Libra Sonatina – Third Movement

Some maybe became acquainted with the marimba  in the newer video game scores of Nintendo's Donkey Kong series and others got to know  this massive percussion instrument as the national instrument of Guatemala. However, this member of the xylophone family definitely has more potential than just playing the leitmotif of a virtual ape. Nozomi Omote presented during their Marimba Galaxy Tour at the Queensland Conservatorium how multi faced the marimba play can be used to express a tremendous amount of musical variety. Accompanied by Laura Thomson (violin) and  Nick Harmsen (clarinet), she interpreted Nick Puts' composition "And Legions Will Rise".     

Marimba Galaxy Concert (Excerpts)

Like no other piece, the String Quartet in F-Major stands for Maurice Ravel's rise from obscurity to form his own musical language and break free from the comparisons to other impressionists, for example by including rhapsody and rhythmic basque dance music elements, especially in this second movement - Assez vif. Très rythmé. Although highly criticized and even rejected from the Paris Conservatiore in 1904, this chamber music composition today is one of the most popular pieces for the Quartet. 
During their appearance at the Queensland Conservatorium in September 2013, the award winning New Zealand String Quartet interpreted this masterpiece.

Maurice Ravel - String Quartet in F-Major - II. Assez Vif. Très Rythmé

Besides the national oriented composers, called "The New Russian School", a more western-european composing style arose in Russia during the period of late romantic music in the beginning of the 20th century. To mention just two famous representatives of this direction, Pjotr Iljitsch Taschaikowsky and Sergei Rachmaninoff stunned with majestic pieces for large orchestra ensemble, which became famous for its melodic flow and richness as well as their exhilarating virtuosity. One of the best known compositions of the last mentioned Rachmaninoff, is his Symphony No.2 in E-Minor, that he finished in 1907. 
The Queensland Conservatorium Symphony Orchestra performed this stroke of a musical genius in October 2013 in the Conservatorium Theatre.   

Sergei Rachmaninoff - Symphony No.2 in E-Minor (Excerpts)

Compared to earlier works of Maurice Ravel, his 1932 finished Piano Concerto in G-Major differs tremendously in terms of musical style. During a North America tour in 1928, also visiting New Orleans, Ravel absorbed jazz music. Particularly reminiscent of Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue", he utilizes blues figures in the piano melody and typical jazz idioms and harmonies through all movements of the concerto.
Featuring Adam McMilian, the Queensland Conservatorium Symphony Orchestra staged this piece, which is often described as his last big composition before his fatal car accident in late October 2013.

Maurice Ravel - Piano Concerto in G-Major – III. Presto

The Jazzfestival is an annual highlight at the HfMDK Frankfurt (Frankfurt University of Music), where a high-class program is ensured by top jazz ensembles every year. Fortunaely, also the renown Valentie Garvie ensemble stopped by with an appearance in the 2013 edition of this festival. Garvie, a masterperformer of the trumpet and a former scholarship holder of the Royal Academy of London, is widely known for his musical contribution in a variety of important ensembles in Germany like the Uli Schiffelholz Quintet, the hr-Jazzensemble or the Bob Degen Ensemble. 
"Getting ready" marks the final piece and highlight of their performance, showing each members's skill in a variety of improvised solo parts.

Valentin Garvie Quintett - Getting Ready (live at HfMDK Jazzfestival 2013)

Maurice Ravel's "Jeux d'eau" musically decribes his impressionictic view on different types of water movement like fountains, cascades and brookes. Pianist Ricardo Vines first publicly performed this piece in 1902 whereas this particular interpretation was recorded at the Frankfurt University of Music in 2013 and performed by piano student Joschka Althoff. The final mix represents and supports a shimmering overall sound, which Ravel created by blurring chords and impressionistic musical figures into each other to achieve a unique timbre.

Maurice Ravel - Jeux d'eau

In this production, recorded at the Concert Hall of the HfMDK Frankfurt (Frankfurt University of Music), Leon Kranich interprets the 1919 finished Sonata Op. 71, which is one of the most famous works Charles Koechlin wrote in his so called chamber music period between 1911 and 1925. While in the first movement, the compositional style of arpeggiated chords often is associated with music of Fauré, the ostinato bass in the second movement leads to the conclusion, that Koechlin combines different ideas from Chopin's Bacarolle and Nocturne works. Although the first performance took place in 1938, it was not until 1990, 50 years after the composer's death, that this composition was printed the. The recording contains all three movements: I. Andante moderato – Allegretto scherzando – Tempo I, II. Nocturne Presque adagio, III. Final (Allegro – vigoureusement et rudement rythmé)

FS;Sound

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