Ravel - Jeux deau, Sheet Music + Audio Xandertrax 2010-08-20 | Maurice Ravel - Jeux d'eau, 1901. Performed by Jean-Yves Thibaudet.Jeux d'eau, literally "water games," is a piece dedicated to Gabriel Fauré, Ravel's teacher at the time. The piece is meant to reflect the sounds water makes as it cascades, splashes, and bubbles through brooks. Ravel included the quote "Dieu fluvial riant de l'eau qui le chatouille..." on the manuscript, from Régnier's Cité des eaux, a volume of poems. Roughly, that translates to "River god laughing as the water tickles him..."
Pérotin - Alleluia Nativitas, Sheet Music + Audio Xandertrax 2017-02-22 | Pérotin, Alleluia Nativitas. Organum triplum. ca. 1200 CE.Performed by the Hilliard Ensemble.Pérotin, a pioneer of organum triplum and quadruplum, was a famous European composer who lived from the late 12th to early 13th century. The most famous member of the Notre Dame School of Polyphony, Pérotin holds his place high among the Medieval composers.Alleluia Nativitas is work of organum triplum, with two voices exploring long melismatic lines using strict rhythmic modes over a cantus firmus, the Alleluia Nativitas Gregorian chant.Alleluia Nativitas gloriose virginis Marie ex semine Abrahe orta de tribu Juda clara ex stripe David.O glorious nativity of the Virgin Mary, born of the seed of Abraham of the tribe of shining Judea,out of the stock of David.
Chopin - Ballade No. 3 in A-flat Major Xandertrax 2015-01-26 | Frédéric Chopin, Ballade No. 3 in A-flat Major, op. 47, 1841.Performed by me, Nathan Kloczko, at Middlebury College in 2012.I fully acknowledge that this is not a perfect recording—if you're looking for that, I'd suggest listening to Rubinstein or Pollini.
Holst - The Planets, Jupiter for Two Pianos Xandertrax 2014-03-27 | Gustav Holst - The Planets (1914-1916), No. 4, "Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity."Performed by Richard Markham and David Nettle.Introductory note to The Planets by Imogen Holst:"This is Holst's own version of The Planets for two pianos. Unlike most keyboard versions of an orchestral work it was not an arrangement of the full score. It existed before the orchestral score had been written out, although details of the instrumentation had already been clear in Holst's mind from the moment when he began sketching the work. The reason that he needed a keyboard version on paper was that he suffered from neuritis in his right arm, and this often prevented him from playing over his sketches while he was composing."Jupiter is perhaps the most well-known movement from this suite. Starting with the blustery motion emerging left behind with Mercury, Jupiter finally settles on a regal hymn melody (Thaxted). Other upbeat British folk melodies mark the outer sections, forming a stately whole that creates a formidable centerpiece to the suite.
Holst - The Planets, Mercury for Two Pianos Xandertrax 2014-03-24 | Gustav Holst - The Planets (1914-1916), No. 3, "Mercury, the Winged Messenger."Performed by Richard Markham and David Nettle.Introductory note to The Planets by Imogen Holst:"This is Holst's own version of The Planets for two pianos. Unlike most keyboard versions of an orchestral work it was not an arrangement of the full score. It existed before the orchestral score had been written out, although details of the instrumentation had already been clear in Holst's mind from the moment when he began sketching the work. The reason that he needed a keyboard version on paper was that he suffered from neuritis in his right arm, and this often prevented him from playing over his sketches while he was composing."The the third, spirited movement of The Planets suite, foils it's surrounding movements well. The serenity and static of Venus and the placation and steadfastness of Jupiter are both amplified by the swift, ethereal, kaleidoscopic movements of Mercury. The final piece of the suite to be composed, and the only movement composed out of the numbered order, it was perhaps placed third to fit the traditional place of a scherzo in the traditional four-movement symphony.
Daniel Lentz - Apologetica - Musical Interludes Xandertrax 2014-03-20 | Four Musical Interludes off of Daniel Lentz' album, Apologetica.Interlude #1: 0:00Interlude #2: 0:42Interlude #3: 1:35Interlude #4: 2:45Performed by I Cantori and the Archbishop's Ensemble, with Bradford Ellis on keyboard.Released in 1997, this choral song cycle primarily uses modern texts (some written by the composer) based on Maya writings of the prophet Balam, fortelling of strangers from the East who would come bringing new religion to the Maya. The first 13 tracks try to portray the mindset of the Europeans as they sail into the lives of the aboriginal Americans. These musical interludes are dispersed within the choral movements, providing textual and thematic contrast.
