Muzyka Klasyczna

Early Music (Lachrymæ Antiquæ) – Kronos Quartet [1997]

2014-01-20T16:55:49Z

Early Music (Lachrymæ Antiquæ) – Kronos Quartet [1997]


             Machaut (arr. Kronos): 
    1.  Kyrie I
            Tye:  
    2.  Rachell's Weepinge
            David Lamb (b.1935):
    3.  Långdans efter Byfåns Mats
            Dowland:  
    4.  Lachrymæ Antiquæ
            Arvo Pärt (b.1935):
     5.  Psalom
          Harry Partch (1901-1974; arr. Ben Johnston): 
    6.  Two Studies on Ancient Greek Scales
          Jack Body (b.1944): 
    7.  Long-Ge
         John Cage (1912-1992; arr. Eric Salzman): 
    8. Totem ancestor
         Machaut (arr. Kronos): 
    9.  Kyrie II
            Traditional-Sweden (arr. Mikael Marin): 
    10. Brudmarsch frå Östa
            Kassia (810-867, Byzantium; arr. Diane Touliatos): 
    11. Using the Apostate Tyrant as His Tool
            Louis Hardin (b.1916): 
    12. Synchrony No. 2
            Cage:
    13. Quodlibet
            Perotin (arr. Kronos): 
    14. Viderunt Omnes
            Machaut (arr. Kronos): 
    15. Kyrie III
             Purcell: 
    16. Four Part Fantasia No. 2
           Hildegard (arr. Marianne Pfau): 
    17. O Virtus Sapientie
            Traditional-Tuva (arr. Steve Mackey): 
    18. Uleg-Khem
            Tye: 
    19. Farwell My Good I Forever
            Alfred Schnittke (b.1934; arr. Kronos): 
    20. Collected Songs Where Every Verse is Filled with Grief Bells

Kronos Quartet: 
David Harrington (violin)
John Sherba (violin)
Hank Dutt (viola)
Joan Jeanrenaud (cello)
+
Marja Mutru (harmonium)
David Lamb (bagpipe)
Wu Man (zhong ruan, da ruan)
Olov Johansson (nyckelharpa)
Huun-Huur Tu (vocals, igil, byzaanchi, toschpuluur)

The Kronos Quartet, one of the premiere American chamber ensembles, has pushed the boundaries of genre, style, and interpretation for over 30 years. From its conception, ever since violinist David Harrington heard John Crumb’s “Black Angels”, a work inspired by the Vietnam War, featuring bowed water glasses, spoken word passages, and electronic passages, the quartet decided to pursue the path of innovation and exploration. A successful path indeed, marked by over 50 recordings to their credit, a consistent tour schedule and excited audiences to whom Kronos has become a household name.

The Early Music project CD released in 1997 features 21 works derived from the medieval and Renaissance period. Approximately half of the pieces are transcriptions of vocal music by such composers as Guillaume de Machaut, Christopher Tye, John Dowland, Perotin, Henry Purcell, and Hildegard von Bingen. They are interspersed with music by the composers of the twentieth century, including David Lamb, Arvo Part, Harry Partch, Jack Body, John Cage, Mikael Marin, Diane Touliatos, Louis Hardin, and Alfred Schnittke.

The meshing of the old music with the new is what makes this project so unique and captivating. The marriage of the old with the new proves to be an effective tool in transporting the listener into a new realm of experience. But that realm is neither old, nor new. It exists in its own independent category of otherworldliness, wonder, and enchantment. The pieces blend together and seem to flow from the same fountain as if the contemporary composers were on first name basis with Renaissance masters. There is no sharp contrast between Guillaume de Machaut and John Cage. The Kronos Quartet players have managed to create a bridge spanning through centuries, joining together, not simply the old with the new, but good with good.

The Quartet players conveyed the authentic aura of the medieval and Renaissance period by withholding all vibrato and carried this technique even to the contemporary pieces. This approach creates unity of the sound palette throughout the project. In addition to the traditional string quartet, the musicians are joined by such instruments as harmonium, bagpipe, zhong ruan, da ruan, nyckelharpa, drum, igil, byzanchi, toschpuluur, two vocalists, and church bells.

The recording is marketed to a contemporary music connoisseur, one who seeks music off the beaten path, but who does not necessarily move within the narrow circles of early music scholarship. The CD liner notes are designed with subdued hues of black, sepia, and burgundy. The artwork features photographs of two domes from Turkey, a tomb doorway from Petra, Jordan, Broken Mosaic Moon by E.E. Barnard, and Eclipse by J.M. Schaeberle, all in sepia tones. The recording package conveys a peaceful, sophisticated, meditative mood.

