Eréndira Dances 2 & 3 (2011) - London Sinfonietta

The first movement from 'Three Old Gramophones'.  Inspired by The Mikado and genuine Japanese Gagaku court music.
2005 (Full work: appx.15’)
2 (I + picc., bass fl, II + bass fl).1.2 (I + picc.Eb cl, II + bass cl).sop sax Bb.1 – 1.2.1.0, – pno/harm, 2/3 perc. – 4.4.3.3.1 Programme note: Three Old Gramophones examines symbolism in music, principally in two ways. Firstly, it presents music that appears ‘familiar’ in a generally unmodified way. Secondly, it envelops this music with another layer of sonorities that may appear recognisable, though not necessarily in the context in which it is heard. Three Old Gramophones uses both ‘private’ and ‘shared’ symbolism. ‘Two Gentlemen in Japan’ re-works the overture to The Mikado, manipulating it to sound rather more like genuine Japanese Gagaku court music. This ‘shared’ element examines Edlin’s personal political stance that the West has often abused its relationship with the East. Sousa’s composition El Capitan was (apparently) the last piece to be played as the Titanic sank. El Capitan’s famous demise envelops this piece with fragments of familiar ‘sea related’ pieces. The final piece has several subtexts: principally a re-enactment of a scene in a story by Gabriel García Marquez, where an old woman retells her youthful memories to her granddaughter as they listen to a quasi-Hispanic tune on an old ‘78’. On another level, it also pays a personal tribute to a life tragically cut short. The score also explores new techniques in instrumental timbres and new approaches to notation, where individual musicians ‘lead’ varying groups of instruments, while the conductor maintains an overview of proceedings. © Paul Max Edlin 2005

Two Gentlemen From Japan (2005)

Borodubur – Temple of the Secret Aspect
1987 (appx. 32’)
5.4.4.4 – 5.6.3.1 – 2hp, celeste, 5 perc, – 16.16.14.12.10
This early work is based on the architectural design and narrative carvings of the immense Javanese monument, Borobudur, which sits at the heart of the Kedu Plain in central Java.  The music takes us on a literal tour of the monument, exploring its meaning as explained by the narrative bas reliefs that adorn its galleries, and eventually experiencing the building's symbolic representation of Nirvana.
© Paul Max Edlin 2016 

The performers on this recording of the premiere are the Royal College of Music Symphony Orchestra conducted by Elgar Howarth

A film version of this work is available on You Tube via this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qbkj2zHB7E&t=741s

Borobudur - Temple of the Secret Aspect (1987) Elgar Howarth/RCM Symphony Orchestra

A Chain of Wonders

2010 (appx 8 mins)
1,1,1,1 – 1,1,1 – perc, pno, – 1,1,1,1,1 
Programme note: A Chain of Wonders takes the listener on an imaginary tour of special and exotic places, usually in nocturnal settings. The very opening borrows from an earlier piece of mine called The Sphinx at Night, itself inspired from an evocative watercolour of the famous Egyptian sphinx under a canopy of stars by Edwardian artist Walter Tyndale. Thereafter, we venture into a set of places that exist only in the mind’s eye. There are certainly places that generate excitement, menace and fear, there are places of gentle solitude, places that allude to grandeur and others of turmoil and finally a place that is surely hot and close in atmosphere and climate, welcoming and comforting, and a place where one would be happy to stay. The piece is short – no longer than some ten minutes. © Paul Max Edlin 2010
This recording is of a live performance given by Cantus Ansambl.