Holst - The Planets, Venus for Two Pianos Xandertrax 2014-03-09 | Gustav Holst - The Planets (1914-1916), No. 2, "Venus, The Bringer of Peace."Performed by Richard Markham and David Nettle.Introductory note to The Planets by Imogen Holst:"This is Holst's own version of The Planets for two pianos. Unlike most keyboard versions of an orchestral work it was not an arrangement of the full score. It existed before the orchestral score had been written out, although details of the instrumentation had already been clear in Holst's mind from the moment when he began sketching the work. The reason that he needed a keyboard version on paper was that he suffered from neuritis in his right arm, and this often prevented him from playing over his sketches while he was composing."The second piece of The Planets suite, composed in mid-1914, Venus takes the place of the slow movement in a classical symphony. It evokes its title accurately, with a sense of serenity and peace surrounding and pervading the movement—there is little unexpected movement and few jarring harmonies,
Darcy James Argue - The Neighborhood, Brooklyn Babylon Xandertrax 2014-03-09 | The Neighborhood, the 2nd track from Darcy James Argue's and Danijel Zezelj's multimedia project, Brooklyn Babylon.Performed by Darcy James Argue's Secret Society. Solo by John Ellis, tenor saxophone.From the website:In the teeming metropolis of a future Brooklyn, longtime residents and fresh arrivals work together to preserve their embattled neighborhoods. But plans are afoot to construct an immense tower -- the tallest in the world -- right in the heart of the city, and Lev, a master carpenter, finds himself torn between ambition and community when he is commissioned to build the carousel that will crown it.For more information, visit http://brooklynbabylon.com and http://www.secretsocietymusic.org
Holst - The Planets, Mars for Two Pianos Xandertrax 2013-12-09 | Gustav Holst - The Planets (1914-1916), No. 1, "Mars, the Bringer of War."Performed by Richard Markham and David Nettle.Introductory note to The Planets by Imogen Holst:"This is Holst's own version of The Planets for two pianos. Unlike most keyboard versions of an orchestral work it was not an arrangement of the full score. It existed before the orchestral score had been written out, although details of the instrumentation had already been clear in Holst's mind from the moment when he began sketching the work. The reason that he needed a keyboard version on paper was that he suffered from neuritis in his right arm, and this often prevented him from playing over his sketches while he was composing."The opening piece of the planets was composed in early 1914; a violent, boisterous march in 5/4. Mars, the Roman god of War, is evoked through the mechanical rhythms and grinding, dissonant climaxes.
Carol of the Birds, 15x Slowed Xandertrax 2013-12-09 | Carol of the Birds. Traditional Basque Carol.Performed by the Middlebury Mountain Ayres on their Christmas album, A Very Ayrey Christmas. Slowed down 15x with paulstretch.
Muhly - Bright Mass with Canons Xandertrax 2013-11-13 | Nico Muhly - Bright Mass with Canons, 2005.For John Scott and the Choir of Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue, New York.Performed by the Los Angeles Master Chorale, with Grant Gershon on Organ.Kyrie: 0:00Gloria: 3:24Sanctus: 7:36Agnus Dei: 10:21Program Notes by the Composer:Bright Mass with Canons was written for John Scott and the choir of Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue, New York. There are canons "" imitative repetitions "" in almost every bar of the Mass. In the Kyrie and Gloria, canons reference the imitative writing of early English composers Byrd and Weelkes, whereas the canonic writing in the Sanctus and the Agnus Dei is more abstract and spatial. The most intense use comes towards the beginning the Sanctus, in which each singer repeats a given figure in his own time, creating a flurry of sound to fill the space in St. Thomas's sanctuary.And,The Bright Mass with Canons is an attempt to rediscover the tropes and moments that brightened my childhood music-making. So, in that spirit, the piece is constructed around these little fetishes. The Kyrie begins with bright, brash trumpets, moving towards a modal, plaintive line. The Gloria is rhythmically insistent, but not too much so, and builds towards exactly the kind of outrageous, suspended climax I adored singing. The Sanctus, on the other hand, looks towards electronic music in its use of aleatoric, insect-like twitching from the upper voices, and also looks to Howells with its long, unctuous lines. The Agnus Dei ends the Mass solemnly, with only the slightest tilt of the head upwards as a semi-chorus outlines, with appoggiaturas, an ascending scale.
