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Messages - mikben

#1
Composers & Music / Dennis Stoll
Sunday 15 November 2015, 14:31
I recently heard a record made by the Nefer Ensemble of music by the composer Dennis Stoll. Some of it is very attractive indeed and I would be keen to discover more about him and hear more of his music, but apart from a couple of references on the internet he seems to be totally forgotten.

There is a biography of him here and you can hear a short excerpt of his music.

http://www.starwisdomteaching.com/about/dennis-stoll/

There is mention of a song cycle  called 'Songs of Karnak' for bass and harp which was performed by Marie Korchinska and Raymond Herincx, and apparently Herincx performed the songs quite often, and they were broadcast as well. I'd also be keen to hear the pieces for solo harp that are mentioned.

Details of the record can be seen here. The quality of the playing is very high!

http://www.discogs.com/Dennis-Stoll-Conducting-Nefer-Ensemble-Raymond-Cohen-Kelly-Isaacs-Kenneth-Essex-Terence-Weil-Terence/release/7113905
#2
Downloads Discussion Archive / Re: French Music
Tuesday 10 January 2012, 10:48
Hope this isn't too long to post here.
Sincere thanks to Peter1953 for translating this from the Dutch programme notes!!

Nocturne – A World Première

The Belgian violinist Eugène Ysaÿe (1858-1931), who became famous because of his impressive mixture of virtuosity and poetry in his performances, was a great admirer of the music by the young Debussy. That is why he arranged in December 1893 the Parisian première of his only String Quartet and also had the intention to give the first concert performance of Pelléas et Mélisande in Brussels in 1896.
In September 1892 Debussy planned a tour through America, with financial support of Prince André Poniatowski, and he had the idea to play the "almost finalized three Scènes au crépuscule", three "scenes at twilight", inspired by poems from a friend, the symbolist poet Henri de Régnier. In his own words, in 1893 these pieces underwent "a major revision", however, only a few sketches for violin and orchestra are preserved, most of them in E major or B major.
Thanks to Ernest Chausson we know that Debussy composed a piece for Ysaÿe in April of that year, which was at a certain moment called a "concerto", and which piece was probably also meant for his first tour through America in 1894-1895.
A few weeks before his departure in November, just before adding the finishing touches to L'Après-midi d'un faune, Debussy told Ysaÿe that he was working on "three Nocturnes for violin solo and orchestra, which are tailor-made for you". These Nocturnes are most likely derived from the earlier Scènes au crépuscule. The first scène was meant "only for strings, the second for three flutes, four horns, three trumpets and two harps; in the third all instruments are combined".
The plan seems to be a fore-runner of the six Chamber Sonatas from the years 1915-1917. Perhaps Debussy had the Nocturnes by Whistler in mind, when he told Ysaÿe that his scènes "will be like paintings, a study in grey". In November 1896 he dropped his plans, after Ysaÿe told him that "because of financial reasons" he did not see any opportunity to première these pieces in Brussels.
However, at an auction in Paris in 2006 a score of an opening for violin and orchestra in E major turned up. Since this material did not show up in the orchestral Nocturnes of 1897-1899, I (Robert Orledge) put four harmonized themes (in length ranging from three to thirteen measures) next to each other in one single, representative Nocturne and kept this as much as possible close to the ensemble of Debussy's third Nocturne. At least then these themes would not remain in libraries or a private collection gathering dust.
The result is a piece of eight minutes, with a poetical introduction referring to the main movement to which it is linked. The dynamic opening found in 2006 with which the real Nocturne opens is the starting point of several subsequent episodes. Besides, it is a natural introduction to the "shadow theme" in B major, which starts with a single cello and double bass. Above hovers in the solo violin the thrilling motive of the three tunes from the beginning, exactly as Debussy meant. The themes are not developed further, instead they are presented in varying harmonic contexts, just like Debussy's L'Après-midi d'un faune from the same period.
The Nocturne looks much like a rondo with several episodes, built around an extensive musical scale theme, where different aspects of Debussy's "shadow themes" are placed in a new perspective. As during the course of the piece there is extensive reference  to the extrovert fireworks of the 2006 theme, it is sparingly dealt with later on, though it is used for the basis of a brief, I hope exciting coda.
I am very grateful to the violinist Otfrid Nies for his advice regarding the practical aspects of the challenging solo part.
#3
Downloads Discussion Archive / Re: French Music
Sunday 08 January 2012, 19:16
With the help of google translate I can make a rough translation of the programme notes which are in Dutch. They are quite long so would like to check that it's ok to post them here. If not, I can upload them as a word document an anyone interested can download them. It will take me a little bit of time to do the translation and correct google's english!
#4
Downloads Discussion Archive / Re: French Music
Saturday 07 January 2012, 23:21
Will try and upload the Debussy tomorrow.
#5
Downloads Discussion Archive / Re: French Music
Saturday 07 January 2012, 16:06
Hardly an unsung composer, but I have a recording from Dutch Radio of Debussy's Nocturne for Violin and Orchestra which received its premiere last November in Amsterdam. It has been reconstructed by Robert Orledge and is performed by Isabelle Faust and the Dutch Radio Kamer Filharmonie conducted by Heinz Holliger. Anyone interested?
#6
Composers & Music / Re: Audience behaviour
Friday 02 December 2011, 01:23
Standing ovations are frequent at concerts in Holland (certainly in Amsterdam), and they can go on for quite some time. There isn't that much of a rush to get out of the hall at the end as your concert ticket is valid on the tram or bus for your trip home! Then there is the free wine offered at the interval! Of course on top of all these extras you have the Concertgebouw Orchestra or the excellent Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra playing. I rarely go home disappointed! Whether things will stay like this with the current govt cutting funding left right and centre we'll have to wait and see.
#7
Downloads Discussion Archive / Re: British Music
Tuesday 22 November 2011, 09:22
Thanks!!! :D

[For the Searle. I have moved this reply, wrongly posted in the Downloads board, to this board where it belongs - Mark]