Julius Baker, flute; Melvin Kaplan oboe; Robert Listokan, clarinet; Ralph Froelich, horn; Morris Newman, bassoon; Ynez Lynch, viola; Alexander Kougell, cello; Fritz Jahoda conductor
Imperial Philharmonic Orchestra, Tokyo; William Strickland, conductor;
Liza Marketta, piano; Jack Rothstein, violin; Karel Horitz, cello
Mark Brunswick’s Septet, composed in 1957, consists of seven movements: I. Andante; II. Allegro non troppo; III. Lento; IV. Lento - piu moto - allegro vivace; V. Largo: Fantasia sopra “Christ lag in Todesbanden”; VI. Allegro scherzando; VII. Allegro molto energico. Each movement, with the exception of the fifth, which is the center and fulfillment of the work, is extremely brief; each is its own completely realized world of texture and nuance. The thematic material is different and unrelated in each movement, except for a germ idea, which is stated by the horn toward the end of the lento in IV, and reappears, altered, in the allegro vivace, as well as in VI and VII. No. V, the Fantasia, creates an equilibrium in the series of brief movements by virtue of its greater length and continuity, and thus affirms a convincing keystone for that which precedes and follows it.
Miriam Gideon’s Lyric piece for String Orchestra was written in 1942, and represents a relatively early stage of the composer’s style. It is in one movement, punctuated by dramatic episodes. There are four leading ideas: an andante opening - a sustained melodic line rising above intense supporting chords; an allegro marcato - jagged motives and hoarse, explosive accompanying chords; a calmo of undulating patterns; and a syncopated molto marcato. The last three sections alternate and combine in a kind of development, and the work closes with an abbreviated version of the initial andante.
According to the composer, Dina Newlin's Trio for Piano, Violin, and ’cello is cast in a kind of “portmanteau form,” like that sometimes used by Schoenberg - in his First String Quartet and Piano Concerto, for example - in which the middle movements are integrated into the elaboration or development section. The row on which the Trio is based is stated first in the piano: G, F, A, B, G#, D, C#, F#, E, C, Bb, Eb. The “exposition” consists of three main ideas: after the introduction: Tempo I - moderato grazioso - a slow, graceful waltz; Tempo II - poco più lento - a secondary theme more passionately lyric than the first; Tempo III - con brio alla marcia - trenchant new theme, ending with heroic accents in the piano. Transformations of and additions to this material constitute the middle or development section, in the form of a scherzo with two trios, and an adagio molto. The recapitulation - and culmination of the work - begins imposingly with a combination of an augmentation of the scherzo theme in the ’cello, and the adagio theme in the piano, continuing with redistributions of this material, and ending largo possibile with a crashing twelve-tone chord.
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 Brunswick, Gideon & Newlin
| MP3/320 | $13.00 | |
| FLAC | $13.00 | |
| WAV | $13.00 | |
| CD-R | $13.00 |
A *.pdf of the notes may be accessed here free of charge.
Track Listing
|
Septet in Seven Movements: I. Andante
Mark Brunswick
|
Buy
|
|
|
Septet in Seven Movements: II. Allegro non troppo
Mark Brunswick
|
Buy
|
|
|
Septet in Seven Movements: III. Lento
Mark Brunswick
|
Buy
|
|
|
Septet in Seven Movements: IV. Lento; piu moto; allegro vivace
Mark Brunswick
|
Buy
|
|
|
Septet in Seven Movements: V. Largo - Fantasia sopra "Christ lag in Todesbanden"
Mark Brunswick
|
Buy
|
|
|
Septet in Seven Movements: VI. Allegro scherzando
Mark Brunswick
|
Buy
|
|
|
Septet in Seven Movements: VII. Allegro molto energico
Mark Brunswick
|
Buy
|
|
|
Lyric Piece for String Orchestra
Miriam Gideon
|
Buy
|
|
|
Piano Trio, Op. 2
Dika Newlin
|
Buy
|
