D'un espace deploye... pour soprano lyrique, 2 pianos (obligés) et 2 groupes d'orchestre byGilbert AmyReview by: Paul PhillipsNotes, Second Series, Vol. 38, No. 1 (Sep., 1981), pp. 162-163Published by: Music Library AssociationStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/940463 .

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MLA Notes, September 1981 MLA Notes, September 1981

plore the concerto. But the work is of more importance than as just as easier concerto, for it makes available one more work of the Viennese background against which Haydn was to become so outstanding.

The Trombone Concerto in Eb is a much less usual work, both in terms of its me- dium and its layout. The tessitura of the solo part as well as the use of alto clef sug- gest to the editor, Paul R. Bryan, that the instrument called for is an alto trombone rather than the more usual tenor. The con- certo can be negotiated by tenor trombone with not too much trouble except for cer- tain trills and the tiring of the lips from too great a time spent in the upper register. Bryan suggests alternative performance by bassoon or cello as a possibility. The solo part included in the version with piano re- duction is in alto clef, requiring bassoonists or cellists to rewrite the part in tenor clef. Violists may find the work of interest, for they may use the given part as it stands. Bryan has also provided short cadenzas for both movements; these come solely in the separate part.

There are but two movements in the concerto, an Adagio followed by an Alle- gro assai. The only sources are two sets of parts at libraries outside of Vienna, neither autographs. Could there have been origi- nally an opening fast movement? Bryan does not suggest the question, let alone ex- plore the possiblity.

An interesting work, the concerto de- serves examination. The basic score has been well done and the piano reduction makes it available for a studio situation. In view of the narrow repertoire for trom- bone solo, its purchase would seem auto- matic. Like the piano concerto, the edition is important both from a historical and a practical standpoint.

ALBERT SEAY Colorado College

Gilbert Amy. D'un espace deploye . . . pour soprano lyrique, 2 pianos (obliges) et 2 groupes d'orchestre [or- chestra 1: 4454; 6442; timp.; perc.; electric organ; piano; strings; orches- tra 2: vibraphone; marimba; tubular bells; electric guitar; 2 harps; celesta;

plore the concerto. But the work is of more importance than as just as easier concerto, for it makes available one more work of the Viennese background against which Haydn was to become so outstanding.

The Trombone Concerto in Eb is a much less usual work, both in terms of its me- dium and its layout. The tessitura of the solo part as well as the use of alto clef sug- gest to the editor, Paul R. Bryan, that the instrument called for is an alto trombone rather than the more usual tenor. The con- certo can be negotiated by tenor trombone with not too much trouble except for cer- tain trills and the tiring of the lips from too great a time spent in the upper register. Bryan suggests alternative performance by bassoon or cello as a possibility. The solo part included in the version with piano re- duction is in alto clef, requiring bassoonists or cellists to rewrite the part in tenor clef. Violists may find the work of interest, for they may use the given part as it stands. Bryan has also provided short cadenzas for both movements; these come solely in the separate part.

There are but two movements in the concerto, an Adagio followed by an Alle- gro assai. The only sources are two sets of parts at libraries outside of Vienna, neither autographs. Could there have been origi- nally an opening fast movement? Bryan does not suggest the question, let alone ex- plore the possiblity.

An interesting work, the concerto de- serves examination. The basic score has been well done and the piano reduction makes it available for a studio situation. In view of the narrow repertoire for trom- bone solo, its purchase would seem auto- matic. Like the piano concerto, the edition is important both from a historical and a practical standpoint.

ALBERT SEAY Colorado College

Gilbert Amy. D'un espace deploye . . . pour soprano lyrique, 2 pianos (obliges) et 2 groupes d'orchestre [or- chestra 1: 4454; 6442; timp.; perc.; electric organ; piano; strings; orches- tra 2: vibraphone; marimba; tubular bells; electric guitar; 2 harps; celesta;

piano; strings]. London: Universal (European American), 1973. [Full score, 109 p., $41.00]

Gilbert Amy (born in Paris, 1936) is one of the most outstanding composers in the recent generation of European serialists. A piano student of Yvonne Loriod, he stud- ied analysis with Olivier Messiaen and composition with Darius Milhaud and Pierre Boulez. It was due to Boulez's influence that Amy studied and composed at the Darmstadt school during the summers of 1959-61. Following in the footsteps of his principal teacher, Amy is also well-known as a conductor of contemporary music. He succeeded Boulez as director of the Do- maine Musical in 1967, and in 1973 was named musical advisor for the French Ra- dio and Television.

