Live performance, Ultima Festival, Oslo, 2002.

Malcolm Goldstein - Ishi ‘man waxati’ Soundings

🎼 Gliptopalinomia is a cycle of piano miniatures in which I present all the fundamental elements of my System of Periodic Constructions. Each part is based on periodic pitch material derived from a row of alternating intervals. The selection of intervals, combined with mostly cyclic rhythms, defines the unique timbre and texture of each miniature.

🔹 Gliptopalinomia 7.2, 2.7, …
Built solely on the perfect fifth (7 semitones) and the major second (2 semitones), this piece has a bright, glossy sound of repeated phrases – like an iridescent liquid rapidly shifting shape in a looped motion.

🔹 Gliptopalinomia 7.1, 1.7, 3.5, 5.3, …
A denser row of intervals: perfect fifth and minor second; minor third and perfect fourth – resulting in a shadowy, blurred sound. A recurring motif of a rapidly repeated chord (in distant registers: high-low-high or low-high-low) creates a jagged, dramatic texture and a sense of virtuosity and elasticity.

🔹 Gliptopalinomia 10.1, 1.10, …
Only two intervals: the minor seventh and the minor second. Sparse, transparent, and delicate – this miniature sounds like a few raindrops quietly falling on a windowsill after a storm.

🔹 Gliptopalinomia 6.3, 3.6, 5.4, 4.5, …
A take on the musical perpetuum mobile. The left hand plays a fast piano part, while the right hand performs electronically processed Rhodes sounds via a MIDI keyboard. The pianist repeats the entire piece three times; during this time, the electronic part shifts down a quarter-tone, creating audible interference between the hands.

🎧 Gliptopalinomia – the title is derived from three Greek words:
	•	glipto (glyptós, glyphē) – sculpture, engraving;
	•	palin- (pálin) – again, against, back;
	•	-nomia (nomós) – skill, art, law, or field of study.

The entire cycle is a sonic sculpture engraved in my musical matter – a result of nearly two decades of work. Each part is a study of a fragment of the System of Periodic Constructions, while the whole cycle demonstrates its modus operandi.

🎓 Dedicated to Prof. Grażyna Pstrokońska-Nawratil. The first letters of her name and surname inspired the initials of the three Greek words forming the title – G, P, and N.

Gliptopalinomia 10.1, 1.10, ...

Gliptopalinomia 6.3, 3.6, 6.3, 3.6, 5.4, 4.5, 5.4, 4.5, ...

An antiphon to St. Hedwig of Silesia from the XV-century "Neumarkter Cantionale" (the Cantionale from Środa Śląska) PL-WRk MS 58

Vox Imaginaria:
Julieta González-Springer, Marzena Korchut-Łykowska - voices

composition of the second voice: Ryszard Lubieniecki

recording/mix - Maurycy Kin

O felix et beata (medieval music)

An antiphon to all saints from the XV-century "Neumarkter Cantionale" (the Cantionale from Środa Śląska) PL-WRk MS 58

Vox Imaginaria:
Piotr Gałek, Jacek Springer - voices

composition of the second voice: Ryszard Lubieniecki

recording/mix - Maurycy Kin

Sancti Dei omnes (medieval music)

"Beatles(s)" for large symphony orchestra (2024)
3 fl, 3 ob, 3 cl, 3 bsn | 3 tpt, 4 hn, 3 tbn, tb | 5 perc | 2 hp, pno/cel | 24 vln, 12 vl, 10 vc, 8 cb

Performed by:
The Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, Geoffrey Paterson - conductor

Recording, Mix & Mastering: Ewa Guziołek-Tubelewicz
Post-mastering: Paweł Hendrich

This piece explores the extent to which one can deconstruct the songs of The Beatles – a band with a high, almost iconic social identity – while still retaining even a minimal level of recognizability.  The title itself reflects my approach. The starting point is the music of the legendary band from Liverpool. The suffix "-less" suggests a loss, a lack, or an inability to affect in a particular way. The title also has a second layer of meaning. The neologism "beatless" describes a certain characteristic of the composition – a lack of beat. This second meaning of the title describes my approach to the orchestral texture, in which I deliberately create and destroy the sensation of beats, atomizing the material (not just rhythmic, but also harmonic and timbral), dissipating its contours in favor of granularity. As a result, what was initially clear (either within the piece itself or in relation to The Beatles' music) becomes blurred, but through its reduced obviousness, it becomes much more intriguing.  In the composition Beatles(s), I draw from an icon of pop culture and creatively transform the source of inspiration, merging it with my own musical language. I am very interested in such multi-layered relationships, revealing hidden similarities where the facade appears to be only differences and strong contrasts.   

Commisioned by the 67th Warsaw Autumn International Festival of Contemporary Music and the Warsaw Philharmonic.

Beatles(s) (2024)

Another Time In Fragments (2025)

"Sfumato" for large orchestra and augmented theremin (2023-2024)
3 fl, 3 ob, 3 cl, 3 bsn | 3 tpt, 4 hn, 3 tbn, tb | 5 perc | 2 hp, pno/cel | theremin solo | 32 vln, 12 vl, 10 vc, 8 cb

Performed by:
Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Vincent Kozlovsky – conductor, Paweł Romańczuk – theremin, computer

Recording, Mix & Mastering: Polish Radio
Post-mastering: Paweł Hendrich 

The title of the piece refers to sfumato – a Renaissance painting technique characterized by the subtle blending of tones andcolors, softening the transition between them. These gentle chiaroscuro transitions create a sense of depth and blur, resemblingsmoke or mist. The sfumato method was employed by artists such as Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael. When translated into themusical domain, sfumato similarly manifests as a blurring of orchestral texture and a continuous, delicate modulation of timbres.

To reinforce connections with the Renaissance era, I took inspiration from the microtonal madrigal "Madonna il poco dolce" byNicola Vicentino as the starting point for my composition. I processed a fragment of this piece to such an extent that only itsunusual harmonic connections and the ‘sonic aura’ of the original remain.

In my composition, the rich orchestral framework is complemented by an electronically and mechanically modified theremin. Asan extraordinary instrument played without physical contact, the theremin offers vast experimental possibilities. This unique partis performed by Paweł Romańczuk, who is also the co-author of the instrument’s reconstruction concept, tailored specifically forthis work.

All these elements come together to form a cohesive whole, where sounds are like colors on a Renaissance canvas – fluid,subtle, and imbued with depth.

 

Commisioned bythe 11th Festival of Premieres and the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra based in Katowice.

Sfumato (2023-2024)

Error: The Peculiar Galaxies Database Arp 292:NGC 6050 (2017)
composed by Monika Dalach
performed by Michał Kluska (piano)
Urszula Markowska (cello)
Monika Dalach (electronics)

Close your eyes. Open ears. What do you see? Two of the objects are connected by tidal bridges. The spacecraft is launching. Something is leaking. ERROR. ERROR. Spiral galaxies with low surface brightness companions. She runs away. All of these objects are galaxies involved in gravitational interactions. Store your whisper on the VHS tape. White noise. The last train has gone. Take a deep breath. Did you know that Halton Arp produced a catalog of peculiar galaxies in 1966?

Error: The Peculiar Galaxies Database Arp 292: NGC 6050 for piano, cello and audio-playback (2017)

a polish composer & multimedia artist based in London
www.monikadalach.com

Error: The Peculiar Galaxies Database Arp 292: NGC 6050 for piano, cello and audio-playback (2017)

Monika Dalach Sayers