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By Five (1985-86) Duration: 13' 30" Instrumentation: flute, oboe, cello, piano, percussion (1) Alternate Versions: Availability: from the composer Recordings: available from ERM Media "Masterworks of the New Era" (Vol. 8) www.ermmedia.org Program Notes: My interest in writing this work was to contrast single instruments or groupings of instrumental combinations within each of the five short movements, while still maintaining coherency throughout the whole work. In movement One, only piano-percussion are used in contrast. In movement Four, the cello-oboe-percussion contrast with the flute-piano combination. In movement Five, the cello is used in contrast with the piano-chimes combination. Also, I hoped to compose sections of nearly uncontrolled chaos (movt. 1), balanced by sections of calmer, serene reflection (movt. 3). Additionally, as in some previous works, all vertical pitch groups and horizontal pitch occurrences chosen for the entire work are "seeded" immediately in the piece and derived from there. In By Five, there are five pitch cells used throughout the work which appear in their purest form as the first five piano sonorities of movement One. First Performance: North/South Consonance ensemble (June, 1988) at Christ & St. Stephen's Church in New York City (Max Lifchitz, conducting). Other Performances: Release on Vol. 8 of "Masterworks of a New Era" ERMMedia (Oct 2005). California State University (July, 1989) in Arcata, California. "New From Abroad" Festival (Oct 1991 - Dec 1991) as part of the Arts Listening Room in Sao Paolo, Brazil. |