Liner Notes
Cat. No. NWCR595
Release Date: 2007-01-01
Mindy Kaufman, flute, piccolo; Maureen Gallagher, viola; Barbara Allen, harp; Irene Gubrud, soprano; Margo Garrett, piano; Diane Walsh, piano; Allison Voth, piano; Byron Tauchi, violin; Denis Hoff, clarinet; Mexico Philharmonic; Paul Freeman, Conductor
"Dennis Riley's Apparitions (1984) is a little masterpiece of wit, charm, delicacy, and ever subtle musical invention. The instrumentation for flute, harp and viola, inevitably reminds us of Debussy's late sonata, and indeed, this score stands in spirit as a loving homage to Debussy...
"A perfect sense of timing and true gift for melodic invention, plus seamless instrumental colors, all make Apparitions a joy to hear and, I suspect, to play. May it reach the wide audience it deserves!" - Charles Fussell
"For me, the most expressive and beautiful instrument is the human voice. In my two operas, choral works, and nine solo cantatas I have paid heartfelt homage to singers and their wonderful repertoire. Soledades is my largely spontaneous response to [Antonio] Machado's marvelous poetry. As musical analysis belongs to theory classes and not in record or program notes, I will spare you a verbal description of the music and of my aims in writing it. Just listen.
"For her 1990 tour of the Soviet Union, Diane Walsh commissioned Rosa De Fuego, which I composed during the autumn of 1989. I found myself thinking of other ways to use some of the melodies and accompaniments from Soledades, and ended up with a free-wheeling rhapsody, integrating material from three of the songs in the cantata with newly-composed music. There are also a few references to a tune those of you with a sharp ear and a familiarity with the popular music of the forties might recognize." -Hugh Aitken
"The seven brief movements of Many Happy Returns are unified by a frenetic first-movement ritornello, a feature suggested by the ritrornelli in Monteverdi's L'Orfeo, which stand out in memory as some of the first music I came to love. In Many Happy Returns, the ritornello is played a total of four times, if one counts the finale. It does not change, though it is abbreviated in repetition, varied in movement V and finally transformed to D major. The remaining movements share no material and their contrast deepens with passing time, as increasingly slower music alternates with quick music. While the work is not programmatic, a curious, skittish mountain goat found its way from my summer campsite at Ousel Lake in the Beartooth Mountains of Montana into the third movement waltz..." -David Evan Thomas
"The Canticale for Strings was completed in 1957. It is a one movement work lasting a bit under 10 minutes. It is typical of my style even though it is a fairly early piece. Melody abounds, although there is an intensity throughout that gives the work a bitter-sweet flavor. The form seems to be rhapsodic, but the clear-cut material returns in a way that accents the tightness of the musical ideas. The piece sings in an uninhibited fashion and thee is a directness about the work that many have found appealing." -Stanley Wolfe
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.
"Dennis Riley's Apparitions (1984) is a little masterpiece of wit, charm, delicacy, and ever subtle musical invention. The instrumentation for flute, harp and viola, inevitably reminds us of Debussy's late sonata, and indeed, this score stands in spirit as a loving homage to Debussy...
"A perfect sense of timing and true gift for melodic invention, plus seamless instrumental colors, all make Apparitions a joy to hear and, I suspect, to play. May it reach the wide audience it deserves!" - Charles Fussell
"For me, the most expressive and beautiful instrument is the human voice. In my two operas, choral works, and nine solo cantatas I have paid heartfelt homage to singers and their wonderful repertoire. Soledades is my largely spontaneous response to [Antonio] Machado's marvelous poetry. As musical analysis belongs to theory classes and not in record or program notes, I will spare you a verbal description of the music and of my aims in writing it. Just listen.
"For her 1990 tour of the Soviet Union, Diane Walsh commissioned Rosa De Fuego, which I composed during the autumn of 1989. I found myself thinking of other ways to use some of the melodies and accompaniments from Soledades, and ended up with a free-wheeling rhapsody, integrating material from three of the songs in the cantata with newly-composed music. There are also a few references to a tune those of you with a sharp ear and a familiarity with the popular music of the forties might recognize." -Hugh Aitken
"The seven brief movements of Many Happy Returns are unified by a frenetic first-movement ritornello, a feature suggested by the ritrornelli in Monteverdi's L'Orfeo, which stand out in memory as some of the first music I came to love. In Many Happy Returns, the ritornello is played a total of four times, if one counts the finale. It does not change, though it is abbreviated in repetition, varied in movement V and finally transformed to D major. The remaining movements share no material and their contrast deepens with passing time, as increasingly slower music alternates with quick music. While the work is not programmatic, a curious, skittish mountain goat found its way from my summer campsite at Ousel Lake in the Beartooth Mountains of Montana into the third movement waltz..." -David Evan Thomas
"The Canticale for Strings was completed in 1957. It is a one movement work lasting a bit under 10 minutes. It is typical of my style even though it is a fairly early piece. Melody abounds, although there is an intensity throughout that gives the work a bitter-sweet flavor. The form seems to be rhapsodic, but the clear-cut material returns in a way that accents the tightness of the musical ideas. The piece sings in an uninhibited fashion and thee is a directness about the work that many have found appealing." -Stanley Wolfe
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.
Music of Dennis Riley, Hugh Aitken, David Evan Thomas & Stanley Wolfe
| MP3/320 | $9.99 | |
| FLAC | $9.99 | |
| WAV | $9.99 | |
| CD-R | $9.99 |
A *.pdf of the notes may be accessed here free of charge.
Track Listing
|
Apparitions: I
Dennis Riley
|
Buy
|
|
|
Apparitions: II
Dennis Riley
|
Buy
|
|
|
Apparitions: III
Dennis Riley
|
Buy
|
|
|
Soledades - Cantata VII: Rosa de Fuego
Hugh Aitken
|
Buy
|
|
|
Soledades - Cantata VII: Yo voy sonando caminos
Hugh Aitken
|
Buy
|
|
|
Soledades - Cantata VII: Mi Bufon
Hugh Aitken
|
Buy
|
|
|
Soledades - Cantata VII: Oh tarde luminosa
Hugh Aitken
|
Buy
|
|
|
Soledades - Cantata VII: Pegasos
Hugh Aitken
|
Buy
|
|
|
Soledades - Cantata VII: Senor, ja me arrancaste
Hugh Aitken
|
Buy
|
|
|
Soledades - Cantata VII: El sol es un globo de fuego
Hugh Aitken
|
Buy
|
|
|
Soledades - Cantata VII: Sone que tu me llevabus
Hugh Aitken
|
Buy
|
|
|
Rosa de Fuego
Hugh Aitken
|
Buy
|
|
|
Many Happy Returns
David Evan Thomas
|
Buy
|
|
|
Canticle for Strings
Stanley Wolfe
|
Buy
|