Darcy James Argue - Grand Opening, Brooklyn Babylon Xandertrax 2013-10-28 | Grand Opening, the 14th track from Darcy James Argue's and Danijel Zezelj's multimedia project, Brooklyn Babylon.Performed by Darcy James Argue's Secret Society.From the website:In the teeming metropolis of a future Brooklyn, longtime residents and fresh arrivals work together to preserve their embattled neighborhoods. But plans are afoot to construct an immense tower -- the tallest in the world -- right in the heart of the city, and Lev, a master carpenter, finds himself torn between ambition and community when he is commissioned to build the carousel that will crown it.For more information, visit http://brooklynbabylon.com
Daniel Lentz - Apologetica Xandertrax 2013-10-28 | The final, self-titled track off of Daniel Lentz' album, Apologetica.Performed by I Cantori and the Archbishop's Ensemble, with Bradford Ellis on keyboard.Released in 1997, this choral song cycle primarily uses modern texts (some written by the composer) based on Maya writings of the prophet Balam, fortelling of strangers from the East who would come bringing new religion to the Maya. The first 13 tracks try to portray the mindset of the Europeans as they sail into the lives of the aboriginal Americans.This track draws from a different text, from the 1542 book "The Tears of the Indians" written by the Protector of the Indians, Fray Bartoleme de las Casas, a Spanish Bishop."Apologetica"Oceans between the new world and the oldcould not drown the tears of the Indians.The ones who brought their foreign godsleft land and lives and souls to whither.Stolen treasures--gold and silver, pearls and feathers lapped at foreign shores,echoed their criesand Native spirits,touched only by Naturerose like the green Quetzalin haunting lamentations.Orig. Fray Bartoleme de las Casas, 1542.Adap. Sheilah Britton.
Ravel - Sonatine, No. 3, Animé Xandertrax 2013-10-27 | Maurice Ravel - Sonatine (1903-1905), Mvt 3, Animé.Performed by Jean-Yves Thibaudet.Back in F# minor, this movement is also in Sonata form, as the first movement. As the main theme (more of a motive), Ravel uses the mirror image of the first movement's opening sigh. The rising fourth plays a crucial role through this movement, as the backbone of the first and second themes. Ravel had made piano rolls of the first and second movements of the Sonatine, but refused to record or perform the third, as he considered it far too difficult. The piece is the spitting of a Toccata, and reflects Debussy's Toccata from Pour le Piano, and foreshadows some of the proportions in the Toccata of Le tombeau de Couperin.
Ravel - Sonatine, No. 2, Mouvement de Menuet Xandertrax 2013-10-27 | Maurice Ravel - Sonatine (1903-1905), Mvt 2, Mouvement de Menuet.Performed by Jean-Yves Thibaudet.Composed two years after the first movement, this brief minuet both echoes the first movement and foreshadows the third. It opens answering the falling fourth of the first movement with it's inversion, the rising fifth. Similarly to the first movement, the structure is shortened, lacking the traditional trio found in Classical Minuets. Ravel was heard telling his friend to play this in the same tempo as the minuet of Beethoven's 18th Piano Sonata in E-flat major (Thibaudet tends to take it a few tempo marks slower).
Kloczko - Four Flutes, Sheet Music + Audio Xandertrax 2013-07-14 | Nathan Kloczko - Four Flutes, 2012.
Schnittke - Minnesang Xandertrax 2013-07-02 | Alfred Schnittke - Minnesang, for 52 voices, 1980/1981.The Danish National Radio Choir—Stefan Parkman, conductor.Program notes by Dmitri Smirnov:Minnesang (1980-81), was written for fifty-two voices (eighteen sopranos, twelve altos, ten tenors and twelve basses). It was first performed on 21 October 1981 at the festival 'Musikprotokol' in the Chamber Hall of Graz Congress, with the Pro Arte Choir (Graz) conducted by Karl Ernst Hoffman. It sets the original minnesingers' text.Influenced by Provençal troubadours and northern French trouvères, the poetry of German lyric poets flourished in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Minnesingers were mainly of aristocratic origin, in contrast to meistersingers who were of middle merchant class and came two centuries later. They called themselves Minnesinger ('Singers of Love') because love (Minne) was the principal subject of their poetry.As with Wagner in Tannhäuser and Richard Strauss in Guntram, Schnittke was attracted to the poetry and music of Minnesang. He began to work with this material in 1977. At first he planned to write an instrumental piece based on songs by minnesingers, and intended this for his Third Violin Concerto. But later he rejected that idea and decided to keep the vocal melodies for vocal music.Schnittke selected a number of the original songs of the Monk of Salzburg (c1350-1410), Friedrich von Sonnenburg, Meister Alexander, Heinrich von Meissen (died 1318), Neidhart von Reuental (c1180-1240), Walther von der Vogelweide (c1170-1230) and Wolfram von Eschenbach (died c1220). He divided the fragments of these songs among the fifty-two singers (ten groups of three to six people plus two groups of soloists). 'I set the task to limit myself with only montage work without changing any note of these songs' -- Schnittke wrote in his programme note for the first performance.Schnittke did not want to use the choir in its usual way, but suggested dispersing the singers on and around the stage, or to perform the piece somewhere other than a concert hall. As he stated: 'I wanted to create a picture of some magic act, which is based on this music. And the middle High-German text, incomprehensible now even for Germans, which I left unchanged, has no importance here -- it is transformed into phonemes, and does not express any plot, but rather creates some mood'.Already in the finale of his First Symphony (1972), Schnittke had a similar experience of working with borrowed musical material. There he took a number of Bach's chorales and made them sound simultaneously in a rich clustering C major. Here he chose a Dorian (white-key) D minor, exploring exquisite multi-voiced diatonic textures based on multi-storey unison canons for at least fifteen minutes before a clear modulation into C major with a huge climax on C. A two-minute coda written in a quiet C minor follows, suggesting a charming tonal contrast to the main body of the piece.The paradox of Minneang is that the score looks extremely complicated, but the music sounds amazingly simple and attractive. However, its simplicity is very different to the simplicity of the language of the Concerto for Mixed Chorus, which convincingly expresses very profound and complicated ideas and feelings, where every tiny gesture and every motive is very significant and powerful. And Voices of Nature is also different: its innocent intuitive simplicity and astonishing laconism is capable of showing beauty in its greatest possible scale like 'the world in a grain of sand'.
