Japan Philharmonic Orchestra; Akeo Wantanabe, conductor; The Dorian Chorale, Harold Aks, conductor
The two Lester Trimble scores recorded here display his musical language in its youthful and in its mature phases. Of Symphony in Two Movements the composer remarked:
“The Symphony was composed in 1951 while I was teaching at Chatham College, and just prior to departure for Paris for studies with Darius Milhaud and Arthur Honegger. The music was revised in 1960, although only in details. Form and melodic structure were not affected in the process.
“The Symphony was conceived originally as an attempt to make the virtues of a three-part structure combine successfully with those of a two-part form. The result was a work which, in a sense, builds a pair of pyramidal structures. At the apex of each is to be found mutually related melodic material, which thus binds together the two movements, despite the fact that each begins with distinctly different thematic material. The opening melody of Movement I is heard again in a coda to Movement II, thereby providing an additional element of relationship between the two movements."
A note in the published score (Duchess Music Corp., New York City) tells us that Trimble’s Five Episodes for Orchestra was commissioned by the Florida Symphony Orchestra and its conductor, Henry Mazer, and premiered under his direction in Orlando in February of 1962. Continues the prefatory note: “Five Episodes for Orchestra was composed and orchestrated during the months of December 1961 and January 1962. The work marks a turning point in the composer’s conception of compositional structure and materials. In Trimble’s previous works, continuity and form were conceived as products of a long, developed, thematically structural line. In the Five Episodes for Orchestra, however, thematic development is abandoned in favor of a prismatic, motivic examination of the contents of a harmonically organized twelve-tone configuration."
Concerning La Corona, Louise Talma notes:
“The seven Corona sonnets of John Donne were first brought to my attention by Donald Aird, at that time conductor of the Berkeley Chamber Singers. I was immediately drawn to them by reason of the circular form in which the last line of each sonnet is used as the first line of the next one, and the last line of the last sonnet is the first line of the first sonnet. This presented highly interesting possibilities for musical variations. When, therefore, a year later Lloyd Pfautsch offered me a commission to compose an a cappella work for the Illinois Wesleyan University Collegiate Choir of which he was the conductor, I decided to use the Corona sonnets, and, since I wished to exploit the aforementioned variation possibilities, to base them all on a single series."
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.
Music of Lester Trimble & Louise Talma
| 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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Symphony in Two Movements: I. Adagio quasi andante
Lester Trimble
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Symphony in Two Movements: II. Moderato
Lester Trimble
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Five Episodes for Orchestra
Lester Trimble
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La Corona - Holy Sonnets of John Donne: I. La Corona
Louise Talma
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La Corona - Holy Sonnets of John Donne: II. Annunciation
Louise Talma
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La Corona - Holy Sonnets of John Donne: III. Nativitie
Louise Talma
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La Corona - Holy Sonnets of John Donne: IV. Temple
Louise Talma
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La Corona - Holy Sonnets of John Donne: V. Crucifying
Louise Talma
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La Corona - Holy Sonnets of John Donne: VI. Resurrection
Louise Talma
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La Corona - Holy Sonnets of John Donne: VII. Ascention
Louise Talma
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