A Chain Of Wonders (2010) - Cantus Ansambl

A Doorway To The Temple Of Isis
6th and last movement of From an 'Artist in Egypt' - for solo piano

1993 (appx. 11’) Programme note:  This set of six short pieces captures the vivid imagery of ancient Egypt as depicted in the often charming watercolours of Edwardian artist Walter Tyndale whose book ‘From and Artist in Egypt’ became an inspiration. We move from the awe inspiring image of the great Sphinx at night, to the hussle and bustle of street markets, the natural flora and fauna of the region and more of the antiquities such as the tombs of the khalifs. These short pieces can be played as a set, or movements can be played on their own, especially ‘The Sphinx by Night’, which is a dramatic work, yet is not technically as demanding as the others. © Paul Max Edlin 1995

The pianist in this recording is Kim Burwell

A Doorway To The Temple Of Isis (1993)

1985 version
7 trumpets (piccolo, natural, Eb, Bb, bass tpts, flugelhorn), perc, piano, organ.
Commissioned by John Wallace and the Wallace Collection,
Won IX Internazionale Premio Ancona 

2014 version 
7 trumpets (piccolo, natural, Eb, Bb, bass trumpets, flugelhorn), perc., piano, 2 cellos, 3 double basses.  
New version made especially for RNCM ‘After the Silence… Music in the Shadow of War’ 

Programme Note: Revelation 9:1-11: “Then the Fifth Trumpet angel sounded and I saw a star having fallen from heaven to the earth. To him was given the key to the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace. So the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. Then out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth. And to them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. They were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree; but only those men who do not have the seal of God in their foreheads. And they were not authorized to kill them, but to torment them for five months: and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it strikes a man. In those days men will seek death, and will not find it; and they will desire to die, and death will flee from them. The shape of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle. On their heads were crowns of something like gold, and their faces were like the faces of men. They had hair like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth. And they had breastplates, like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots of many horses running into battle. They had tails like scorpions, and there were stings in their tails. Their power was to hurt men five months. And they had as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, but in Greek his name is Apollo. One woe is past. Behold, two more woes are coming hereafter”.  

When John Wallace formed the Wallace Collection, he brought together the finest trumpet players in the United Kingdom.  Legendary names of the past such as John Wilbraham and David Mason joined forces with the finest up-and-coming players such as Mark Bennett and Bob Farley.  Their first concert was at the Queen Elizabeth Hall and this work was composed for that event..  I wanted to create a work that would provoke thought as well as being a demonstration of virtuosity. The biblical story of the seven trumpets of the apocalypse from The Book of Revelation lended itself to this instrumentation as well as my intention.  Here was an allegory that responds to the results of man’s inhumanity to man and his environment spawning immeasurable suffering and torment.  The parallels with the horrors of war need no elaboration. ‘The Fifth Trumpet’ describes an initial vision of Heaven from which the Fifth Angel blows his trumpet. A star falls from heaven creating an earthly abyss from which smoke pours and the locusts with scorpion stings inflict months of agony on mankind who seek the solace of death.  But death evades them.  The programmatic intent of the story should be apparent in the clearly defined sections of the piece.  A range of trumpets are used: piccolo trumpets, natural trumpets in old pitch keys, Eb, Bb and bass trumpets.  Together with these are percussion, piano and either organ (as in the 1985 original score) or 2 ‘cellos and 3 basses (as in this 2014 revision).  The trumpet writing pushes the instruments to extreme limits, not least the 5th trumpet part, which has specific solo passages and which was written for John Wallace. In the 2014 revision, several changes were made: the organ part has been reworked for lower strings and there has been some rationalising of barring and some minor simplification of the actual instrumental parts.  This live recording is of the first (original) version, was made in the mid 1980s, and is conducted by John Wallace.   © Edlin 2014

The Fifth Trumpet (1985)

1997 (appx. 15’) - for solo piano
 
Programme note:
 
The ‘towers’ of the title are those of Cambodian King Suryarvarman II who built the vast funerary complex of Angkor Wat, now considered one of the seven wonders of the world. The music responds to the ground plan of the building and takes us on a literal journey through parts of the space, frequently responding directly to narrative bas-reliefs such as ‘The Churning of the Sea of Milk’. While this work stands up in its own right, it became the basis for a much larger work for full symphony orchestra, ‘A Pilgrim of Angkor’, which proved to be the culmination of what had become a compositional odyssey in which many monuments of South East Asia, informed and inspired my music.
This recording is of a live performance given by Rolf Hind. 
© Paul Max Edlin 2016

Towers Of The God King (1997) - Rolf Hind (piano)