Ravel - Sonatine, No. 1, Modéré Xandertrax 2013-01-29 | Maurice Ravel - Sonatine (1903-1905), Mvt 1, Modéré.Performed by Jean-Yves Thibaudet.This movement, originally composed for a small competition sponsored by the Weekly Critical Review (in which he was the only entrant, but still did not win, since his entry was a few bars too long), is a brief but flowing sonata form, true to the title. It is an homage to the structure and elegance of the late 18th century forms. The falling fourth that opens this piece sets the stage for the following movements, which all utilize and transform the motive (and it's inversion, a rising fifth) in various ways.
Chesnokov - Spaséñiye, sodélal (Salvation is created), Slowed 25x Xandertrax 2013-01-24 | Spaséñiye, sodélal, by Pavel Chesnokov. 1912.Recorded at a rehearsal by the Middlebury Chapel Choir, 2011.Text:Spaséñiye, sodélal yesí posredé ziemlí, Bózhe. Allilúiya.Cпасение coдeлaл еси посреде земли, Боже. Аллилуия.Salvation is created, in midst of the earth, O God. Alleluia.
Kloczko - Road Games, Sheet Music + Audio Xandertrax 2013-01-17 | Nathan Kloczko - Road Games, 2011-2012.Road Games was composed as a part of my senior thesis. It is meant to convey the feeling of moving, seeing, and exploring for the sake of the exploration, not for the sake of destination. It is heavily influenced by the minimalists and post-minimalists, such as Steve Reich, Philip Glass, and John Adams. The two pianos are juxtaposed in conversation through the hocketing texture present throughout most of the piece. Though there was no specific program in mind when the piece was being written, the different sections reflect changes in mood and setting amongst the travelers.
Es ist ein Ros entsprungen - 25x slowed Xandertrax 2012-12-26 | Es ist ein Ros entsprungen. Michael Praetorius, 1609.Performed by the Middlebury Mountain Ayres on their Christmas album, A Very Ayrey Christmas. Slowed down 25x with paulstretch.
ORegan - Triptych Xandertrax 2012-09-25 | Tarik O'Regan - Triptych, 2005.Performed by Conspirare, accompanied by the Company of Strings.I: 0:00II: 4:29III: 12:20Texts:I:ThrenodyWhen death takes off the mask, [we] will know one another,Though diverse liveries [we] wear here make [us] strangers.--William Penn (1644--1718)Tremblest thou when my face appearsTo thee? Wherefore thy dreadful fears?Be easy, friend; 'tis thy truest gainTo be far away from the sons of men.I offer a couch to give thee ease:Shall dreamless slumber so much displease?--Muhammad Rajab Al-Bayoumi (dates unknown)To see a World in a Grain of Sand,And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand,And Eternity in an hour.--William Blake (1757--1827)Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for [people] to dwell together in unity.--Psalm 133, From the Bible (King James Version, 1611)II:As We Remember ThemIn the rising of the sun and at its going down, we remember them.In the blowing of the wind and in the chill of winter, we remember them.In the opening buds and in the rebirth of spring, we remember them.In the blueness of the sky and in the warmth of summer, we remember them.In the rustling of the leaves and in the beauty of autumn, we remember them.When [we're] weary and in need of strength, we remember them.When [we're] lost and sick at heart, we remember them.So long as we live, they too shall live, for they are part of us,As we remember them.--Roland B. Gittelsohn (1910--1995)And the Heav'nly Quire stood mute,And silence was in Heav'n.--John Milton (1608—1684)III:From Heaven Distilled A Clemency Each shall arise in the place where their life [spirit] departs.--'Bundahis- Bahman yast'; Indian Bundahishn (ninth century)[So] Why then should I be afraid? I shall die once again to rise an angel blest.--'Masnavi i ma'navi'; Mathwani of Jalalu'd'Din Rumi (thirteenth century)Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting;The Soul that rises with us, our life's Star,Hath had elsewhere its setting.And cometh from afar.--William Wordsworth (1770—1850)Calm fell. From heaven distilled a clemency;There was peace on earth, and silence in the sky.--Thomas Hardy (1840—1928)
Reich - You Are (Variations), Mvt. I Xandertrax 2012-09-25 | Steve Reich - You Are (Variations), 2004.Movement I, You are wherever your thoughts are.Pf. Los Angeles Master Chorale.
