Sheet Music: ScoreAcquisition : for orchestra / Elliott Gyger.by Elliott Gyger (2016)
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Product details
Part 1 of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring closes with a
vibrantly rhythmic section usually known as The Dance of the
Earth. The original Russian title, however, has more complex
undertones: its literal translation is The Acquisition of the
Earth by Dancing. Humanity's relationship to the Earth,
portrayed elsewhere in the ballet in terms of reverence and awe,
here takes on a distinctly proprietorial character. Indeed, the
word "acquisition", at first blush scientifically neutral, has
proven extremely versatile as a euphemism for a range of
predatory human behaviours - rampant consumerism, black-market
transactions, repossession of mortgaged property, hostile
corporate takeovers, colonization, military occupation - and our
treatment of the planet we live on seems deeply tainted by the
same mindset.
This work is both a meditation on these darker aspects of human
nature, and a creative response to Stravinsky's towering
masterpiece. It draws particularly on three elements from The
Rite: its amazingly inventive writing for the woodwind,
individually and in groups; the use of the orchestra to create
powerful blocks of sound which are rapidly juxtaposed or stacked
up in layers; and the unerring sense of formal progression,
especially in Part 1, whereby energy builds across a series of
distinct sections and tempi.
Acquisition is shaped as a single accumulation across
the first twelve of its thirteen sections. It begins quietly, at
moderate tempo in the mid-range with clarinets and harps.
Subsequent sections become progressively longer, faster, louder,
denser and more aggressive, and occupy more and more of the
orchestra's pitch range. The "dancing" origins of Stravinsky's
score inform the work's pulsing polyrhythms. There is no pause
for breath until the closing pages, a traumatised reflection on
what has come before.
Published by: Australian Music Centre — 1 facsimile score (66p. -- A3 (portrait))
Difficulty: Advanced
Duration: 12 mins
Commissioned by Sydney Symphony Orchestra with funds provided by Geoff Stearn.
First performance by Sydney Symphony Orchestra, David Robertson at SSO: Gyger and Stravinsky - Petrushka (Sydney Opera House, Concert Hall) on 17 Aug 2016
Includes program note and performance directions.
Typeset edition.
ISMN: 979-0-900978-00-4
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