1988 
2.1.1.1 – 0.2.1.0 hp, celeste, 3 perc., – 0.0.3.2.1
First performed as the ballet 'Wild Child', part of 'Prince Albert’s Vision', Britten Theatre, London (1990). Banteay Srei is an exquisite temple complex only a few miles north of the great Cambodian city of Angkor. The name translates as ‘Citadel of the Women’ and it is so-called because of its graceful design and petite proportions.  This work is based on the structural design of the temple and symbolises the narrative bas reliefs of the many carvings.  This recording was made in the late 1980s by an ensemble of exceptional students at the RCM and was conducted by Neil Thomson.  
© Paul Max Edlin 2016

Banteay Srei - Citadel of the Women (1988)

Frida Sketches 						
for string quartet 
by Paul Max Edlin

Programme Note:
The Mexican painter Frida Kahlo had an extraordinary life.  Born in 1907, she died at middle age in 1954.  At six she developed polio and a terrifying bus accident in her teens meant that she suffered life-long physical and health problems.  She married the Mexican artist and muralist Diego Rivera, who was twenty years her senior.  They had a tempestuous marriage, divorced and remarried.  No doubt due to her illness and her confinement to bed or being strapped in a body cast, Frida became self obsessed and made many extraordinary self-portraits.  These self-portraits tell us as much about Mexican culture, religion and symbolism, about the tragedy of the country at that time, its politics and its history as they do about Frida and her love-hate relationship with Diego.  Frida also kept a diary, and that is yet another fascinating glimpse into this surreal artist’s equally surreal world.

As a composer who has been surrounded by visual art all my life and for whom surrealist painting is particularly relevant, Frida Kahlo’s work excites me.  Furthermore, I have a love for symbolism in music and enjoy transferring extra-musical ideas into music itself – thus a piece becomes even more than its apparent surface.  A piece ‘becomes’ what it is because of what inspires it and what drives it.  Using ciphers, Frida’s name, the names of those who were around her, the name of her home, etc all ‘create’ the musical notes.  The diary inspires the musical structure – especially the passages which are ‘stream-of-consciousness’ that are actually highly poetic and highly rigorous in design.  Finally, the music of Lotti’s ‘Crucifixus’ permeates passages, and so it should as this is music that alludes to Frida’s world and her own crucifixion as a result of that tragic accident.

Frida Sketches is a sketch about the woman and her world, and it is a starting point for me to track a new path.  The work was written for the Arditti Quartet to whom it is dedicated.  

This performance, by the Arditti Quartet, was first broadcast on BBC Radio 3 on 3rd June 2012.

© Paul Max Edlin 2012 

Frida Sketches (2012) - Arditti Quartet

Cello Concerto
2006 (appx. 24’)
solo cello
1(+ alt.fl).1.1.1 - 1.1.1.0, - hp, perc, - 5vv, 2vla, 1vc, 1db

Programme note:
Don continues a theme of symbolism that permeates and guides so many of my compositions.  In this instance it explores certain moral issues in a somewhat enigmatic way, while exploiting the distinct nature of the concerto medium. Indeed it is the master/servant relationship, in which the soloist both guides and follows those around it, that stimulates much of the musical argument.  The use of a semi-solo bassoon part acts as a ‘doppelganger’ as well as allowing for that ‘master/servant’ relationship to be explored (hence the title Don as in Don Giovanni and Don Quixote, etc.)  The ‘solo role’ in any concerto has dramatic connotations, but it must reach beyond ‘pure theatre’ even if it embraces it.  This cello part is hugely virtuosic, as are many of the passages the other instrumentalists have to play.

