica; String Trio; Ode al dodicesimo apostolo; An Brenton; Klavierstück für Reinhold; Serenade; Adagio, adagio. Ensemble Recherche. Wergo WER 6727 2. - ‘Silver Tunes’. VON KOCH: Silver Tunes. LANGLAIS: 5 Pieces. AUGUSTA READ THOMAS: Angel Tears and Earth Prayers. DEBUSSY: Syrinx. LIEBERMANN: Air, op. 106. LÖFBERG Sonata-I Choral (plus works by ROMAN, GLUCK, HILDEGARD VON BINGEN). Elivi Varga (fl), Ole Långström (org). Sterling CDA 1676-2.

Tempo ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 67 (265) ◽  
pp. 112-117
Author(s):  
Guy Rickards
Keyword(s):  
Chamber Music ◽  
String Quartet ◽  
Hildegard Von Bingen ◽  
Antonio Machado ◽  
String Trio ◽  
Violin And Piano ◽  
Cello Sonata

Creating “Progressive” Communities through Programmatic Chamber Music

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie Sumner Lott
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
Chamber Music ◽  
String Quartet ◽  
Musical Style ◽  
Shared Experience ◽  
String Quintet ◽  
Written Word ◽  
Musical Sounds ◽  
Political Scene

This chapter examines three programmatic works for strings, each with a different relationship to the cultural and political scene of its day: George Onslow's string quintet “The Bullet” deals with a hunting accident; Niels Gade's string quartet “Willkommen und Abschied” (Welcome and departure) interprets a Goethe poem; and Bedřich Smetana's string quartet “From My Life” provides a politically charged autobiography in tones. In all three cases, the composer has addressed a particular group of performers or listeners by using musical style and the written word to create a narrative that would resonate with a shared experience or identity. As such, these three works demonstrate the range of possibilities for programmaticism throughout the nineteenth century, as well as different points along the spectrum of depiction, from “characteristic” works that narrate a series of events with mimetic devices to more abstract works that attempt to translate a poetic ideal into musical sounds.

Practicing Efficiently—For Teachers

1994 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 49-51
Author(s):  
Katrina Wreede ◽  
Karen Ritscher
Keyword(s):  
Chamber Music ◽  
String Quartet ◽  
Free Jazz ◽  
Youth Orchestras ◽  
String Trio

Katrina Wreede has an active career as a performer, teacher, and composer. Formerly the violist with the Turtle Island String Quartet, she performs with chamber music groups, a viola/piano duo, and a string trio, all of which explore free jazz sensibilities inside the chamber music form. While violist with TISQ, she performed to critical acclaim in more than 40 states and nine countries, appearing in numerous television specials. She teaches both privately and for several youth orchestras and presents workshops on improvisation and composition to children and adults. She also composes in her “Improvisational Chamber Music” style.

The Diversity of Dvořák’s String Quartet Audiences

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie Sumner Lott
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
Chamber Music ◽  
String Quartet ◽  
String Quartets ◽  
Music Culture

This concluding chapter analyzes how the diversity of Antonín Dvořák's audiences affected his string quartets. The strain of satisfying the disparate expectations of diverse audiences while attempting to establish himself as a composer of “universal” music in the tradition of German Classicism is most evident in Dvořák's string quartets. These works demonstrate his shrewdness in reading the musical climate and responding to it with appropriate stylistic choices that address not only the desire for exotic signifiers or their absence but also the types of engagement that listeners and performers would enjoy in different performance settings. The chapter then illuminates the features of Dvořák's earlier string quartets that indicate the composer's engagement with pervasive nineteenth-century string quartet traditions and his successful navigation of the rapidly changing chamber music culture in the last quarter of the nineteenth century.

Ernest Bloch's Second String Quartet

Tempo ◽  
1959 ◽  
pp. 11-16
Author(s):  
Frederick Rimmer
Keyword(s):  
String Quartet ◽  
String Quartets ◽  
The Other ◽  
Sonata Form ◽  
Musical Expression ◽  
The Right

The four string quartets* of Bloch are a convenient medium for assessing both the strength and weakness of his unusual talent, revealing, as they do, an imperfect endowment of those processes of thought and feeling from which, in the right amalgam, a masterpiece of musical expression can emerge. Only the second quartet represents him at his best. It is one of the few works where inspiration and emotion are under the control of the intellect. There are weaknesses in the other quartets largely brought about by preoccupation with cyclic procedures—a notorious and dangerous expedient for a composer unable by nature to accept the traditional usages and disciplines of sonata form.

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