Neva Pilgrim, soprano; Contemporary Chamber Players of the University of Chicago: Elliott Golub, violin; Michael Geller, double bass; Marie Moulton, flute, alto flute, piccolo; Stanley Davis, clarinet, bass clarinet; Edward Poremba, percussion; Terry Applebaum, percussion; Andrea Swan, piano; Richard Wernick, Conductor
Martin Boykan, piano; Alan Nagel, bass; David Satz, bass clarinet; Brandeis Chamber Chorus; James Olesen, conductor; Constance Boykan, flute; George Fisher, piano
Richard Wernick writes:
“The Haiku of Bashō is a setting of five haiku by and (in one instance) about Matzuo Bashō (1643-94), generally acknowledged to be the foremost writer of this form of Japanese verse. The first four poems of the cycle are fine examples of how Bashō was able to capture the essence of seemingly inconsequential moments or vignettes and, with the most frugal means of literary expression, communicate to the reader a sense of the timeless and eternal. The fifth poem, written a century later, is more in the nature of a 17-syllable one- line-joke, a play on the word 'bashō' which means 'banana leaf,'...
Moonsongs from the Japanese was composed in the spring of 1969, not long after the first performance of Haiku of Bashō.
“This piece was written in response to a request from Neva Pilgrim for a work that would 'travel lightly,' i.e. one that could be done without piano accompaniment. This led to the conception of a work for 3 voices the outer two being pre-recorded and the middle one being performed live. Although it is conceivable that the Moonsongs could be sung by three different sopranos, no performance of this version has yet taken place.
David John Boros was 31 years old in 1975. The tragic automobile accident that killed him and his wife, Emidia Meloncelli, cut short the career of a very gifted composer, a highly unusual spirit whose energy and imagination promised continued creativity in the years to come.
He was born in 1944. He received a B.A. degree from the University of California at Berkeley in 1966 and an M.F.A. degree from Brandeis University in 1970. His teachers included Seymour Shifrin, Arthur Berger, Martin Boykan, David Lewin and Henri Lazard. He spent 1968-69 in Rome on a Fulbright- Hayes grant, studying with Petrassi. At the time of his death he was on the faculty of Brandeis University.
Between 1970 and 1973 he lived in Rome, working as a pianist in an American gospel group that toured Italy, Switzerland and Austria. Jazz and gospel music played an important role in his life and their influence is always present in his music, although not explicitly until the unfinished piece he was working on at the time of his death.
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.
Richard Wernick / David John Boros
| 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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Haiku of Basho
Richard Wernick
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Moonsongs from the Japanese: I. -
Richard Wernick
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Moonsongs from the Japanese: II. -
Richard Wernick
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Moonsongs from the Japanese: III. -
Richard Wernick
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Moonsongs from the Japanese: IV. -
Richard Wernick
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Anecdote of the Jar
David John Boros
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Piano Interlude (The Pleasures of Merely Circulating)
David John Boros
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Yet Once Again
David John Boros
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Wedding Music
David John Boros
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