Arel: For Violin and Piano; Wilson: Piece for Four; Stern: Terezin
Liner Notes   Cat. No. NWCRL264     Release Date: 2010-09-15
Robert Miller, piano; Matthew Raimondi, violin; Joseph Schwartz, piano; Robert Willoughby, flute; Gene Young, trumpet; Bertram Turetzky, bass; Dorothy Ornest, soprano; Robert Stern, piano; Joel Krosnick, cello

Bülent Arel writes;

"For Violin And Piano was commissioned in 1966 by Radio Ankara, Turkey, and is dedicated to Suna Kan (violin) and Gulay Ugurata (piano), its first performers.

"It took me a long time to decide about the language of this piece. In the spring of 1967 I happened to see a 14th century Chinese painting at the Freer Gallery in Washington, D.C. This visual experience was a revelation for me, and provided the organizational principle of the piece. A thin branch, curving slightly, begins the painting from the left. The branch is the solo violin part; tiny leaves, attached later, represent the percussive introduction of the piano. Then several branches intertwine in various directions and combinations, and there are two climactic episodes. A restricted improvisation in both violin and piano parts, followed by a rhapsodic episode, leads into the soft ending, that disappears like the branch in the drawing. The whole composition reflects a deep romantic expression, in spite of the fact that it is a strict twelve-tone piece.

Olly Wilson's Piece For Four was composed in 1966. It is scored for flute, trumpet, double bass and piano — an ensemble which, with the addition of a drum set, would be that of a typical jazz quintet of the late fifties and early sixties. This choice of instruments as well as the nature of the musical gestures present in the piece reflect the composer's jazz background.

Movement one, Allegro, is based on the alternation of areas of great activity with those of a more static quality, both on micro and macro formal levels. This process gradually becomes obvious as the movement progresses.

The second movement is essentially a long virtuosic cadenza for the double bass prepared and concluded by projections in the flute and piano.

The composer refers to the third movement as his "Miles" movement. It was so named because the trumpet "sound ideal" is that of Miles Davis' muted trumpet. Furthermore, many of the motives were inspired by typical Miles Davis figures. This final movement is the most expansive and explosive of the three movements.

Robert Stern's Terezin is a musical setting of poems written by children in the Nazi "show" concentration camp of Theresienstadt, near Prague, Czechoslovakia. The poems and drawings by the children, created under almost incredible obstacles, were collected in a book called I Never Saw Another Butterfly (McGraw Hill, 1964).


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.

Various Artists

Arel: For Violin and Piano; Wilson: Piece for Four; Stern: Terezin

MP3/320 $13.00
FLAC $13.00
WAV $13.00
CD-R $13.00
CD-Rs come in a protective sleeve; no print material or jewel case included.
A *.pdf of the notes may be accessed here free of charge.
   Liner Notes



Track Listing

For Violin and Piano
BÌ_lent Arel
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Piece for Four: I. Allegro
Olly Wilson
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Piece for Four: II. -
Olly Wilson
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Piece for Four: III. -
Olly Wilson
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Terezin: I. Prologue - At Terezin
Robert Stern
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Terezin: II. Interlude - Fantasy
Robert Stern
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Terezin: III. The Butterfly
Robert Stern
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Terezin: IV. Interlude - Butterflies
Robert Stern
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Terezin: V. Yes, That's The Way Things Are
Robert Stern
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Terezin: VI. Interlude - Freight Train With People
Robert Stern
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Terezin: VII. The Little Mouse
Robert Stern
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Terezin: VIII. To Olga
Robert Stern
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Terezin: IX. Epilogue - I'd Like To Go Alone
Robert Stern
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