Muhly - A Hudson Cycle, Sheet Music + Audio Xandertrax 2012-09-11 | Nico Muhly - A Hudson Cycle, 2005.Performed by the composer.Notes by Daniel Johnson.A HUDSON CYCLE was written as a wedding gift for two friends, one of whom was leaving Manhattan behind to effect their union. This is music of longing and anticipation; losing a beautiful place, approaching a beloved person. The right hand and the left struggle to synchronize, now succeeding, now failing to coincide. The primary rhythmic figure--a restless polyrhythm of two beats in the right hand for every three in the left--should recall the onward rush of the titular river, which very much represents "home" for the composer. (There it is, out his window.) It should also recall the music of Philip Glass, one of Nico's most important influences, who's made extended two-against-three one of his compositional trademarks.
Górecki - Miserere Xandertrax 2012-08-29 | Henryk Górecki - Miserere, 1981.Performed by the Chicago Symphony Chorus. Recorded at St. Mary of the Angels Church, Chicago.This Miserere, composed in 1981 for a large choir, was written as a protest against the assault of Solidarity activists in the city of Bydgoszcz by the Polish Militia. However, due to the declaration of martial law, the piece was not able to be performed until 1987.The entire text is only comprised of five words: "Domine Deus Noster," (Lord our God) which is repeated for the first 10 sections of the piece, followed by a final section with the text "Miserere nobis" (Lord have mercy on us). It is a large arch form, with a long additive structure, as each of eight voice parts enters one at a time.The piece is extremely quiet for the first three minutes or so, turn up your volumes.
Ravel - Sérénade grotesque, Sheet Music + Audio Xandertrax 2012-08-28 | Maurice Ravel - Sérénade grotesque, 1892-1893.Performed by Jean-Yves Thibaudet.Sérénade grotesque is one of Ravel's earliest works, composed when he was merely 18 years old, demonstrating the beginnings of the modal harmonic shifts often employed by Ravel. The piece is dedicated to a friend, Ricardo Viñes, and was influenced by Emmanuel Chabrier, a Romantic French composer.
Scriabin - Nocturne for the Left Hand, Sheet Music + Audio Xandertrax 2012-02-06 | Alexander Scriabin, Nocturne for the Left Hand, Op. 9 No. 2. 1894.Performed by me, Nathan Kloczko.A prodigy pianist, Scriabin was forced to turn to composition early in his career because of an injury to his right hand. The Op. 9 prelude and Nocturne were borne out of this injury, and though Scriabin would return to the stage, his left hand would always outweigh the right, an element apparent in his later compositions.I broke my collarbone last fall, and worked on this gem for a bit while my right arm healed. It's far from perfect, but I was happy with this performance.
Matona, Mia Cara - The Middlebury Mountain Ayres Xandertrax 2012-02-02 | Matona, mia cara, by Orlando di Lasso. Performed by the Middlebury College Mountain Ayres at their J-Term Concert, Short and Sweet: A J-Term Love Affayre.
Congratulamini Mihi - The Middlebury Mountain Ayres Xandertrax 2012-02-02 | Congratulamini Mihi, by Tomás Luis de Victoria. Performed by the Middlebury College Mountain Ayres at their J-Term Concert, Short and Sweet: A J-Term Love Affayre.The Mountain Ayres are Middlebury College's only Renaissance a capella group.
And So It Goes - The Middlebury Mountain Ayres Xandertrax 2012-02-02 | And So It Goes, by Billy Joel, arr. Bob Chilcott. Performed by the Middlebury Mountain Ayres at their J-Term concert—Short and Sweet: A J-Term Love Affayre.
I Sat Down Under His Shadow - The Middlebury Mountain Ayres Xandertrax 2012-02-02 | I Sat Down Under His Shadow, by Edward Bairstow. Performed by The Middlebury Mountain Ayres at their January Concert, Short and Sweet: A J-Term Love Affayre.
