Work
Purgatorio, Paradiso (sextets: soprano, mezzo-soprano, alto, 2 tenors, bass)
by Michael Whiticker (1992)
Score
Purgatorio - Paradiso : for six voices and tape / Michael Whiticker.
Library shelf no. 783.1654/WHI 1 [Available for loan]
Work Overview
With text from Dante's Inferno, my Purgatorio, Paradiso is a post minimalist work which draws comparison with Stockhausen's Stimmung. The original voice recordings which form the backing track were samples recorded specifically by the Song Company for my work.
The following review provides a good program note:
"Whiticker's diptych Purgatorio Paradiso addressed the cherished notion that frequent changes of chord are a precondition for musical interest. He argues by example that it is not, and in part two, Paradiso, achieves a genuinely dramatic climax entirely by other means: dynamics, textural density, and the interplay of voices with the work's electronic tape component." The Sydney Review, 4.92
Work Details
Year: 1992
Instrumentation: Soprano, mezzo-soprano, alto, 2 tenors, bass, tape.
Duration: 15 min.
Difficulty: Advanced
Dedication note: Dedicated to Roland Peelman
Commission note: Commissioned by The Song Company with funds provided by Australia Council.
Analysis
Program note: Purgatorio-Paradiso
Michael Whiticker — © Michael Whiticker
Source: The Song Company, Modern Art Series 2, 18 September, 1996
Review: Australian Made with Italian Glass: The Song Company 20 March 1992
Peter McCallum
Source: Sydney Morning Herald 24 March 1992
Review: Taking artistic licence - Song Company Modern Art Series September 18
Gordon Kerry — © Sydney Morning Herald
Source: Sydney Morning Herald, 20/9/1996
User reviews
Be the first to share your thoughts, opinions and insights about this work.
To post a comment please login.