Liner Notes
Cat. No. NWCRL519
Release Date: 2011-07-15
Sylvan Winds, Arthur Weisberg, conductor; The Aeolian Chamber Players
"Summersong, in one movement, divides into two large sections, the first consisting of an extended melody, beginning semplice in unison clarinets, and continuing through many instrumental exchanges. The second half explores and develops more fully the timbral and textural contrasts inherent in the music, giving the brass a featured role. Repeated and varied fragments, growing into longer units, lead to a culmination where the flute enters with a line recalling the opening music, over brass accompaniment.
"Finding ever new instrumental combinations and textural settings was a great pleasure, in this most rich of ensembles. There was a special challenge in finding ways in which to give the 23 instrumentalists opportunities as soloists, rather than thinking of them primarily as members of sections. The influence of Stravinsky's Symphonies of Wind Instruments will be recognized by many. The two works are virtually identical in instrumentation, while differing fundamentally in their construction: Summersong is achieved by sustained melodic and harmonic continuity; Symphonies moves through the juxtaposition of block contrasts." —David Chaitkin
"Having heard a rather unusual show of mine called 'Wild Gardens of the Loup Garou' presented in Greenwich Village in June 1983, Lewis Kaplan, the Aeolians' director and violinist, commissioned me to write something for the ensemble's 1984-85 season. I accepted happily and soon after launched into some sketches, but could make little headway because my head had recently been invaded by a great big gorgeous unhurried tune by Handel, a minuet theme from the opera 'Berenice.' It became clear that whatever I might be writing in the next stretch of time would have to make psychic room for that music of Handel.
"The six Berenice Variations therefore exist as six reactions to a theme as much as they do in the traditional sense as six calculated displays of compositional premeditation (though once the haunting was acceded to, that aspect of normal composerly behavior crept in too)... —Carman Moore
"Summersong, in one movement, divides into two large sections, the first consisting of an extended melody, beginning semplice in unison clarinets, and continuing through many instrumental exchanges. The second half explores and develops more fully the timbral and textural contrasts inherent in the music, giving the brass a featured role. Repeated and varied fragments, growing into longer units, lead to a culmination where the flute enters with a line recalling the opening music, over brass accompaniment.
"Finding ever new instrumental combinations and textural settings was a great pleasure, in this most rich of ensembles. There was a special challenge in finding ways in which to give the 23 instrumentalists opportunities as soloists, rather than thinking of them primarily as members of sections. The influence of Stravinsky's Symphonies of Wind Instruments will be recognized by many. The two works are virtually identical in instrumentation, while differing fundamentally in their construction: Summersong is achieved by sustained melodic and harmonic continuity; Symphonies moves through the juxtaposition of block contrasts." —David Chaitkin
"Having heard a rather unusual show of mine called 'Wild Gardens of the Loup Garou' presented in Greenwich Village in June 1983, Lewis Kaplan, the Aeolians' director and violinist, commissioned me to write something for the ensemble's 1984-85 season. I accepted happily and soon after launched into some sketches, but could make little headway because my head had recently been invaded by a great big gorgeous unhurried tune by Handel, a minuet theme from the opera 'Berenice.' It became clear that whatever I might be writing in the next stretch of time would have to make psychic room for that music of Handel.
"The six Berenice Variations therefore exist as six reactions to a theme as much as they do in the traditional sense as six calculated displays of compositional premeditation (though once the haunting was acceded to, that aspect of normal composerly behavior crept in too)... —Carman Moore
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.
David Chaitkin, Carman Moore: Chamber Works
| 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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Summersong
David Chaitkin
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Berenice - Variations on a Theme of George Frederick Handel: Var. I
Carman Moore
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Berenice - Variations on a Theme of George Frederick Handel: Var. II
Carman Moore
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Berenice - Variations on a Theme of George Frederick Handel: Var. III
Carman Moore
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Berenice - Variations on a Theme of George Frederick Handel: Var. IV
Carman Moore
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Berenice - Variations on a Theme of George Frederick Handel: Var. V
Carman Moore
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Berenice - Variations on a Theme of George Frederick Handel: Var. VI
Carman Moore
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