Victoria - Congratulamini Mihi, Sheet Music + Audio Xandertrax 2011-09-01 | Tomás Luis de Victoria, Congratulamini Mihi. Motet, 1572.Performed by Harry Christophers and The SixteenSheet Music Transcription by Nancho AlvarezVictoria was one of the greatest 16th century Spanish composers, and one of the primary composers of the Counter-Reformation movement in music, along with Palestrina and Orlando de Lassus. Congratulamini Mihi, published in Victoria's seminal book of motets, is written as a rejoiceful sacred hymn.Congratulamini mihi, omnes qui diligitis Dominum: quia, cum essem parvula, placui Altissimo:Et de meis visceribus genui Deum et hominem.Rejoice with me;all you who love the Lord:because, when I was little, I pleased the Most High:And from my womb I have begotten God and man.
Tally Hall - Good Day, 20x longer Xandertrax 2011-06-17 | First 6 seconds of Tally Hall's Good Day, from the album Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum. Stretched 20x.
Pérotin - Sederunt Principes, Sheet Music + Audio Xandertrax 2011-06-03 | Pérotin, Sederunt Principes. Organum Quadruplum. c.1199 CE.Performed by the Hilliard Ensemble.Pérotin, a pioneer of organum triplum and quadruplum, was a famous European composer who lived from the late 12th to early 13th century. The most famous member of the Notre Dame School of Polyphony, Pérotin holds his place high among the Medieval composers.Sederunt Principes is a gradual written for the Mass of the Feast of St. Stephen, using text from Psalm 118. Written using specific rhythmic modes, much like Viderunt Omnes, the motet is a grand work that was to be sung in Notre Dame as a processional.Sederunt principes, et adversum me loquebantur:et iniqui persecunti sunt me.Adjuva me, Domine Deus meus:salvum me fac propter misericordiam tuam.The princes sat, and spoke against me:they have persecuted me unjustly.Do thou help me, Lord my God:Save me for thy mercy's sake.
Mussorgsky - Night on Bald Mountain, Sheet Music + Audio Xandertrax 2011-06-02 | Modest Mussorgsky - Night on Bald Mountain, 1867. Reorchestrated and adapted by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, 1886.Transcription for Solo Piano by Konstantin Chernov, adapted by Boris Berezovsky.Performed by Boris Berezovsky.The Night on Bald Mountain, a "fantasy for orchestra," was originally conceived by Mussorgsky as a tone poem describing the Russian legend that talks of a witches' sabbath taking place on St. John's Night on the bald mountain (Lysa Hora) near Kiev. Rimsky-Korsakov's revision of the piece stays true to the program, as seen below."Subterranean sounds of unearthly voices. Appearance of the Spirits of Darkness, followed by that of Chornobog. Glorification of Chornobog and celebration of the Black Mass. Witches' Sabbath. At the height of the orgy, the bell of the little village church is heard from afar. The Spirits of Darkness are dispersed. Daybreak."
The Mountain Ayres - Blow the Candles Out Xandertrax 2011-05-23 | The Middlebury College Mountain Ayres, performing "Blow the Candles Out" at their 2011 spring concert, the Sacred and the Profane.
Ravel - Gaspard de la Nuit, No. 3, Scarbo Sheet Music + Audio Xandertrax 2010-12-12 | Maurice Ravel - "Scarbo," from Gaspard de la Nuit, 1908-1909.Performed by Jean-Yves Thibaudet.Gaspard de la nuit is a three-"poem" suite, each work based on a poem by Aloysius Bertrand. This piece, "Scarbo," is a devilishly difficult piece depicting a ghost of a dwarf dancing in the dark, frightening all who see him. The piece was written to rival Balakirev's "Islamey" in terms of difficulty. "Scarbo" combines the pristine elegance and beauty of "Ondine" with the dark morbidity of "Le Gibet" to bring the suite to a unified close. One of Ravel's most well-known piano pieces, Gaspard de la Nuit will continue to live on in the elite solo piano repertoire.Oh! How often I have heard and seen him, Scarbo, when at midnight the moon shines in the sky like a silver shield on a blue banner strewn with golden bees!How often I have heard his laughter booming in the shadow of my alcove and the grating of his nails on the silk curtain of my bed!How often I have seen him come down from the ceiling, pirouetting on one foot and rolling through the room like the spindle fallen from the distaff of a witch.Did I then believe he vanished? The dwarf would grow bigger between the moon and me like the bell tower of a gothic cathedral, a little golden bell swinging on his pointed cap!But soon his body would turn blue, diaphanous like the wax of a taper, his face would grow pale like the wax of a candle stub—and suddenly he would fade away.
