Iowa Brass Quintet: Robert Levy, trumpet; John Beer, trumpet; Paul Anderson, horn; John Hill, trombone; Robert Yeats, tuba; Catherine Rowe, soprano; Jeanne Benjamin, violin; Michael Rudiakov, cello; Bernard Berger, flute; Gerard Schwarz, trumpet; Claire Heldrich, percussion; Raymond Des Roches, percussion; Andrew Thomas, piano; Arthur Weisberg, Conductor; Vern Sutton, tenor; Jeffrey Van, guitar
William Mayer's fondness for brass instruments has resulted in such works as Concert Piece for Trumpet, Essay for Brass and Winds (CRI 185) and the Brass Quintet which is dedicated to the Iowa Brass Quintet. What emerges from the shifting timbres and asymmetric rhythms is a quality of Rabelaisian humor co-existing with poignant lyricism. The simplicity of the second movement, an elegy, contrasts with the intricacy of the other movements: the movements are marked Poco presto, Lento, Con moto, and Poco presto. All parts of the work share a quality of disarming simplicity that conceals Mayer's fine craftsmanship.
After the premiere of Miniatures, Donal Henahan of the New York Times found that some of them “put one in mind of Ives at times, particularly the latter's tersest and best jests such as 'Ann Street.' Mr. Mayer's songs chattered along with an elfin, askew wit that led only back to itself, as good music ideally should.” Most of the Miniatures are dark and lyrical, however, and deal with serious subjects — loneliness, longing, getting old — and all are an attempt to create individual worlds of feeling in a tiny space of time.
The News Items, on the other hand, are primarily light and are designed to resemble a soufflé despite the fact that the distraught soprano in the last selection turns into a hen.
Khartoum is a simple song of longing
About Letters From Composers, Dominick Argento writes:
“In a letter of 1882, Verdi wrote: 'But what need is there to go dragging letters out of a composer of music? Letters that are always written in haste, carelessly, as something of no importance.'
“I chose letters rather than poems for these songs because the epistolary style seems highly suitable to the intimate sort of chamber music made by voice and guitar; I chose letters by composers because they seem to me to be less self-conscious, less 'public' than those of other creative artists. Wanting to treat the subject of the artist as man, I deliberately avoided letters dealing with 'art' and chose instead those shedding light on some less familiar facet of the composer's personality.
This title, originally issued on the CRI label, is now available as a burn-on-demand CD (CD-R) or download in MP3/320, FLAC or WAV formats. CD-Rs come in a protective sleeve; no print booklet or jewel case included. Full liner notes are accessible via the link above.
Music of William Mayer & Domenick Argento
| MP3/320 | $7.99 | |
| FLAC | $7.99 | |
| WAV | $7.99 | |
| CD-R | $7.99 |
A *.pdf of the notes may be accessed here free of charge.
Track Listing
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Brass Quintet: I. Poco presto
William Mayer
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Brass Quintet: II. Elegy: Very slowly
William Mayer
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Brass Quintet: III. Con moto e pesante
William Mayer
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Brass Quintet: IV. Dance: Poco presto
William Mayer
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Miniatures: I. Deeply Down
William Mayer
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Miniatures: II. Land of Dead Dreams
William Mayer
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Miniatures: III. Fireworks
William Mayer
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Miniatures: IV. Prophetic Soul
William Mayer
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Miniatures: V. Isn't There Some Mistake?
William Mayer
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Miniatures: VI. "For No Man..."
William Mayer
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Khartoum
William Mayer
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Two News Items: "Hastily Formed Contemporary Music Ensemble Reveals Origins"
William Mayer
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Two News Items: "Distraught Soprano Undergoes Unfortunate Transformation"
William Mayer
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Letters from Composers: I. Chopin
Domenick Argento
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Letters from Composers: II. Mozart
Domenick Argento
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Letters from Composers: III. Schubert
Domenick Argento
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Letters from Composers: IV. Bach
Domenick Argento
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Letters from Composers: V. Debussy
Domenick Argento
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Letters from Composers: VI. Puccini
Domenick Argento
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Letters from Composers: VII. Schumann
Domenick Argento
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