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Matthew Davidson  

#5

Duration: 06' 00" Year: 1991
analogue tape piece

Daniel Stabler  

'faccee'

Duration: 13' 00" Year: 2002
four movement work for english horn and string quintet

  • Instrumentation
    cor anglais, 2 violins, viola, cello, double bass
  • Programme Note

    ‘faccee’ is composed as a set of loosely related, programmatic movements which portray different moods through the day. ‘faccee’ is intended as a lighter work of chamber music with elements of mystery, humor, charm and satire.

    ‘Dawn’ begins the work slowly, with the darkness and solitude of morning blossoming full fruit into daylight, then relaxing into the day. Movement two, ‘Boogie’, quickens the pace and is akin to experiences while walking the streets of the city. The further one travels, the more activity one encounters until reaching the heart of the city, where a rousing canon surrounds you with people and congested traffic. Then, suddenly, you arrive at your destination and with one last exclamation are in the door.

    ‘Daydream’ is a brief visit into the realm of nostalgia and sentiment, with a pleasant, recurring melody in the english horn and violin. What better for a finale than an old-fashioned ‘galop’ ? This ‘galop’ is, rather, a musical pun on the Viennese version. The ‘Galop’ gives way to the ‘Trio Satirico’ which pokes fun at traditional trios with a duple/triple reconfiguration of 9/8; making for a gawky feel. Then on to the ‘Finale’ where themes from earlier in the day are revisited in a whirlwind finish.

  • Availability

Douglas Lilburn  

'Six Short Pieces'

Duration: 07' 00" Year: 1962
for piano

Michael Norris  

14 Islands

Duration: 10' 00" Year: 2005
for flute/bass flute, percussion, and prepared harp

Michael Smither  

21 Piano Pieces

 Year: 1978

Anthony Ritchie  

24 Preludes

Duration: 49' 00" Year: 2002
preludes for solo piano

  • Programme Note

    It is impossible not to feel inspired when playing some of Bach’s 48 Preludes and Fugues, Chopin’s 24 Preludes, Debussy’s two books of preludes, or Shostakovich’s 24 Preludes and Fugues. As a composer I wanted to make a small mark of respect to these greats with some dedications. I have also taken a cue from Bach and Shostakovich and included contrapuntal forms within these preludes. While not wanting to restrict myself to the form of a fugue, there are several preludes which are close in spirit to fugues: Nos.17 and 19 for instance, are what I would call my ‘prelugues’. There is also a passacaglia (No.16) which owes a debt to Shostakovich. I have conceived these pieces as a unified whole. Within them I have attempted to cover a whole variety of characters and moods, from the improvisational and experimental to the lyrical and gentle, from the wild and gestural to the calm and peaceful, from the quirky and ‘black’ to the light and sunny, from the depressive to the resolved. The extensive technical planning and preparation behind these pieces has been fun for me as the composer, but in the end it is the sound and musical expression that matters. I would like to think this voyage of discovery has led to something new and interesting to listen to.

  • Availability

Anthony Ritchie  

3 Pieces for Violin and Guitar

 Year: 1996, r. 2011
for violin and guitar

  • Programme Note

    The 3 Pieces for Violin and Guitar were written originally for tenor and guitar, from the cycle called Five Dunedin Songs (1996), based on poems by Bernadette Hall. In 2005 they were re-arranged for viola and guitar, for Donald Maurice and Matthew Marshall, and in 2011 for Duo Tapas. These pieces draw on jazz and folk influences. ‘Song’ is playful, and depicts ‘Stonewoman’, a well-known maternal landmark in Christchurch, while ‘Tomahawk Sonnet’ expresses grief for the death of the poet’s father. ‘Lovesong’ is also grieving, but for lost love, and is jaunty and edgy in tone.

    (notes from Duo Tapas’ CD “Da Chara”)

  • Availability

Matthew Davidson  

400 Roncesvalles Avenue

 Year: 1992
for solo piano

John Psathas  

4BY4

Duration: 08' 30" Year: 2012
for percussion quartet

  • Instrumentation
    China Cymbal / Conga (x2) / Crash Cymbal / Floor Tom (x2) / Hi-Hats (x3) / Kick Bass Drum (x4) / Snare Drum (x2) / Splash Cymbal / Tambourine (Headless) / Tom (x6)
  • Programme Note

    I’ve admired John Psathas’ music for years, for its incredible sense of energy, its ability to defy categorization, and its cultural pluralism. With 4BY4 (his first non-pitched percussion piece), John delivers on all counts … and then some. If David Weckl, Christopher Lamb, Steven Schick and Giovanni Hidalgo – all percussion virtuosi from widely different genres – were to have a jam session, I can’t help but think that it would sound something like 4BY4.

    Each of the four players plays a drumset-like set-up; one player has two snare drums a hi-hat, a tambourine, and a cymbal, another has two congas and a hihat, and the remaining two have tom-based set-ups. However, what binds these four seemingly disparate voices is the kick drum, which all four drumsets have. At times, these four drums pound a relentless beat in unison, and at others they’re split into complex rhythmic counterpoint.

    It is this, in part, that makes 4BY4 such a great piece and a perfect fit for this album. John manages to take culturally different instruments, each with different playing techniques, and link them together with a common element – the kick drum. It is cultural pluralism at its best, with each voice maintaining its unique sound and identity, but seamlessly integrated into a common whole.
    - Omar Carmenates

  • Availability

Mike Nock  

4SL

 Year: 2012
a duo written together with Laurenz Pike for piano and drum kit