Music of Ursula Mamlok
Liner Notes   Cat. No. NWCR806     Release Date: 1999-01-01
Seattle Symphony Orchestra; Gerard Schwarz, Conductor; Parnassus: Christopher Oldfather, piano; Christopher Finckel, cello; Cyrus Stevens, violin; Sarah Adams, viola; Keith Underwood, flute; Anthony Korf, Conductor; Jubal Trio: Sue Ann Kahn, flute; Susan Jolles, harp; Christine Schadeberg, soprano; Cassatt String Quartet: Muneko Otani, violin; Jennifer Leshnower, violin; Michiko Oshima, viola; Kelley Mikkelsen, cello

Ursula Mamlok’s musical credo is encapsulated in this recent statement:
“My main concern is that the music should convey the various emotions in it with clarity and conviction. It interests me to accomplish this with a minimum of material, transforming it in such multiple ways so as to give the impression of ever-new ideas that are like the flowers of a plant, all related yet each one different.”

Mamlok’s music is a unique amalgam of many twentieth century stylistic trends. As her style evolved, she incorporated the neoclassic tendencies of her early music into her evolving use of serial technique, creating a music consistently transparent in texture and sensuous in sound. The stylistic diversities on the surface of her music serve structural functions within her works, providing formal contrasts and often playing a generative role within the development of a piece. Sectional contrast and repetition, palindromic and inversional symmetry, and the use of arch forms are all typical formal strategies employed in Mamlok’s music. The aural substance of her music is characterized by intricate textures and a preference for high, bright, delicate sounds, including those of the flute, clarinet, harp, violin, and piano. Mamlok likes to disguise the serial structure of her music within fluid, virtuosic lines that hover suggestively between tonality and atonality. In many of the works she has written since the ‘70’s, she has divorced the techniques of serialism from the familiar gestural repertoire that accompanied the development of the method.

Mamlok completed all the works on this disc between 1987 and 1998. In contrast to the high drama of her works of the 60’s and the intricate discourse of her works of the 70’s and early 80’s, her music of the last decade reflects her search for greater economy of means and directness of expression. In these works, she has created a fresh synthesis of the elements of her style and technique.


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. Liner notes are accessible via the link above.

Various Artists

Music of Ursula Mamlok

MP3/320 $16.00
FLAC $16.00
WAV $16.00
CD-R $16.00
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

Constellations: I. Brisk
Ursula Mamlok
Buy
Constellations: II. Vivo; sprightly
Ursula Mamlok
Buy
Constellations: III. Tranquil
Ursula Mamlok
Buy
Constellations: IV. Sprightly and energetic
Ursula Mamlok
Buy
Polarities: I. In High Spirit
Ursula Mamlok
Buy
Polarities: II. Still
Ursula Mamlok
Buy
Polarities: III. Playful
Ursula Mamlok
Buy
Der Andreas Garten: I. Dunkel...
Ursula Mamlok
Buy
Der Andreas Garten: II. Noch schläft...
Ursula Mamlok
Buy
Der Andreas Garten: III. Und Morgen's
Ursula Mamlok
Buy
Der Andreas Garten: IV. Kleiner Kolibri
Ursula Mamlok
Buy
Der Andreas Garten: V. Libelle
Ursula Mamlok
Buy
Der Andreas Garten: VI. Rote Scheibe
Ursula Mamlok
Buy
Der Andreas Garten: VII. Taubenflug
Ursula Mamlok
Buy
Der Andreas Garten: VIII. Andreas Garten
Ursula Mamlok
Buy
Der Andreas Garten: IX. Der Mond
Ursula Mamlok
Buy
Girasol
Ursula Mamlok
Buy
String Quartet No. 2: I. With fluctuating tension
Ursula Mamlok
Buy
String Quartet No. 2: II. Larghetto
Ursula Mamlok
Buy
String Quartet No. 2: III. Joyful
Ursula Mamlok
Buy