Rolf Schulte, violin; American Composers Orchestra; Paul Dunkel, Conductor; Tobias Picker, piano; Speculum Musicae: [Benjamin Hudson, violin; erry Grossman, cello; Donald Palma, bass; Michael Parloff, flute; JRichard Fitz, percussion; Ursula Oppens, piano; Joseph Passaro, Conductor]; Aleck Karis, piano; Linda Quan, violin
Like so many others of his generation, Tobias Picker (b 1954) found his compositional persona within an academic environment that preached the virtues of twelve-tone technique. But although Picker embraced the method, he never allowed himself to be confined by it. In his music, he gives voice to an uninhibited Romantic streak, one that is eager to subvert any tendency toward systematization. That tension between rigorous, disciplined structure and an impassioned, seemingly intuitive surface lends Picker’s music its distinctive character.
While still a teenager, Picker realized that what he most needed was the means to channel his strong emotions into a coherent discourse. “I recognized very early one of my leading personality traits, total irrationality, and I recognized that I needed as much discipline as I could possibly get. So I didn’t need a teacher who encouraged self-expression; if anything, I needed someone to discourage it.” Picker, therefore, sought out teachers who would emphasize strict pre-compositional planning. Ultimately, he ended up studying with all three pillars of the American rationalist triumvirate Charles Wuorinen (at the Manhattan school), Elliott Carter (at Juilliard), and Milton Babbitt (at Princeton).
It was Wuorinen who was most influential, for he taught Picker a formal, schematic approach to twelve-tone composition that offered the young man the discipline he sought. Yet Picker, although delighting in his new found compositional control, never became a slave of the system. Instead he crafted scores as notable for their innate emotionality as for their impeccable structure.
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.
Music of Tobias Picker
| MP3/320 | $9.99 | |
| FLAC | $9.99 | |
| WAV | $9.99 | |
| CD-R | $9.99 |
A *.pdf of the notes may be accessed here free of charge.
Track Listing
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Violin Concerto: I. quarter-note = 108
Tobias Picker
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Violin Concerto: II. quarter-note = 66-72
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Violin Concerto: Interlude
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Violin Concerto: III. quarter-note = 92
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When Soft Voices Die
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Rhapsody
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Sextet No. 3: I. Maestoso, con licenza
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Sextet No. 3: II. quarter-note = 40
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Sextet No. 3: III. quarter-note = 108
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Romance
Tobias Picker
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