D'un Espace Deploye (Deployed from a Space) was composed in 1971-72 and is dedicated to Georg Solti. Its premiere was given in 1973 in Paris with Solti conduct- ing; it has received further performances at the Edinburgh festival and in Chicago. Like Amy's Antiphonies, written a decade earlier, D'un Espace Deploye calls for two orchestras. Both of these works were in- spired by two works of Stockhausen writ- ten during the late 1950s, Gruppen and Carre, each scored for multiple orchestras. In D'un Espace Deploye, Amy treats the two orchestras somewhat in the manner of a ripieno group (orchestra I) and a concer- tino group (orchestra II). Orchestra I, the largest, calls for four flutes (second and third doubling piccolo, fourth doubling alto flute), three oboes, english horn, Eb clarinet, three B clarinets, Bb bass clarinet, four bassoons (fourth doubling contra-bas- soon), six horns, four trumpets, four trom- bones, two tubas, timpani, five percussion- ists, electric organ, piano, and a large string section. Orchestra II requires three per- cussionists, electric guitar, two harps, ce- lesta, piano, and a smaller string section.

In the score the composer offers two set- up diagrams, one with both orchestras at the same end of the performance hall, the other with the orchestras at opposing ends of the hall and the public in between. The work requires two conductors who face each other in the first set-up, or who co- ordinate with each other by television monitors when at opposing ends of the hall.

piano; strings]. London: Universal (European American), 1973. [Full score, 109 p., $41.00]

Gilbert Amy (born in Paris, 1936) is one of the most outstanding composers in the recent generation of European serialists. A piano student of Yvonne Loriod, he stud- ied analysis with Olivier Messiaen and composition with Darius Milhaud and Pierre Boulez. It was due to Boulez's influence that Amy studied and composed at the Darmstadt school during the summers of 1959-61. Following in the footsteps of his principal teacher, Amy is also well-known as a conductor of contemporary music. He succeeded Boulez as director of the Do- maine Musical in 1967, and in 1973 was named musical advisor for the French Ra- dio and Television.

D'un Espace Deploye (Deployed from a Space) was composed in 1971-72 and is dedicated to Georg Solti. Its premiere was given in 1973 in Paris with Solti conduct- ing; it has received further performances at the Edinburgh festival and in Chicago. Like Amy's Antiphonies, written a decade earlier, D'un Espace Deploye calls for two orchestras. Both of these works were in- spired by two works of Stockhausen writ- ten during the late 1950s, Gruppen and Carre, each scored for multiple orchestras. In D'un Espace Deploye, Amy treats the two orchestras somewhat in the manner of a ripieno group (orchestra I) and a concer- tino group (orchestra II). Orchestra I, the largest, calls for four flutes (second and third doubling piccolo, fourth doubling alto flute), three oboes, english horn, Eb clarinet, three B clarinets, Bb bass clarinet, four bassoons (fourth doubling contra-bas- soon), six horns, four trumpets, four trom- bones, two tubas, timpani, five percussion- ists, electric organ, piano, and a large string section. Orchestra II requires three per- cussionists, electric guitar, two harps, ce- lesta, piano, and a smaller string section.

In the score the composer offers two set- up diagrams, one with both orchestras at the same end of the performance hall, the other with the orchestras at opposing ends of the hall and the public in between. The work requires two conductors who face each other in the first set-up, or who co- ordinate with each other by television monitors when at opposing ends of the hall.

162 162

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Music Reviews Music Reviews

The second and third movements of this three movement piece call for soprano solo. The text, treated in the manner of a vocalise, is one phrase from a poem by Mallarme written as a memorial to Edgar Allen Poe. It should be mentioned that the French symbolist poets, for many years a source of inspiration to French composers in particular, seemed to have a fascination with Poe.

Amy's compositional language is com- plex in all of its parameters. The metric treatment is sophisticated, occasionally call- ing for measures of 4 + 243 and the like. There are occasional passages that make limited use of chance in temporal relation- ships; except for one brief accompaniment the pitch structure is completely deter- mined by the composer.

The slightly large score (32 x 43 cm.) appears to be a reduction of the com- poser's manuscript (two of the composer's pages for each printed page). As there are approximately fifty-four staves per page the printing is quite small and not easy to read. Through what appears to be a print- ing error, pages 39 and 40 (composer's numbering) were deleted in the review copy. Given Universal Edition's excellent reputation, an error of this type should not have occured.

D'un Espace Deploye is an exciting work with a great deal of diversity that does not allow its thirty minute duration to become boring. It does require an orchestra of professional caliber, willing to spend a great deal of rehearsal time, in order to obtain a successful performance.

PAUL PHILLIPS Atlanta Symphony Orchestra

Krzysztof Penderecki. Concerto per violino ed orchestra (1976) [3353; 4331; timp.; perc.; celesta; harp; strings]. Mainz: B. Schott's Sohne (Eu- ropean American), 1978. [Studien- und Dirigierpartitur, 76 p., $41.00]

Joseph Castaldo. Lacrimosa II for string orchestra. New York: Southern, 1980. [Score, 42 p., no price given]

A new violin concerto by a major inter- national composer is an eagerly awaited

The second and third movements of this three movement piece call for soprano solo. The text, treated in the manner of a vocalise, is one phrase from a poem by Mallarme written as a memorial to Edgar Allen Poe. It should be mentioned that the French symbolist poets, for many years a source of inspiration to French composers in particular, seemed to have a fascination with Poe.

Amy's compositional language is com- plex in all of its parameters. The metric treatment is sophisticated, occasionally call- ing for measures of 4 + 243 and the like. There are occasional passages that make limited use of chance in temporal relation- ships; except for one brief accompaniment the pitch structure is completely deter- mined by the composer.