Ravel - Gaspard de la Nuit, No. 2, Le Gibet Sheet Music + Audio Xandertrax 2010-12-12 | Maurice Ravel - "Le Gibet," from Gaspard de la nuit, 1908-1909. Performed by Jean-Yves Thibaudet. Gaspard de la nuit is a three-"poem" suite, each work based on a poem by Aloysius Bertrand. This piece, "Le Gibet," is a haunting portrait of desolation and misery. The piece, with the atmosphere maintained by a tolling B-flat, is written to describe the monotony and despair that is described in the poem. The difficulty of this piece is imbued in the subtle dynamic and textual differences that meld around the repeating B-flat. Ah! Could what I hear be the yelping of the cold night wind, or the hanged man giving forth a sigh on the gallows fork? Could it be some cricket singing, crouched in the moss and the sterile ivy that the forest wears out of pity? Could it be some fly on the hunt, blowing its horn around those ears deaf to the fanfare of tally-hos? Could it be some beetle plucking, in its uneven flight a bloody hair from its bald skull? Or could it be some spider embroidering a half yard of muslin as a tie for that strangled neck? It is the bell tolling to the walls of a city under the horizon, and the carcass of a hanged man reddened by the setting sun.
Ravel - Gaspard de la Nuit, No. 1, Ondine Sheet Music + Audio Xandertrax 2010-09-05 | Maurice Ravel - "Ondine," from Gaspard de la nuit, 1908-1909. Performed by Jean-Yves Thibaudet.Gaspard de la nuit is a three-"poem" suite, each work based on a poem by Aloysius Bertrand. This piece, "Ondine," depicts a water fairy wooing an observer, trying to seduce him into the watery depths of her kingdom. The shimmering opening reflects light ripples upon a calm body of water, and gradually builds into a torrent of notes."Listen! Listen! It is me, Ondine, spirit of the water, brushing with these drops of water the resonant diamond panes of your window lighted by the gloomy rays of the moon; and here in a silk dress, is the lady of the manor, gazing from her balcony at the beautiful starry night and the lovely sleeping lake.""Each wave is a water sprite who swims in the current; each current is a path, winding toward my palace, and my palace is fluidly built, at the bottom of the lake, in the triangle formed by fire, earth, and air.""Listen! Listen! My father is beating the croaking water with a green alder branch, and my sisters caress, with their arms of foam, the cool islands of grass, of water lilies, and gladiolas or tease the decrepit willow, who is fishing with a line of leaves."Her song murmured, she begged me to receive her ring on my finger, to be her husband, and to visit her palace with her, to be the king of the lakes.And when I answered that I loved a mortal woman, sullen and vexed, she cried a few tears, burst out laughing, and vanished in a sudden shower that streamed white down my blue windowpanes.
Ravel - Miroirs No. 5, La Vallée des Cloches Sheet Music + Audio Xandertrax 2010-08-28 | Maurice Ravel - "La Vallée des Cloches", from Miroirs, 1904-1905.Performed by Jean-Yves Thibaudet.La Vallée des Cloches, "The Valley of Bells," from the suite Miroirs, is a sonorous piece filled with the full sound of chiming church bells. It is the fifth and final piece in the suite, and is dedicated to his student, Maurice Delage, a fellow member of Les Apaches.
Ravel - Miroirs No. 4, Alborada del Gracioso Sheet Music + Audio Xandertrax 2010-08-28 | Maurice Ravel - "Alborada del Gracioso", from Miroirs, 1904-1905. Performed by Jean-Yves Thibaudet. Alborada del Gracioso, "The Gracioso's (comedian's) Aubade," from the suite Miroirs, is a difficult piece that is rich with Spanish themes and guitar evocations. It is the fourth piece in the suite, and is dedicated to music critic M. D. Calvocoressi, a fellow member of Les Apaches.
Ravel - Miroirs No. 3, Une Barque sur lOcean Sheet Music + Audio Xandertrax 2010-08-24 | Maurice Ravel - "Une Barque sur l'Ocean", from Miroirs, 1904-1905.Performed by Jean-Yves Thibaudet.Une Barque sur l'Ocean, or "A Boat on the Ocean," from the suite "Miroirs," is a arpeggiated flowing piece written to try and imitate the ebb and flow of the currents in the ocean. It is the third piece in the suite, and is dedicated to Paul Sordes, a fellow member of Les Apaches.
Ravel - Miroirs No. 2, Oiseaux Triste Sheet Music + Audio Xandertrax 2010-08-22 | Maurice Ravel - Oiseaux Triste, 1904-1905, from Miroirs. Performed by Jean-Yves Thibaudet. Oiseaux Triste, "Sad Birds," is the second piece from the suite "Miroirs," a suite that exhibits Ravel's development of new pianistic territories. Dedicated to Ricardo Viñes.
Ravel - Miroirs No. 1, Noctuelles Sheet Music + Audio Xandertrax 2010-08-21 | Maurice Ravel - Noctuelles, from Miroirs, 1904-1905. Performed by Jean-Yves Thibaudet. Noctuelles, "Night moths," is the opening piece from the suite "Miroirs," a suite that exhibits Ravel's development of new pianistic territories. This piece is dedicated to Léon-Paul Fargue, a poet. Each of the pieces in Miroirs is dedicated to a different member of the French artist's group Les Apaches.