Any discerning listener tired of contemporary pop pulp spilling over the air waves will find this recording a refreshing escape to a world of imagination, wonder, and contemplation. ---Dosia McKay, musicwell.wordpress.com

download: uploaded 4shared anonfiles yandex solidfiles mediafire mega filecloudio nornar

back

Kronos Quartet - Harry Partch U.S. Highball (2003)

2015-03-13T17:05:34Z

Kronos Quartet - Harry Partch U.S. Highball (2003)


1 	“Leaving Carmel, Californi-el” 	4:50 	
2 	“Leaving Imlay, Neva-day” 	4:03 	
3 	“Wait for the next drag” 	3:17 	
4 	“Crossing Great Salt Lake, U-take” 	3:30 	
5 	“There are rides on the highway at Green River” 	1:18 	
6 	“Did I ever ride freights? Huh!” 	2:01 	
7 	“Leaving Little America, Wyo-ma” 	3:07 	
8 	“North Platte, Nebras-katte” 	6:36 	

Kronos Quartet:
David Harrington, violin
John Sherba, violin
Hank Dutt, viola
Jennifer Culp, cello

David Barron, voice

Nonesuch Records announces the August 19, 2003 release of three new Kronos Quartet CD singles, each of which features a piece from an international trio of influential composers. The ensemble, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this season, and the recordings are emblematic of the repertoire it has performed over the last three decades. The recording of Austrian Alban Berg’s Lyric Suite—a major 20th century work that the quartet has performed numerous times over the years—features Dawn Upshaw singing the final movement’s rarely recorded vocal line. Ben Johnston’s arrangement of American composer Harry Partch’s U.S. Highball: A Musical Account of Slim’s Transcontinental Hobo Trip—created from the composer’s own travel recollections—features singer David Barron and is an example of the group’s dedication to re-interpreting existing works. The third single features a piece created for and premiered by Kronos—Latvian composer Peteris Vasks’ Fourth String Quartet, which somberly reflects on the passing of the last century; introducing new works is crucial to the mission of the quartet.

Since 1991, Kronos has released seven CD “singles”—each containing one piece of music issued at a special price—featuring works by Astor Piazzolla, Kevin Volans, Tan Dun, Osvaldo Golijov, Witold Lutoslavski, Bob Ostertag, Franz Liszt, and Alban Berg. “The idea behind the singles format,” says David Harrington, Kronos violinist and artistic director, “is that occasionally, we find a work that we feel is best appreciated when heard by itself. The listening experience you have with a recording at home is so different from the one you might have in a concert. We chose these three works with that in mind.”

In 1925, the long-married Alban Berg experienced a turbulent, clandestine eight-day love affair with Hanna Fuchs-Robettin, who also was married. As divorce was impossible, the composer sought solace in the creation of a new string quartet—the six-movement Lyric Suite. The piece, completed in 1926, traces the tumultuous narrative of the relationship and includes several private symbols of the affair, including the ciphered initials of the two lovers and thematically resonant quotations from Wagner and Zemlinsky. The meaning of those references, along with the romance, remained hidden from the public until 1977, when American composer and scholar George Perle discovered a specially annotated copy of the score that had been sent from “Alban” to “Hanna.” This score included a previously unknown close to the suite, a setting of Baudelaire’s poem “De profundis clamavi” for string quartet and soprano, which Berg deleted from his final version—most likely to avoid gossip and speculation. The Nonesuch recording, which features Dawn Upshaw, is among the few to restore Berg’s vocal part as reconstructed by Perle. Kronos first performed the piece with soprano nearly 25 years ago.

In September 1941, with $3.50 in his pocket, Harry Partch left his home in California and joined the growing American hobo subculture of young men traveling the country in search of work and adventure. Partch traveled to Chicago—mostly by freight train—jotting down snippets of conversations, graffiti, station names, and various reflections in his notebook. These recollections became the basis of U.S. Highball: A Musical Account of Slim’s Transcontinental Hobo Trip, which Partch described as “the most creative piece of work I have ever done.” The work, a musical stream-of-consciousness, includes quotes from the hoboes such as “Hey, don’t sleep with your head against the end of the car! You’ll get your neck broke when she jerks!”, complete with musical duplication of the speakers’ pitches—thanks to Partch’s meticulous note taking. Kronos’ recording, which features singer David Barron, does not use any of Partch’s three versions of the piece, but rather an arrangement for voice and string quartet made for Kronos in 1997 by Ben Johnston, a composer who studied and worked with Partch. (Kronos also has performed Johnston’s music frequently). --- nonesuch.com

download (mp3 @320 kbs):

uploaded yandex 4shared mega mediafire solidfiles zalivalka cloudmailru oboom

back