VARIATIONS ON A WEST AFRICAN LAMENT
Composed for performance by The Skymusic Ensemble with artists Leroy Jenkins(vn), Kenneth Bichel(synth), Eric Johnson(synth&pno), Gordon Gottlieb(perc.), Sam Rivers (fl), Marianna Rosett(pno), and Margaret Lancaster(fl), conducted by Carman Moore.  Premiere at St. John the Divine Cathedral.
The work is a set of variations on a fancied ritual.  All of it, except the Ewe bell patterns and improvised solos, was composed by Carman Moore.  To be imagined is a West African person being ritually prepared for burial by a community.  This community loathes having this person die and leave a great hole among them, so one at a time they (each instrument) perform solos of praise in their special way.  Finally Death itself arrives to guide the One across.  
We dedicate this work to the memory of late Skymusicians: Sam Rivers, Leroy Jenkins, Eli Fountain, and Mark Heinemann.

VARIATIONS ON A WEST AFRICAN LAMENT

CYGNUS (Swans Across the Milky Way) 2022, a work for flute, English horn, two guitars, violin, and cello, was in part inspired by Carman Moore's fascination with Orpheus, Greek god of music married to Eurydice, whom he famously tried to rescue from the clutches of death.  Orpheus was himself killed at length and turned into a swan..."cygnus" in (Latinized) Greek.  This work not only honors the god of music, it also honors the constellation in the Northern hemisphere of the Milky Way called Cygnus...the Swan.  Cygnus contains some of the largest bodies in the known Universe, including Cygnus X-1, Deneb, and NGC6946 (the Fireworks Galaxy).  Mr. Moore describes this work as a kind of vision...one of an ensemble of mystics in flight through an enormous variety of magical space creations, one of which is Planet Earth.
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CYGNUS-Swans Across the Milky Way

MADIBA composed by Carman Moore for symphony orchestra and cello soloist in honor of Nelson Mandela.  Premiered by the American Composers Orchestra, conducted by Geo. Manahan with Khari Joyner, cellist. Feb. 2015 at Carnegie Hall.  Score and parts published PeerMusic.

CARMAN MOORE's  MADIBA (Honoring Nelson Mandela)

Blackthorn grows

THE MYSTERY OF TAO was commissioned by The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center in 2001 and premiered by them.  Its relentless"heartbeats" from harp and marimba cross with the  regular "deep breaths" of the bass forming a matrix against which a life with all its marvels and horrors is lived.  At one point one might imagine hearing the anguish of people leaping from the World Trade Center.  But the beat goes on, and we also hear the comforting voice of Lao Tse telling of Mother Tao.  This performance was made at the Storm King Music Festival.

THE MYSTERY OF TAO  (STORM KING VERSION 1)

Played by Carman Moore on sounds from his Ensoniq MR76...

CONCERNING FIRE

BERENICE is a set of variations in search of their Handel theme, at times frantically.  Played by the wonderful Da Capo Chamber Players here, it was performed in Feb. 2017 at New York's Merkin Hall.  Featured are the wonderful Meighan Stoops, clarinet/bass clar.; Steven Beck, piano; Curtis Macomber, violin; and Chris Gross, cello.

BERENICE AT MERKIN

BERENICE at MERKIN

Carman Moore's QUIET PIECE uses the Ensemble of flute, alto flute, vibraphone, piano, viola, and synthesizer as one instrument...almost as-if heard from the inside of the head.  Notes culminate into little "bell-like" events....bell-like in that the decay of sounds are as important as the initial sounds themselves.  This performance is by The Skymusic Ensemble in Feb. 2018, featuring Linda Wetherill, Dale Kleps, David Pearl, Martha Mooke, Eli Fountain, Brian Lee, and Neil Alexander, conducted by Carman Moore.

THE QUIET PIECE

A work for electro-acoustic ensemble and voice intoning a poem by Carman Moore.  Skymusic Ensemble instruments join poetry reading win imitation of its inflections.  Poem posits the notion that the Big Bang was a staccato musical event amplified via reverb into time/space (and us).

POINT-COUNTERPOINT  ROULETTE

POINT-COUNTERPOINT...ROULETTE

This is the 2013 premiere performance of QUIET PIECE...more legato than the 2018 at Roulette.  It includes an opening on Tibetan bowls (Beppe Manca) and alto flute solos at midpoint by Premik Tubbs.  Longer, also because it included dance (by Kiori Kawai).

May 18th Concert

THE QUIET PIECE (ORIGINAL PERFORMANCE)

RIGHTEOUS HEROES features the 8 member Skymusic Ensemble, joined by Senegalese master singer Mordior Bamba.  It began as a work to accompany a large modern dance piece honoring The American Dance Festival's years on the Duke University campus.  Carman was commissioned to compose not only RIGHTEOUS but also several other pieces for the day's events.   But RIGHTEOUS lives on the Skymusic Repertory.  Choreographer was Ruby Shang.  The story involved is that ghosts of soldiers from all of history have come out to dance in honor of the god/goddess of Peace.  The work is constructed over a 4-bar bass marimba pattern that repeats until an "explosion" takes place, quieting the work back to its funebral roots. The instruments' solos are testimonials about feelings evoked about and against war.  At one moment war does seem to break out...but this ends in peace and a quiet return to the obbligato pattern and the return of the soldiers to their graves.

RIGHTEOUS HEROES..ROULETTE

RIGHTEOUS HEROES...ROULETTE

Carman's compositions have been commissioned and performed by the NY Philharmonic, Cleveland Orch., San Francisco Symphony, Chamber Music Soc. of L.C. and many others.  He is also a noted music critic and librettist.

carman!

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