infotext:
SOUND WALKS The compositions of Sonic Migrations represent a kind of ramble: a ramble through places (worldwide), through history and special events, through words, soundscapes, life and the mutual feelings of people. The pieces are a by-product of 25 years of experience, spanning diverse ensembles and sonic spaces, far-flung influences, textures and emotions. CD1 begins with the Five Variations (1994), which are derived from Rachmaninoff's Piano Sonata op. 35. I begin with a simple thought: if these notes and musical themes were my own, rather than Rachmaninoff's, where would they take me, and what forms would these idioms take? With Through the cracks (2015) for clarinet and piano, an attempt is made to find ways into and out of what is sought in musical compositions, what they embody, how they dissolve, how they are controlled. The two instruments are continuously involved in a unified, highly condensed and precise dialogue. No Hay Olvido (Sonata) / There is No Forgetting (1994) for soprano, flute and guitar is based on the poem of the same name by the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda. The poem provides rich acoustic information in its course and thus enables music of transitions, sudden shifts and new beginnings; a lyrical underpinning with many hasty twisting edges. filaments (2004) for two pianos is in many ways a hilarious dance piece, alternating between Latin American and jazzy rhythms at the beginning, fading into a relaxed middle section before rekindling the fire. originally was filaments a work for two pianos eight hands. My dear friend, the composer and pianist Randy Bauer, developed the new version for two pianos four hands that can be heard on this CD. The great Sonata for piano and violin in G major by Johannes Brahms served as an inspiration for me Brahms Takes (2012), an exploration, further development and musical reorganization of the tonal content towards a radically different musical and instrumental structure. The thematic content of Brahms's work is transformed, added or removed to allow for interaction and commentary in unique and diverse places. The first CD ends with Selfless Gifts (2012) for soprano saxophone and piano, an indirect commentary on Aaron Coplands SimpleGifts-Theme. Two improvisational sections are embedded in its structure, which serve as bridges to further content as well as revivals. Disc 2 begins with the Piano Sonata #7 (2011), which was inspired by a trip to Tanzania that my wife Jeannine Hummel and I took that same year. The original impetus comes from the hand and finger drumming in an attempt to transfer the percussive character directly to the piano, particularly in the first movement. The second movement, "Legacy," is a commentary on Africa's past - the exploitative and predatory behavior practiced by various foreign nations - by invaders who despised and destroyed so much of that culture: its wisdom and truth, its beauty and liveliness. The fourth movement begins with a folk song from Tanzania, sung around the campfire by two members of the Hazda tribe: two singers let their words echo in the starry night sky and the ever-moving wildlife. Laments of the Homeless Women (1992) for soprano, clarinet and piano is based on a beautiful poem by the American poet David Sten Herrstrom. The poem beautifully weaves Herrstrom's words with those of individual women into a universal commentary on a world they did not necessarily choose, but inhabit - a world of its own form and structure. Sonic Drifts (2014) is a piece for SABER (Sensor Augmented Bass Clarinet Research): a unique invention of composer and clarinettist Matthias Mueller thanks to his profound insights and imagination (see Matthias Mueller's explanation of this instrument). The piece began with a work for an ordinary bass clarinet, thanks to which Matthias and I found a sonic environment for the content of the composition that brought to light unusual and unique sonic visions and sonic stimuli - a departure from music on paper towards sonic manifestations and comments on the content not present in the original experience. Shirakawa River Song (2015) for string quartet came to mind during a morning jog along the Shirakawa River in the Japanese city of Kanazawa. The natural elements of light, the calls of birds, the flow of water, the people practicing tai chi: this clarity and freshness of morning is drawn by the strings and the places where and through which the piece takes them. The Ten Miniatures for Piano (2009) followed immediately on the Piano Sonatas Nos. 5, 6 and 7 - long, intense and programmatic works full of energy and emotion. My goal was a self-contained, highly precise, and clearly defined character for each of the pieces, which are performed with minor interruptions: a succession of musical brushstrokes, stains, and colors that speak quickly, immediately, in off-kilter moods, relying on extensive structuring and refrain from developing the content. In closing, I would like to express what a great blessing and priceless gift it is for me to have my music performed so brilliantly by so many inspired, creative and unique musical individuals. By immersing themselves in the composer's musical world, they all contributed to the further development of the work through their interpretations and creative contributions in a way that I could not have hoped or wished for: My personal ideas were brilliantly implemented! Thank you all! No less valuable for me is the cooperation of the NEOS team, whose work contributes and constitutes an essential supporting element for my creative endeavors. Wulf, Brigitte and Dominik - I cannot emphasize enough how great your commitment is to my work and to many other composers who have benefited from your commitment over the years. My deepest thanks to you. Laurie Altman |
program:
Sonic Migrations
CD 1 [01] Five Variations on Rachmaninoff for piano (1994) 12:46 [02] Through the cracks for clarinet and piano (2015) 04:47 [03] No Hay Olvido (Sonata) for soprano, flute and guitar (1994) 12:21 [04] filaments for two pianos (2004), re-imagined by Randy Bauer 07:04 Brahms Takes for clarinet and string quartet (2012) 13:40 [08] Selfless Gifts for soprano saxophone and piano (2012) 06:29
CD 2 Piano Sonata #7 “Tanzania” (2011) 27:36 Laments of the Homeless Women for soprano, clarinet and piano (1992) 15:07 [10] Sonic Drifts for Sensor Augmented Bass Clarinet (2014) 09:03 [11] Shirakawa River Song for string quartet (2015) 07:24 [12] Ten Miniatures for Piano (2009) 13:16 |
Press:
June 2017 focus on the essentials [...] Dirk Wieschollek |
