Consoli/Cervetti
Liner Notes   Cat. No. NWCRL359     Release Date: 2010-07-01
Elsa Charlston, soprano; Elizabeth Szlek-Consoli, flute; Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi, cello;
Stuart Fox, guitar; Bryant Hayes, clarinet and pre-recorded clarinet


Marc-Antonio Consoli writes:

“In the region of Italy where I was born, Sciuri Novi means 'new flowers.' The title was chosen because of its symbolic and stylistic meaning. It was my first composition written in Italy after a long absence from that country, and it was the first of my works to be premiered there. Technically, it reflects a new approach for me — that of writing multisounds for a basically monophonic wind instrument. In addition, after years of working with solely abstract materials, I was able to accept my Italian heritage through the use of folk materials within the musical plan and structure of the work.

Tre Canzoni, unlike Sciuri Novi, contains no folk music materials. This idea was abandoned in view of the nature of the texts. Nevertheless, since I am interested in the textural musical aesthetic resulting from combining abstract with folk materials, sought to adopt pseudo-folk musical features (e.g. scale elements
used in the second and third canzoni), interpolating it with the more abstract elements. The poem to the third canzona (1972) is a fragment of a passage from a stage work of mine: Faust's Rib. The Haiku-like quality of the second poem (1973) touches upon the sociological and climatic mood of my Fulbright year spent in Poland. The poem to the first canzona (1976) carries the message of man being doomed from inception. The original title of the work was Canzoniere, a collection of songs, not necessarily related to one another; these are the first three.

Beginning with From the Earth, composed during 1972, Sergio Cervetti has been concerned primarily with attempting to maximize the tone-color and timbre variations of compositions employing restricted pitch-classes (as few as 4 or 5 tones), and with exploring the way in which tonal configurations of varying densities and durations seem to generate their own temporal gravity fields which alter our normal perception of the continuity of time. Aria Suspendida (1974) is an attempt to solve both of these problems simultaneously; the entire 13 minute work is based on a familiar chord progression in A minor. It is dedicated to Bryant Hayes, who commissioned it and premiered it at the Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C. in September 1974.

Guitar Music (The Bottom Of The Iceberg) exposes simple textures and timbres and a limited range of dynamics. It is dedicated to Bill Hellermann and quotes directly from one of his late pieces: Row Music (The Tip of the Iceberg) for piano solo.

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

Consoli/Cervetti

MP3/320 $7.99
FLAC $7.99
WAV $7.99
CD-R $7.99
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

Sciuri Novi
Marc-Antonio Consoli
Buy
Tre Canzoni: I
Marc-Antonio Consoli
Buy
Tre Canzoni: II
Marc-Antonio Consoli
Buy
Tre Canzoni: III
Marc-Antonio Consoli
Buy
Guitar Music (Bottom of the Iceberg)
Sergio Cervetti
Buy
Aria Suspendida
Sergio Cervetti
Buy