The harmonic impetus stems from the opening chord to the central movement of Bartok’s fourth string quartet – a chord built up of two whole-tone triads which together form a diatonic hexachord.  This particular chord, composer and quartet are important to me.  There is an inherent symmetry of Bartok’s chord – and the way in which it is expanded as the movement progresses.  My work expands it, and symmetrically too, but delves into the world of microtones and harmonies that allude to other cultures.  Issues of ‘convergence’ and ‘divergence’ form the basis of the concerto, with the principals of two differing groups (cello and bassoon) responding to the harmonic realms established by each other.  While the cello continually sets the pace, its own musical material evolves and adapts as a result of varying ‘influences’ from others.  Political issues can be alluded to, of course. Not least in the suggestion that interaction of seeming opposites can share common ground through debate.  Bartok’s own music is particularly apposite to use in this way.  The renowned musicologist Theodore Adorno pointed out that Bartok’s music ‘spans the gulf between, on the one hand, the ahistorical, epic ‘natural community of the pre-industrial world where the ‘individual’ is represented by the hero… and, on the other hand, the highly industrialised societies of the modern world, within which the individual … exists in a state of alienation’.  © Paul Max Edlin 2007

The solo cellist on this recording is Gabriella Swallow



Don - a Cello Concerto (2006) - Gabriella Swallow (cello)

Concerto for Oboe-d’Amore, Percussion, Trombone and 22 solo strings
1991 (appx 18’) for solo oboe d’amore, solo percussion, solo trombone, 9vv, 6vla, 5 vc, 2db 

The greatest Hindu temple complex in Indonesia is Candi Prambanan, sometimes known as Candi Rara Jonggrang.  It is a 9th century temple complex in central Java and is dedicated to Trimūrti (the trinity of supreme divinity in Hinduism).  This trinity represents creation, maintenance and destruction as exemplified by the deities Brahma (creator), Vishnu (preserver) and Shiva (destroyer).  This triple concerto takes both the narrative of the temple and the actual physical structure and its symbolism as a source for its musical inspiration and actual construction. 

This recording was made at the world premiere in Canterbury Cathedral in 1997, given by soloists Nicholas Daniel (oboe d'amore), James Casey (trombone) and Fiona Ritchie (percussion) with the Britten Sinfonia conducted by Mark Forkgen.  This is made available on Soundcloud by kind permission of the Britten Sinfonia.

Published by Warwick Music. Music available from the publisher at http://www.warwickmusic.com/Main-Catalogue/Sheet-Music/Trombone/Tenor-Trombone/Tenor-Trombone-Orchestra/Edlin-Prambanam-TB055

Prambanan

Prambanan - Concerto for Oboe d'amore, Trombone, Percussion & 22 strings (1991) Britten Sinfonia

2011 (approximate duration of all three movements: 13’)
for flute, violin, viola, cello and piano 

The great Colombian writer, Gabriel García Márquez, wrote his surreal novella 'The Incredible and Sad Tale of Innocent Eréndira and her Souless Grandmother' in 1978.  Eréndira Dances captures the essence of this story.  It takes music from a never completed opera – the rights proved impossible to acquire.
In the first of the three dances, the two main characters of the drama, Eréndira and her Grandmother, are introduced, while the second dance evokes aspects of Eréndira's brief freedom from the tyranny of her grandmother, who has forced her into prostitution.   Dance 3 reveals two more snapshots of the last part of Eréndira’s story, now that she is back in the clutches of her Grandmother having been snatched back from the Mission. In the first snapshot, Eréndira is alone at night when her young lover, Ulises, creeps into her tent and they make love as the Grandmother sleeps, burbling away in her usual manner. The Grandmother’s frenetic burblings, now depicted by the violin and finally the viola, are coming to an end as she has been poisoned and stabbed repeatedly by Ulises. When she is finally dead, Eréndira runs away leaving Ulises by the side of the Grandmother’s whale-like body. © Paul Max Edlin 2011

This recording was made at the world premiere in May 2011, given by the London Sinfonietta.  Grateful thanks to the London Sinfonietta for giving permission for this movement to be made available on Soundcloud.

