Elliott Carter, Tod Machover, John Melby, Ralph Shapey, Maryvonne Le Dizes
Hidden Sparks (CD)
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This recording contains four works for violin by four disparate American composers with unique conceptions of the instrument and its possibilities, technical and expressive. Elliott Carter's Riconoscenza is a short work for unaccompanied violin imbued with a craggy, rough-hewn grandeur and arching melodic lines characteristic of his mature music. Fantasy for Violin and Piano by Ralph Shapey (b. 1921) typifies the unusual blend of astringency and lyricism of his dense, passionate and deeply rewarding music.
The Concerto for Violin and Computer-Synthesized Tape by John Melby (b. 1941) sets the violin against an electronic backdrop to arresting effect. Tod Machover (b. 1953) describes the title work, Hidden Sparks,, for solo violin, as "... [an] attempt to unite highly diverse musical materials through a unified and expressive form." Although the writing for violin is the most exploratory on this recording (with many glissandos, unusual bowings, and what Machover calls "harsh Bartok pizzicatos"), the work is not so much experimental as it is highly expressive. All in all, this unusual collection contains some engrossing sonic visions of both American music and twentieth-century violin playing.
Format
Recorded at IRCAM (Institute de Recherche et Coordination Acoustique/Musique), Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, January 1985.
Microphones: Schoeps, Neumann.
Tape editing: Soundmirror, Inc.
Digital mastering: SoundByte Productions, Inc., NYC.
Track 1 publ. Hendon Music Inc.
Track 2 publ. Ricordi.
Track 3 publ. Theodore Presser Co.
Track 4 publ. Margun Music, Inc.
Cover art: "Dual Aspect I & II" (1991). Copper over wood with patinas, oil gold, 40" diameter and 36" diameter. Courtesy of Monique Knowlton Gallery, NYC.
The original recording was made possible with a grant from the Carnegie Hall International American Music Competition, with funding from the Rockefeller Foundation.
This project is supported in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.
This recording was also made possible with a grant from Francis Goelet.
℗ 1986 © 1997 Recorded Anthology of American Music, Inc.
Printed in USA.
Made in U.S.A.
Release notes
Recorded at IRCAM (Institute de Recherche et Coordination Acoustique/Musique), Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, January 1985. Microphones: Schoeps, Neumann. Tape editing: Soundmirror, Inc. Digital mastering: SoundByte Productions, Inc., NYC. Track 1 publ. Hendon Music Inc. Track 2 publ. Ricordi. Track 3 publ. Theodore Presser Co. Track 4 publ. Margun Music, Inc. Cover art: "Dual Aspect I & II" (1991). Copper over wood with patinas, oil gold, 40" diameter and 36" diameter. …
| 1 | Riconoscenza | 4:27 | |
| 2 | Hidden Sparks | 13:01 | |
| Fantasy For Violin And Piano | |||
| 3.I | Variations | ||
| 3.II | Scherzo | ||
| 3.III | Song | ||
| 4 | Concerto For Violin And Computer-Synthesized Tape | 15:00 | |
- Pam Longobardi
- Artwork [Cover Art]
- E. Amelia Rogers
- Edited By [Tape Editor]
- Didier Arditi
- Engineer [Recording Engineer]
- Tim Page
- Liner Notes
- Dirk Sobotka
- Mastered By [Digital Mastering]
- Elizabeth Ostrow
- Producer
- Maryvonne Le Dizes
- Violin
