Liner Notes
Cat. No. NWCRL518
Release Date: 2011-05-15
Jeanne Kostelic, soprano; Walter Winslow, piano; Janet Ketchum, flute; Benjamin Hudson, violin; Christopher Finckel, cello; Aleck Karis, piano; Rolf Schulte, violin; Fred Sherry, cello
About his works, Walter Winslow has commented: "The poems for the Nahua Songs are from Xochimapictli, a collection of Pre-Columbian Aztec poetry gathered by Angel Maria Garibay-Kintana. Composed in 1975, Nahua Songs represents for me a time when the ideal texts met the right musical ideas. Though the piano and voice textures often resemble distant and complex bell tones, a closer hearing reveals striking polyphony which is often imitative. I am still deeply moved by these extraordinary expressions of a long-destroyed civilization...
Of her work, Ursula Mamlok has written: "I aim to create a sound surface which displays such basic feelings as, for example, joy, sadness, calm and elation; these are couched, however, in a technique which may make repeated hearings of a work necessary before the feelings become obvious. I sometimes enjoy working with organized pitch groups and time relations (the control of both the duration of individual sounds and larger tempo relationships). While I often use the principle of continuous variation as a compositional method, in my longer works I allow some sections to return, preferring rounded forms with large formal divisions to through-composed forms.
On this work, Louis Karchin has written: "Duo was composed in 1981; its inspiration was a direct outgrowth of the virtuosity which artists, such as the ones on this recording, have begun to bring consistently to performances of new music. The work probably had its origins in the milieu of the Composers Conference at Wellesley, Mass - an atmosphere which can provide just this sort of stimulation.
The piece itself is highly motivic. Although it makes use of some serial procedures, the best inroad for the listener is probably through the motives themselves. There are three movements, arranged in a moderate-slow-fast format, and the materials of the movements are somewhat interconnected. The final movement, for example, incorporates many of the ideas of the first movement, interspersing them among elements of its own. The work was first performed in December of 1981, at a concert of the League-ISCM, by the performers heard on this recording."
About his works, Walter Winslow has commented: "The poems for the Nahua Songs are from Xochimapictli, a collection of Pre-Columbian Aztec poetry gathered by Angel Maria Garibay-Kintana. Composed in 1975, Nahua Songs represents for me a time when the ideal texts met the right musical ideas. Though the piano and voice textures often resemble distant and complex bell tones, a closer hearing reveals striking polyphony which is often imitative. I am still deeply moved by these extraordinary expressions of a long-destroyed civilization...
Of her work, Ursula Mamlok has written: "I aim to create a sound surface which displays such basic feelings as, for example, joy, sadness, calm and elation; these are couched, however, in a technique which may make repeated hearings of a work necessary before the feelings become obvious. I sometimes enjoy working with organized pitch groups and time relations (the control of both the duration of individual sounds and larger tempo relationships). While I often use the principle of continuous variation as a compositional method, in my longer works I allow some sections to return, preferring rounded forms with large formal divisions to through-composed forms.
On this work, Louis Karchin has written: "Duo was composed in 1981; its inspiration was a direct outgrowth of the virtuosity which artists, such as the ones on this recording, have begun to bring consistently to performances of new music. The work probably had its origins in the milieu of the Composers Conference at Wellesley, Mass - an atmosphere which can provide just this sort of stimulation.
The piece itself is highly motivic. Although it makes use of some serial procedures, the best inroad for the listener is probably through the motives themselves. There are three movements, arranged in a moderate-slow-fast format, and the materials of the movements are somewhat interconnected. The final movement, for example, incorporates many of the ideas of the first movement, interspersing them among elements of its own. The work was first performed in December of 1981, at a concert of the League-ISCM, by the performers heard on this recording."
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.
Walter Winslow/Ursula Mamlok/Louis Karchin
| 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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Nahua Songs: I. My Poem
Walter Winslow
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Nahua Songs: II. Unity in the Offering
Walter Winslow
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Nahua Songs: III. Flower and Song
Walter Winslow
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Nahua Songs: IV. The Vanity of Life
Walter Winslow
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Nahua Songs: V. The Beauty of the Poem
Walter Winslow
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Nahua Songs: VI. The Face of Spring
Walter Winslow
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Nahua Songs: VII. Delight in Life While it Lasts
Walter Winslow
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Nahua Songs: VIII. Immortal Flowers
Walter Winslow
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Nahua Songs: IX. Life is Illusion
Walter Winslow
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Piper at the Gates of Dawn
Walter Winslow
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Panta Rhei: I. Agitato - calmo - vivace - misterioso - in waltz time
Ursula Mamlok
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Panta Rhei: II. Molto tranquillo
Ursula Mamlok
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Panta Rhei: III. Allegro energico
Ursula Mamlok
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Duo: I. quarter-note = 60
Louis Karchin
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Duo: II. quarter-note = 63
Louis Karchin
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Duo: III. eighth-note = 120
Louis Karchin
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