The slightly large score (32 x 43 cm.) appears to be a reduction of the com- poser's manuscript (two of the composer's pages for each printed page). As there are approximately fifty-four staves per page the printing is quite small and not easy to read. Through what appears to be a print- ing error, pages 39 and 40 (composer's numbering) were deleted in the review copy. Given Universal Edition's excellent reputation, an error of this type should not have occured.

D'un Espace Deploye is an exciting work with a great deal of diversity that does not allow its thirty minute duration to become boring. It does require an orchestra of professional caliber, willing to spend a great deal of rehearsal time, in order to obtain a successful performance.

PAUL PHILLIPS Atlanta Symphony Orchestra

Krzysztof Penderecki. Concerto per violino ed orchestra (1976) [3353; 4331; timp.; perc.; celesta; harp; strings]. Mainz: B. Schott's Sohne (Eu- ropean American), 1978. [Studien- und Dirigierpartitur, 76 p., $41.00]

Joseph Castaldo. Lacrimosa II for string orchestra. New York: Southern, 1980. [Score, 42 p., no price given]

A new violin concerto by a major inter- national composer is an eagerly awaited

event, not only because of its potential to broaden the solo literature for this instru- ment, but even more important in this case because it may signal a decisive change in the creative direction of one of the most influential composers of the past two de- cades. Krzysztof Penderecki's Violin Con- certo was commissioned by the Allgemeinen Musikgesellschaft Basel. Begun in 1974 and

completed in 1976, it was given its world premier in 1977 by no less another musical luminary than Isaac Stern, to whom the work is dedicated. The work is scored for woodwinds and brasses in threes, large percussion section, celesta, harp, and strings.

Penderecki's interest in string instru- ments and techniques goes back to his early years; as a matter of fact his early musical training was that of a violinist. In the decade of the sixties he composed a number of works for soli strings, or works in which strings are prominently used. Some of these are his Threnody, String Quartet no. 1 and no. 2, Polymorphia, An- aklasis, and Capreccio for solo violin and or- chestra. In all of these works there is a con- sistent attempt to widen the sonorous potential of the instruments, to develop new string devices and articulations, and to develop new notational symbols by which these devices may be represented. Some of these devices are the use of extreme reg- isters, various types of vibrati, tremolos, and percussive effects; playing between the bridge and tailpiece; and microtonal mel- ody and clusteral harmony. He also uses a more flexible type of notation which dis- penses with barlines and instead measures the music in seconds, called proportional notation. And, while many of these devices and procedures may be found in the Violin Concerto, they appear there not with the same prominence or intent. Instead tech- nique and device have been placed in the service of higher musical considerations.

Compared to the earlier works, the mood of the Violin Concerto is more somber, rhapsodic, and poetic in nature. It contains passages of haunting and ethereal lyricism, as well as others of angularity and dynamic power. Relatively speaking, the work is quite tonal, and contains much triadic writing, so that elements of new and older harmonic systems coexist side by side or are blended together. The overall form is quite rounded, with the ideas introduced in the opening section periodically brought

event, not only because of its potential to broaden the solo literature for this instru- ment, but even more important in this case because it may signal a decisive change in the creative direction of one of the most influential composers of the past two de- cades. Krzysztof Penderecki's Violin Con- certo was commissioned by the Allgemeinen Musikgesellschaft Basel. Begun in 1974 and

completed in 1976, it was given its world premier in 1977 by no less another musical luminary than Isaac Stern, to whom the work is dedicated. The work is scored for woodwinds and brasses in threes, large percussion section, celesta, harp, and strings.

Penderecki's interest in string instru- ments and techniques goes back to his early years; as a matter of fact his early musical training was that of a violinist. In the decade of the sixties he composed a number of works for soli strings, or works in which strings are prominently used. Some of these are his Threnody, String Quartet no. 1 and no. 2, Polymorphia, An- aklasis, and Capreccio for solo violin and or- chestra. In all of these works there is a con- sistent attempt to widen the sonorous potential of the instruments, to develop new string devices and articulations, and to develop new notational symbols by which these devices may be represented. Some of these devices are the use of extreme reg- isters, various types of vibrati, tremolos, and percussive effects; playing between the bridge and tailpiece; and microtonal mel- ody and clusteral harmony. He also uses a more flexible type of notation which dis- penses with barlines and instead measures the music in seconds, called proportional notation. And, while many of these devices and procedures may be found in the Violin Concerto, they appear there not with the same prominence or intent. Instead tech- nique and device have been placed in the service of higher musical considerations.

Compared to the earlier works, the mood of the Violin Concerto is more somber, rhapsodic, and poetic in nature. It contains passages of haunting and ethereal lyricism, as well as others of angularity and dynamic power. Relatively speaking, the work is quite tonal, and contains much triadic writing, so that elements of new and older harmonic systems coexist side by side or are blended together. The overall form is quite rounded, with the ideas introduced in the opening section periodically brought

163 163

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