New York String Quartet: Paul Zukofsky, violin; Romuald Teco, violin; Jean Dupouy, viola; Timothy Eddy, cello; Gilbert Kalish, piano
From David Bowie's Confessions of a Vinyl Junkie
"There is really no way to do a list of my favorite albums with any rationality. I do only have about 2,500 vinyls. There is a possibility there. I’ll look through the albums and pull together a list of those I have rebought or am in the process of re-buying on CD. I have little time, and there are just too many to sort through....
"O.K., no rules then. I’ll just make ‘em up as I go along. I’d say half of this list below is now on my CD racks, but many are finding impossible to trace....
"If you can possibly get your hands on any of these, I guarantee you evenings of listening pleasure, and you will encourage a new high-minded circle of friends, although one or two choices will lead some of your old pals to think you completely barmy. So, without chronology, genre, or reason, herewith, in no particular order, 25 albums that could change your reputation.
GEORGE CRUMB
(1972, CRI)
"Bought in New York, mid-70s. Probably one of the only concert pieces inspired by the Vietnam War. But it is also a study in spiritual annihilation. I heard this piece for the first time in the darkest time of my own 70s, and it scared the bejabbers out of me. At the time, Crumb was one of the new voices in composition and Black Angels one of his most chaotic works. It’s still hard for me to hear this piece without a sense of foreboding. Truly, at times, it sounds like the devil’s own work." (Vanity Fair, November 2003)
George Crumb writes:
Black Angels (Thirteen Images From The Dark Land) was conceived as a kind of parable on our troubled contemporary world. The numerous quasi-programmatic allusions in the work are therefore symbolic, although the essential polarity — God versus Devil — implies more than a purely metaphysical reality. The image of the "black angel" was a conventional device used by early painters to symbolize the fallen angel.
The underlying structure of Black Angelsis a huge arch-like design which is suspended from the three "Threnody" pieces. The work portrays a voyage of the soul. The three stages of this voyage are Departure (fall from grace), Absence (spiritual annihilation), and Return (redemption).
The numerological symbolism of Black Angels, while perhaps not immediately perceptible to the ear, is nonetheless quite faithfully reflected in the musical structure. These "magical" relationships are variously expressed — e.g. in terms of phrase-length, groupings for single tones, durations, patterns of repetition, etc. An important pitch element in the work — ascending D-sharp, A, and E — also symbolizes the fateful numbers 7-13. At certain points in the score there occurs a kind of ritualistic counting in various languages, including German, French, Russian, Hungarian, Japanese, and Swahili.
Charles Jones writes:
"The six string quartets which I have written might be considered as a musical diary which I have kept through the years. The first one dates from student days, the second (1944) is already concerned with the special sonorities possible in this medium, the third (1951) is more complex in texture and probably the most dissonant, the fourth (1954) is more simple and lyrical, and the fifth (1961) again is much taken up with special sonorities.
"I feel that in a large and general way, two diverse elements are juxtaposed in the Sixth Quartet (1970). One is the element of fanfare (or other somewhat stirring sounds) and the second is a kind of lyricism normally associated with the voice. As both of these elements are, in a sense, foreign to the nature of the strings, it was necessary to translate them into the medium of the quartet.
"The Sonatina for Violin and Piano was written in California in 1942 and had its first performance at the International Society for Contemporary Music in Berkeley, California that summer. The performers then were Sascha Jacobsen, violin and Maxim Shapiro, piano."
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.
George Crumb: Black Angels/Charles Jones: String Quartet No. 6 & Sonatina for Violin & Piano
| 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
|
Black Angels, Pt. 1 Departure: I. Threnody I. Night of the Electric Insects
George Crumb
|
Buy
|
|
|
Black Angels, Pt. 1 Departure: II. Sounds of Bones and Flutes
George Crumb
|
Buy
|
|
|
Black Angels, Pt. 1 Departure: III. Lost Bells
George Crumb
|
Buy
|
|
|
Black Angels, Pt. 1 Departure: IV. Devil-Music
George Crumb
|
Buy
|
|
|
Black Angels, Pt. 1 Departure: V. Danse Macabre
George Crumb
|
Buy
|
|
|
Black Angels, Pt. 2 Absence: VI. Pavana Lachrymae
George Crumb
|
Buy
|
|
|
Black Angels, Pt. 2 Absence: VII. Threnody II. Black Angels!
George Crumb
|
Buy
|
|
|
Black Angels, Pt. 2 Absence: VIII. Sarabanda de la muerte oscura
George Crumb
|
Buy
|
|
|
Black Angels, Pt. 2 Absence: IX. Lost Bells
George Crumb
|
Buy
|
|
|
Black Angels, Pt. 3 Return: X. God-Music
George Crumb
|
Buy
|
|
|
Black Angels, Pt. 3 Return: XI. Ancient Voices
George Crumb
|
Buy
|
|
|
Black Angels, Pt. 3 Return: XII. Ancient Voices (Echo)
George Crumb
|
Buy
|
|
|
Black Angels, Pt. 3 Return: XIII. Threnody III. Night of the Electric Insects
George Crumb
|
Buy
|
|
|
String Quartet No. 6: I. Allegro moderato
Charles Jones
|
Buy
|
|
|
String Quartet No. 6: II. Second Movement
Charles Jones
|
Buy
|
|
|
String Quartet No. 6: III. Adagio, ma non troppo e molto cantabile
Charles Jones
|
Buy
|
|
|
String Quartet No. 6: IV. Fourth Movement
Charles Jones
|
Buy
|
|
|
Sonatina: I. Allegro
Charles Jones
|
Buy
|
|
|
Sonatina: II. Larghetto
Charles Jones
|
Buy
|
|
|
Sonatina: III. Allegro deciso
Charles Jones
|
Buy
|
