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£102.99Introduction & Punk - Torstein Aagaard-Nilsen
Torstein Aagaard-Nilsen's (1964) way of composing can be described as: uncompromising, wilful and contemporary. It is not surprising, therefore, that this occasionally causes a stir. In the middle of the Seventies a trend arose in youth culture, which was characterized by provocation, distrust of the great ideologies, and the autonomy of the individual. Punk is playful, aggressive, often humorous, and anti-everything, which inevitably leads to self-irony. The first part of Aagaard-Nielsen's composition (Introduction) is a texture based mainly on one short theme. This pompous theme breathes a spirit of cold empty plains, where icy winds sigh around yourhead. In the vehement Punk (Presto barbaro!) there is no longer any question of a theme. The basis for this part is formed by a repetitive motif (a descending minor third). This motif is alternated with very powerful percussion beats and later on shrill harmonies. De wijze van componeren van Torstein Aagaard-Nilsen (1964) laat zich omschrijven als: compromisloos, eigenzinnig en eigentijds. Niet verwonderlijk dat dit af en toe wat stof doet opwaaien. Midden zeventiger jaren ontstaat er een stroming binnen de jongerencultuur, die provocatie, wantrouwen tegen de grote ideologieen en de autonomie van het individu centraal stelt. Punk is speels, agressief, veelal humoristisch en anti-alles, wat onvermijdelijk leidt tot zelfspot. Het eerste deel (Introduction) is een weefsel, gebaseerd op voornamelijk een kort thema. Het pompeuze thema ademt de sfeer van kille lege vlakten, waar de ijzige wind je om de oren suist. Tijdens de 'heftige' Punk (Presto barbaro!) is van een thema geen sprake meer. De basis voor dit deel is een steeds herhalend motief (dalende kleine terts). Dit motief wordt afgewisseld met zeer krachtige percussie slagen en later schrille samenklanken. Dit alles zorgt voor een bombastisch geheel. Aan het slot van de Punk horen we het intoductie-thema tussen het punkgeweld door terugkomen.
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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£104.99The Divine Right - Philip Harper
At the time of composing this piece, the Arab Spring was sweeping through the Middle East. It seemed that almost every week a new countrys people had risen up against the regimes and dictatorships which had prevailed for generations, leaving manynations at a defining crossroads in their history. There were so many possible ways ahead: so many hopes, yet so many uncertainties.My music is a depiction of these revolutionary times, and several musical themes are in turn presented, discussed, considered, fought over, altered, rejected or accepted. Most nations have had, or probably will have, their own Arab Spring, including my own, the United Kingdom. Events of 17th Century Britain provide the context for this piece, particularly those following the execution of the tyrant King Charles I on30 January 1649. The regicide was in part due to Charless steadfast belief in the Divine Right of Kings, and led to a tumultuous interregnum, where England stood at its own defining crossroads.The music begins turbulently, before King Charles appears and is led to the gallows outside Banqueting House in central London where he is brutally decapitated. From the assembled crowd rose, according to one observer, a moan as I never heard before and desire I may never hear again.The music descends to emptiness. The musical argument which follows is not strictly programmatic, but a number of musical themes are all thrown into the melting pot, representing ideas such as: religion; military force; reasoned Parliamentary debate; and the chattering,irrepressible voice of the people. Additionally, there are some quotations from the music of royalist composer Thomas Tomkins (1572-1656), who was often in tune with the feeling of the times. This defining episode in Englands history was brought to a close with the Restoration of the monarchy in 1660, and as the exiled King Charles II rode back into London the diarist John Evelyn wrote: Never was so joyful a day seen in this nation. I stood in the Strand and beheld it, and blessed God.At the end of the piece the bells ring out, and the musical appearance of the King has transformed from turbulent to triumphant. Philip Harper, 2013
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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