Pérotin - Viderunt Omnes, Sheet Music + Audio Xandertrax 2010-08-19 | Pérotin, Viderunt Omnes. Organum Quadruplum. c.1198 CE.Performed by the Hilliard Ensemble.Pérotin, a pioneer of organum triplum and quadruplum, was a famous European composer who lived from the late 12th to early 13th century. The most famous member of the Notre Dame School of Polyphony, Pérotin holds his place high among the Medieval composers.Viderunt Omnes is based on an ancient gradual of the same title (see below), which was previously expanded upon by Notre Dame composers such as Léonin. This organum, thought to be written for Christmas Day, would have retained the same purpose as the original gradual. The cantus firmus, or Tenor, "holds" the original chant, while the other parts develop complex melismas on the vowels. Viderunt omnes fines terræsalutare Dei nostri.Jubilate Deo, omnis terra.Notum fecit Dominus salutare suum;ante conspectum gentiumrevelavit justitiam suam.All the ends of the earth have seenthe salvation of our God.Rejoice in the Lord, all lands.The Lord has made known his salvation;in the sight of the heathenhe has revealed his righteousness.(Gradual for Christmas Day,Psalm 98, verses 3, 4, 2)
Alkan Op.65 No. 6 Barcarolle: Assez lentment Sheet Music + Audio Xandertrax 2010-08-19 | Charles-Valentin Alkan, Op. 65 No. 6 "Bacarrole: Assez lentment", from Troisième recueil de chants, 1866, in G minor. Performed by Marc-Andre Hamelin. These 6 chants illuminate the more melodic, flightly, fragile side of Alkan, rather than the vehemently virtuoso side seen in most of his early work. In Op.65/6, Alkan's best-known small piece, quite progressive with it's "blue" grace-notes, sports a simple melody over waves of undulating arpeggios.
Alkan Op.65 No. 5 Horace et Lydie: Vivacissimo Sheet Music + Audio Xandertrax 2010-08-19 | Charles-Valentin Alkan, Op. 65 No. 5 "Horace et Lydie: Vivacissimo", from Troisième recueil de chants, 1866, in F# minor. Performed by Marc-Andre Hamelin. These 6 chants illuminate the more melodic, flightly, fragile side of Alkan, rather than the vehemently virtuoso side seen in most of his early work. In Op.65/5, a triplet-filled duet, paraphrasing the ninth poem of The Third Book of Odes by Horatius (see below), evinced in the striking contrast in treble and bass regions, and the modulation from Dorian to Phrygian. While I was the man, dear to you, while no young man, you loved more dearly, was clasping his arms around your snow-white neck, I lived in greater blessedness than Persia's king.' 'While you were on fire for no one else, and Lydia was not placed after Chloë, I, Lydia, of great renown, lived more gloriously than Roman Ilia.' 'Thracian Chloe commands me now, she's skilled in sweet verses, she's the queen of the lyre, for her I'm not afraid to die, if the Fates spare her, and her spirit survives me.' 'I'm burnt with a mutual flame by Calais, Thurian Ornytus's son, for whom I would die twice over if the Fates spare him, and his spirit survives me.' 'What if that former love returned, and forced two who are estranged under her bronze yoke: if golden Chloë was banished, and the door opened to rejected Lydia?' 'Though he's lovelier than the stars, and you're lighter than cork, and more irascible than the cruel Adriatic, I'd love to live with you, with you I'd gladly die!'
Alkan Op.65 No. 4 Tempo giusto Sheet Music + Audio Xandertrax 2010-08-19 | Charles-Valentin Alkan, Op. 65 No. 4 "Tempo giusto", from Troisième recueil de chants, 1866, in A major. Performed by Marc-Andre Hamelin. These 6 chants illuminate the more melodic, flightly, fragile side of Alkan, rather than the vehemently virtuoso side seen in most of his early work. In Op.65/4, a disguised polonaise slowly builds up to a stately theme and groundwork, leading to a wispy ending.
Alkan Op. 65 No. 3, Canon: Assez vivement Sheet Music + Audio Xandertrax 2010-08-19 | Charles-Valentin Alkan, Op. 65 No. 3 "Canon: Assez vivement", from Troisième recueil de chants, 1866, in A major. Performed by Marc-Andre Hamelin. These 6 chants illuminate the more melodic side of Alkan, rather than the vehemently virtuoso side seen in most of his work. In Op.65/3, a beautiful canon of octaves is surrounded by two brief statements of opening and closing.
Alkan Op.65 No. 2 Espirits follets: Prestissimo Sheet Music + Audio Xandertrax 2010-08-18 | Charles-Valentin Alkan, Op. 65 No. 2 "Espirits follets: Prestissimo", from Troisième recueil de chants, 1866, in A minor. Performed by Marc-Andre Hamelin.
