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Giacinto SCELSI
“Giacinto Scelsi”
“Pranam I” (1972) for voices, 12 instruments and tape. “Anagamin” (1965) for 12 bows, “Quattro pezzi” (1959) for Orchestra’s chamber, “Quartetto n°4” (1964) for string quartet, “Okanagon” (1968) for harp, gong and doublebass, “Quartetto n°2” (1961) for string quartet.
15,00€
Out of stock
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Giacinto SCELSI
“The piano works 2”
“Mode’s Scelsi Edition continues with the second volume devoted to his piano works, consisting of two works from different periods in Scelsi’s oeuvre. The Suite No. 2 is one of the earliest of Scelsi’s published piano works. A highly virtuosic and expressive work, this Suite receives its first recording here. Written in 1955, Action Music is among Scelsi’s last piano works. Action Music was premiered by Geoffrey Douglas Madge in 1986 in Darmstadt. The title Action Music points to the high energy and physical and gestural elements of the music. The work’s vigorous character is underscored by predominantly fast tempi and directions for playing, including violento, con fuoco, martellato, fragroso (deafening!) and come percussione. In Action Music the performers are asked to play the piano in unusual ways by using their palms parallel to the keyboard, and employing fists and forearms to perform single pitches, chords, clusters and glissandi. One of Canada’s leading pianists, Stephen Clarke has performed as a soloist in festivals in Europe, Canada, and the U.S. He has worked with a number of ensembles and has performed as a soloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic New Music Group, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the Composers’ Orchestra. This audiophile quality recording was made using high-resolution 96khz/24-bit technology.”
15,00€
In stock
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Giacinto SCELSI
“The piano works 4”
“Hispania “Triptyque pour piano” (1939). Suite No. 5 “Il Circo” (1935). Suite No. 6 “I Capricci di Ty” (1939). Stephen Clarke, piano. Mode’s Scelsi Edition continues with the fourth volume devoted to his piano works - three first recordings of major, large scale works from his early period of the 1930s. The piano plays a role of undeniable importance in Scelsi’s life and work. From 1930 to 1941, and again from 1952 to 1956, the composer produced an enormous repertoire for the instrument, including 40 Preludes, 11 Suites, four Sonatas, and many solo works. The works on this CD attest to his brilliance as an improviser, his sensitivity to rhythm and color, and the originality of his compositional identity. Hispania is a fascinating work, where passages show some signs of Scelsi’s later style, yet other features remain more closely connected to earlier practice. The “tryptique pour piano” is arranged in three distinct movements, fast-slow-fast. While much of Scelsi’s work is highly chromatic, reflecting the influence of Scriabin and Berg, Hispania contains long passages of predominantly diatonic material, using mostly the white keys of the piano with very few accidentals. It also shows the influence of French neoclassicism and impressionism, with certain moments recalling the Spanish-themed works of Ravel and Debussy. Suite No. 5: Il Circo or “The Circus,” an image that is full of possible connotations from the ancient (as in Rome’s Circus Maximus) to the exotic. Rhythm, an aspect of music which Scelsi held as equivalent to vitality, is the true shaping force in these short vignettes. Suite No. 6: I Capricci di Ty takes more steps in the direction of Scelsi’s later minimalistic style, with entire movements focusing on this type of material, some with variable beats in each measure, and time signatures often omitted altogether. Ty was Scelsi’s nickname for his wife, Dorothy. This audiophile quality recording was made using high-resolution 96khz/24-bit technology. Liner notes by Benjamin R. Levy (in English, German & French).” label info
15,00€
Out of stock
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Giacinto SCELSI
“The viola works”
