Audio Sample
|
Performance by The Song Company from the CD Elena Kats-Chernin. Vol. 5. |
Score
Gone with the waltz / Elena Kats-Chernin.
Library shelf no. 783.16554/KAT 1 [Available for loan]
Work Overview
This piece was commissioned by the Song Company with assistance
from the Music Fund of the Australia Council and was written in
April 1997. As the title suggests, it is a waltz-song, yet with
the obsession of a funeral march.
The conflict between the hard staccatos (chop-chop) and the
schmaltzy legato melodies (in sugary German) provides the main
musical tension for this tribute to the german genre of the
"Moritat" , a macabre yet sweetly type of ballad. The
sentimentality of certain popular German singers of the 20s and
30s as well as laconic and biting dryness of German cabaret
represent simultaneously the morbid fascination with thtat which
is frightening and abhorrent yet sweetly alluring to the public's
taste of sensationalism.
The jargon-like words that constitute the text are by the
composer except for the Woyzeck quotation "Ein schoener Mord, ein
guter Mord"-"a nice murder, a good murder...".
Work Details
Year: 1997
Instrumentation: 2 sopranos, alto, tenor, 2 basses.
Duration: 5 min.
Difficulty: Advanced — Professional.
Commission note: Commissioned by The Song Company with funds provided by Australia Council. Music Board.
First performance: by The Song Company — 20 Jun 97. Performed in "M for Murder" at Access Contemporary Art Gallery, Sydney
Analysis
Program note: Gone with the Waltz
The Song Company
Source: M for Murder 20,21 June 1997
Performances of this work
20 Jun 97: Performed in "M for Murder" at Access Contemporary Art Gallery, Sydney. Featuring The Song Company.
User reviews
Be the first to share your thoughts, opinions and insights about this work.
To post a comment please login.