Eréndira Dance No 3 (2011) Alone, and even after love and death, she runs away) London Sinfonietta

2011 (approximate duration of all three movements: 13’)
flute, violin, viola, cello and piano Programme note: The great Colombian writer, Gabriel García Márquez, wrote his surreal novella The Incredible and Sad Tale of Innocent Eréndira and her Soulless Grandmother in 1978. Eréndira Dances captures the essence of this story. It takes music from an never completed opera – the rights proved impossible to acquire.
In the first of the three dances, the two main characters, Eréndira and her Grandmother, and their surreal circumstances are introduced. The second dance reveals snapshots of Eréndira’s now troubled life. Time has moved on a pace and the havoc caused by the wind of misfortune has seen the Grandmother’s home burned to the ground, and Eréndira has been forced into prostitution to pay off her debts. She will be a prostitute for years to come, and the Grandmother has made Eréndira the most famous and busy prostitute in all of South America. By chance, a handsome and innocent young man, Ulises, has met Eréndira and fallen in love with her. They make love in Eréndira’s tent. Their relationship has far to go. In the meantime, the Mission has made an attempt to rescue Eréndira from the wicked Grandmother. She finds herself at peace in the mission and hears the soft music of Bach played on a clavichord. She is free from her terrible world at last.  © Paul Max Edlin 2011

This recording was made at the world premiere in May 2011, given by the London Sinfonietta. Grateful thanks to the London Sinfonietta for giving permission for this movement to be made available on Soundcloud.

Eréndira Dance No 2 (2011) Eréndira's tormented pleasure & the passion of Bach  - London Sinfonietta

'The Black Glassmaker' is the 6th and final movement from 'Translations from the Night', a song cycle for mezzo-soprano and chamber ensemble (flute [doubling picc. and alto fl.], clarinet in A, violin, 'cello, piano and percussion)
2000 (Full work: appx 20')

The cycle sets poems by the Madagascan poet Jean-Joseph Rabearivelo, translated into English by Michael Downes.

Jean-Joseph Rabearivelo (1901/1903 – 1937) is widely acknowledged to be Africa's first truly modern poet as well as the greatest literary artist from Madagascar.

This recording is taken from a live performance given by Tania Holland and the Bergamo Ensemble, directed by Michael Downes.

The Black Glassmaker - from 'Translations from the Night'

1993 
For solo piano
Programme note: This set of six short pieces captures the vivid imagery of ancient Egypt as depicted in the skilful watercolours of Edwardian artist Walter Tyndale whose book ‘From an Artist in Egypt’ became an inspiration. We move from the awe inspiring image of the great 'Sphinx by Night', to the hussle and bustle of street markets (The Khan Khalil), the mystery of the 'Tombs of the Khalifs', an image of 'A Cortege' and the natural flora and fauna of the region '(The Jacaranda' and more of the antiquities such as a Doorway to the Temple of Isis'. These short pieces can be played as a set, or movements can be played on their own, especially ‘The Sphinx by Night’, which is a dramatic work, yet is not technically as demanding as the others. © Paul Max Edlin 1995

The pianist in this recording is Kim Burwell

From an Artist in Egypt (1993)- Complete Work - Kim Burwell (piano)

1994 - Complete work in 3 movements
This string trio was commissioned by the British composer Alan Ridout shortly before he died. Alan Ridout had taught at the RCM and lived and worked in Canterbury, as did I at the time, and he wanted to support my work. He was passionate about the medium of the string trio, and, I suspect, even considered it superior to the quartet, and certainly hugely underrated.
The medium of the string trio is a fascinating one, and, in many respects, makes more logistical sense than the conventional string quartet, being beautifully and equally balanced. This works explores a range of textures and designs as well as personal symbolism. Thus it combines public and private messages, a means of creativity that I find stimulating and fulfilling. This recording is of a live performance given by members of the Tippett Quartet. 
© Paul Max Edlin 2016

