Audio Sample
|
Performance by Andrew Schultz, Bernard Lanskey, D Hart from the CD Selected Works by AMC Represented Artists, vol. 83. |
Non-Commercial
This item is not commercially available from the Australian Music Centre. We regret that we cannot offer it for sale.
CD
Selected Works by AMC Represented Artists, vol. 83.
Library shelf no. CD 2853 [Available for loan]
Work Overview
Shadow's Dance was written in London in
November, 1985 for performance by the composer and friends. The
piece draws its title from the Balinese shadow puppet dance but
also calls to mind the shadowy world of back-street North London
sleaze, especially in its use of microtones in the clarinet part.
Whilst the work is based on the structure of a fairy tale
(Goldilocks and the Three Bears) the piece is in no sense
programmatic. As Levi-Strauss has shown, seminal stories and
myths may have consistent structures (sequences of events) that
could be called ritual forms. Interestingly, some of these
story-telling shapes are like conventional musical forms; of
those, this piece is most like a ritornello or rondo form but
with many small, mosaic-like bits that keeping coming back but in
new adventures (like Goldilocks).
The alternation of lyricism with sudden rhythmic
excitement, slow quiet violin glissandos, the sense of tempo
which is fast and slow at the same time and the muffled, distant
quality of the violin part are typical features of the piece. The
use of echoes and sudden outbursts suggest the following analogy:
the music is played and danced on one hilltop whilst it is seen
and heard from another. The effects of wind and cloud make the
music sometimes clear and sharp, sometimes tranquil and
distant.
Work Details
Withdrawn: the composer has withdrawn this work and it is no longer available for sale or public performance. Materials held in the Australian Music Centre's collection are for reference and research purposes only.
Year: 1985
Instrumentation: Clarinet in Bb, violin, piano.
Duration: 9 min.
Difficulty: Advanced — Moderate/difficult.
First performance: by Andrew Schultz, Bernard Lanskey, D Hart — 1 Mar 86. King's College, University of London, UK
Performances of this work
1 Mar 86: King's College, University of London, UK. Featuring Andrew Schultz, Bernard Lanskey, D Hart.
User reviews
Be the first to share your thoughts, opinions and insights about this work.
To post a comment please login.