“Vincent Royer, viola & voice. “Manto” (1957). First recording with male voice. “Coelocanth” (1955). “Elegia per Ty” (1958). Séverine Ballon, cello. “Three Studies” (1956). First recording. “Xnoybis” (1964). First recording. Volume 9 of Mode’s Scelsi Edition is devoted to the first complete recording of Giacinto Scelsi’s works for viola solo and duo. Manto was a prophet in ancient Greece. Scelsi translated her oracle maxims into cryptic phonemes which the viola player has to sing simultaneously in the third movement. In Manto, the sound of the viola is expanded and explored via experimental playing techniques. This is the first recording of the third movement. In Xnoybis, Scelsi’s exploration “into the inside of the sound” is taken to its extreme. A central tone, variously colored and surrounded, moves in microtonal steps - no melody in the traditional sense, but a sole wandering sound. This is the first recording of the viola version in a transcription by Vincent Royer. Elegia per Ty for viola and violoncello is Scelsi’s tender rememberance of his former wife Dorothy (nicknamed “Ty”). It is among his most important chamber works. Coelocanth and the Three Studies belong to Scelsi’s earlier style of composing. Concise motivic gestures are developed by improvisation. These expressive, virtuoso pieces are overwhelming in their ecstatic ferocity. This is the first recording of the “Three Studies”. Violist Vincent Royer is one of the most outstanding performers of contemporary music today. Mr. Royer, who was born in France but now lives in Cologne, Germany, is among a handful of musicians who have truly mastered the works of the Spectral composers, such as Gerard Grisey. In his hands, these challenging and complex works give way to new forms of musical expression that are mysterious, powerful and filled with beautiful colors. A key to his deep understanding of new music is his close collaboration with living composers, like Horatiu Radulescu and Tristan Murail, two important composers with whom Mr. Royer has enjoyed a close working relationship. Liner notes by Friedrich Jaecker and Sharon Kanach.”
16,00€
Out of stock
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Giacinto SCELSI
“The orchestral works 1”
“Hymnos” (1963) for organ & 2 orchestras. “Hurqualia” (1960) for large orchestra.
“Konx-Om-Pax” (1968) for large orchestra & chorus. The Carnegie Mellon Philharmonic & Concert Choir. Juan Pablo Izquierdo, conductor. “Canti del Capricorno” for voices & instruments. Pauline Vaillancourt, soprano. Douglas Ahlstedt, tenor. Volume 2 in Mode’s Scelsi Edition presents three of his rarely heard and recorded orchestral works, vividly captured in outstanding sound. Hymnos’ large orchestra is divided antiphonally into two almost identical groups, symmetrically placed on each side of a central axis made up of the organ, timpani, and percussion. About halfway through the piece, as a result of accumulated pedal tones and their harmonics, the aura of a phantom choir miraculously appears-or so it seems-in a spine-tingling sonic revelation. Hurqualia was written at the height of the composer’s maturity. As with Hymnos, Scelsi obsesses on a single note-in this case a different note for each of the four movements. It reveals a shocking Scelsi: violent, impulsive, loud, fast. Konx-Om-Pax is the word ’peace’ in three languages: ancient Assyrian, Sanskrit, and Latin. This 20-minute work for choir and orchestra is his crowning achievement. The orchestra is the largest ever assembled by Scelsi, projected onto an enormous landscape of sound. The joining of ’all’ in the third movement, combining the massive forces of orchestra and choir, makes an inevitable allusion to a previous ’ode to joy.’ The orchestral works are interspersed with selections from Canti del Capricorno. A collection of twenty songs, some of the Canti are written specifically for soprano voice, while for others the exact voice is not specified. Improvisation and ’personal inspiration’ play a large part in the interpretation of the songs. Presented here are some for solo voice and others with instruments, performed by soprano Pauline Vaillancourt and tenor Douglas Ahlstedt. A student of Hermann Scherchen, Juan Pablo Izquierdo’s interpretations of the Viennese masters of the 19th century continue a long-standing European tradition, while also being internationally for his bold interpretations of avant-garde music of the 20th century. His first Mode disc with the superb Carnegie Mellon Philharmonic garnered rave reviews.
17,00€