String Trio (1994) - Complete Work - Tippett Quartet

Three Old Gramophones
2005 
2 (I + picc. & bass fl, II + bass fl).1.2. (I + picc. Eb cl, II + bass cl).sop sax Bb.1 – 1.2.1.0, – pno/harm, 2/3 perc. – 4.4.3.3.1 
Programme note: Three Old Gramophones examines symbolism in music, principally in two ways. Firstly, it presents music that appears ‘familiar’ in a generally unmodified way. Secondly, it envelops this music with another layer of sonorities that may appear recognisable, though not necessarily in the context in which it is heard. Three Old Gramophones uses both ‘private’ and ‘shared’ symbolism. ‘Two Gentlemen in Japan’ re-works the overture to The Mikado, manipulating it to sound rather more like genuine Japanese Gagaku court music. This ‘shared’ element examines Edlin’s personal political stance that the West has often abused its relationship with the East. Sousa’s composition El Capitan was (apparently) the last piece to be played as the Titanic sank. El Capitan’s famous demise envelops this piece with fragments of familiar ‘sea related’ pieces. The final piece has several subtexts: principally a re-enactment of a scene in a story by Gabriel García Marquez, where an old woman retells her youthful memories to her granddaughter as they listen to a quasi-Hispanic tune on an old ‘78’. On another level, it also pays a personal tribute to a life tragically cut short. The score also explores new techniques in instrumental timbres and new approaches to notation, where individual musicians ‘lead’ varying groups of instruments, while the conductor maintains an overview of proceedings. © Paul Max Edlin 2005

Three Old Gramophones (2005) - Complete Work

...and the Body of Transformations (2018)
For Magnetic Resonator Piano
Piano: Rolf Hind
Live recording of first performance
Recorded by Alessia Milo

The temple complex of Preah Khan is part of the vast area more commonly referred to as ‘Angkor’ in Cambodia.  It was built by Jayavarman VII.  An obsession with Angkor began thirty years ago and I had written a series of large-scale works based on its architectural designs, as well as encrypting the pieces with lots of relative information. However, it was not until 2017 that I actually visited Cambodia and saw the ancient city ‘in person’.

I felt a need to return ‘musically’ to Angkor and to respond to what I had seen. Of all the extraordinary sights, Preah Khan left a new and immensely strong impression. Books generally refer to the unique two-storey pavilion with its almost Romanesque columns, no doubt because they initially appear more ‘European’. However, there is nothing remotely of the ‘West’, and its neighbouring ‘Hall of Dancers’ reveals some of the most exquisite bas reliefs in all of Angkor. Similarly, the mix of man made and natural architecture is exemplified by the way in which trees and buildings now entwine, as if purposefully juxtaposed by a surrealist artist. I know that I will never forget standing in what still seems like a surreal and other worldly part of the complex, surrounded by mysterious buildings encrusted in fine and ornate bas reliefs. That was a literal ‘dream’ in a day’s reality. 

The piano is an instrument we believe we know fully.  Yet there are aspects and sonorities of the piano yet to be discovered. There is another hidden instrument. Andrew McPherson’s Magnetic Resonator Piano adds a complex set of magnets to the strings of the conventional grand piano, which, through clever manipulation, creates totally natural new sonorities. Instead of having the strings ‘struck’ by hammers, these strings aurally ‘glow’ in response to magnets that pull at them and cause them to vibrate. And through further clever manipulation, they can be made to vibrate in certain ways to achieve a series of new and unexpected sonorities. Some of these sonorities sound ‘electronic’, but they are absolutely not.  All are entirely natural – and therefore they achieve an ever-changing quality of tone and colour. Exact repetition is impossible.

The Magnetic Resonator Piano (MRP) exemplifies a mix of familiar and unknown, it captures a seeming ‘other’ world, a surreal quality that I adore, and it beguiles through its completely natural beauty of tone. It seemed right to try to evoke a new response to Angkor through this deeply special instrument.

The curious thing I found was that while my music had moved on, I returned to the same schemes of creating ciphers and designing musical structures I had adopted many years ago. I realised that these compositional tools were ‘within’ my natural way of thinking. The fact that I had now seen Angkor in reality, as opposed to through illustrated books, ultimately made little actual difference to the creative spur the inspiration ignited. Yet there is a difference, which I can acknowledge. To attempt to recreate a ground plan, a physical structure that can be viewed from an infinite number of angles, plus the heady atmosphere of a moment in time is impossible. All we can ever do is evoke a perceived mystery and report aspects of an inspiration.

The opening lines on Preah Khan's stele translate as "The Lord (bhagaván) is divided, for his body is the Body of the Law, the Body of Enjoyment, and the Body of Transformations". From here comes the title of this work, which is ultimately all about transformations.

