Score
Resonances : 12 movements for solo piano / Michael Hannan.
Library shelf no. 786.2/HAN 30 [Not for loan]
Score
Resonances III : three movements for solo piano / Michael Hannan.
Library shelf no. 786.2/HAN 28 [Not for loan]
Work Overview
Resonances III (1992) is the third of a series of four
works, each with three movements, which explore the complex
resonances of the piano by means of a constantly depressed
sustaining pedal. Like George Crumb's Makrokosmos works, the
complete cycle of twelve Resonances movements corresponds to the
twelve astrological signs. Each movement is dedicated to one or
more friends or associates (mostly composers) who have been born
under the relevant sign. Some aspect of their work or personality
has been used as a source of inspiration for the composition of
that movement, and occasionally there are actual
musical references to the works of these people.
The Libra movement of Resonances III, "Conjunction," is
dedicated to Toru Takemitsu who, when we first met in 1970,
sparked my interest in Japanese music, both traditional and
modern. The tones of the theme of this set of variations are
based on prominent tones in Toru's For Away for piano (1973). The
variational procedures may be related to my earlier
Japanese-influenced works, Zen Variations for piano
(1982) and In the Utter Darkness for solo flute (1983),
both of which depend on techniques of viewing particular pitch
materials from different rhythmic, harmonic and textural
angles.
The Scorpio movement, "Mysterious Clusters," is dedicated to
Wayne Findlay and Richard Mills but is also strongly stamped with
my own double-Scorpio traits. Indeed it is difficult to pinpoint
anything that is obviously attributable to the musical
personalities of either Wayne or Richard, although I've tried to
make this movement more contrapuntal than the other movements of
the series and I believe there is an inherent orchestral quality
in the resulting textures. Like many of the movements of the
Resonances series, this one involves musical references to other
parts of the whole series. The most obvious is the restatement of
the "Conjunction" theme at the climax of the movement; but the
music also includes harmonic materials from Resonances
I. In addition, "Mysterious Clusters" is permeated with
melodic ideas derived from the songs of the magpie lark and the
whitethroated warbler.
The Sagittarius movement, "Star Stream" is dedicated to Mark
Findlay and Ian Fredericks. It consists of a constantly evolving
series of ostinati in the right hand accompanying chordally
decorated melodic material in the left hand. The principle of
change in the right hand part is the gradual expansion of the
intervals in the figuration, followed by a kind of palindromic
contraction. Some of the harmonic ideas of the left hand part are
derived from the first movement of the series, "Celestial
Ground".
Work Details
Year: 1992
Instrumentation: Piano.
Difficulty: Advanced
Contents note: I. Conjunction -- II. Mysterious clusters -- III. Star stream.
Dedication note: Dedicated to Ian Fredericks, Mark Findlay, Richard Mills, Wayne Findlay, Toru Takemitsu
Commission note: Commissioned by Sally Mays with funds provided by Australia Council. Performing Arts Board.
Analysis
Resonate article: A lifetime of engagement with Australian music by Michael Hannan
User reviews
Be the first to share your thoughts, opinions and insights about this work.
To post a comment please login.