Grateful thanks to Andrew McPherson and James Doherty for their help in the preparation of this work for MRP, and to Rolf Hind whose exemplary pianism brought it to life.

The photographic image of Preah Khan was taken by the composer.

For a film version, please visit: https://youtu.be/qD3M0idiRDY

© Paul Max Edlin 2018

...and the Body of Transformations (2018) - Rolf Hind (magnetic resonator piano) - premiere

2013 (rev 2018) for solo piano

Four short pieces that are steeped in lyricism. Each has an inspiration, but all are loose in this regard and bear no symbolism. The first song is inspired by Poulenc, the second and fourth by a mix of folk song and Ligeti and the third by Marcello.

This version uses sampled sounds and is created for reference and study purposes.

Music © Paul Max Edlin 2018

Songs Without Words (2013/rev 2018)

...different perspectives (2019)
for solo piano

I - languorous, maybe even with a touch of melancholy
II - brilliant, but also lyrical, with much rubato
III - mechanical and brittle
IV - song like
V - fleeting
VI - mechanical
VII - strident
VIII - song like
IX - phantasmagorical
X - like three disconnected song lines
XI - languorous, but with optimism
XII - almost a mirror image
XIII - with assertive questioning
XIV - fanfares
XV - a tender song
XVI - mysterious and fleeting
XVII - weaving
XVIII - with a sense of formality
XIX - with austere lyricism
XX - sombre, yet beautiful
XXI - quasi mechanical, but also with a curious sense of legato/detaché as well as innate energy
XXII - with bravura!
XXIII - strident, and also beautiful
XXIV - with a mix of tempered ferocity and extreme tenderness
XXV - tenderly and with a sense of innocence
XXVI - with a curious mix of romanticism and austerity
XXVII - with grandeur and energy

This set of 27 miniatures was composed in short bursts during a busy summer of 2019.  The original idea of creating a set of four or five miniatures quickly grew.  After completing ten such short pieces, I pondered the idea of returning to each piece and recreating it anew, from a 'different perspective'.  The result was a set of complex variations which create a single large-scale work.  What started as a patchwork became a highly integrated piece.  © Paul Max Edlin 2019

...Different Perspectives (2019) - for solo piano

...and the Body of Transformations (2018)
Magnetic Resonator Piano: Rolf Hind

Recorded by Ken Peers, July 2019

The temple complex of Preah Khan is part of the vast area more commonly referred to as ‘Angkor’ in Cambodia. It was built by Jayavarman VII. An obsession with Angkor began thirty years ago and I had written a series of large-scale works based on its architectural designs, as well as encrypting the pieces with lots of relative information. However, it was not until 2017 that I actually visited Cambodia and saw the ancient city ‘in person’.

I felt a need to return ‘musically’ to Angkor and to respond to what I had seen. Of all the extraordinary sights, Preah Khan left a new and immensely strong impression. Books generally refer to the unique two-storey pavilion with its almost Romanesque columns, no doubt because they initially appear more ‘European’. However, there is nothing remotely of the ‘West’, and its neighbouring ‘Hall of Dancers’ reveals some of the most exquisite bas reliefs in all of Angkor. Similarly, the mix of man made and natural architecture is exemplified by the way in which trees and buildings now entwine, as if purposefully juxtaposed by a surrealist artist. I know that I will never forget standing in what still seems like a surreal and other worldly part of the complex, surrounded by mysterious buildings encrusted in fine and ornate bas reliefs. That was a literal ‘dream’ in a day’s reality.

The piano is an instrument we believe we know fully. Yet there are aspects and sonorities of the piano yet to be discovered. There is another hidden instrument. Andrew McPherson’s Magnetic Resonator Piano adds a complex set of magnets to the strings of the conventional grand piano, which, through clever manipulation, creates totally natural new sonorities. Instead of having the strings ‘struck’ by hammers, these strings aurally ‘glow’ in response to magnets that pull at them and cause them to vibrate. And through further clever manipulation, they can be made to vibrate in certain ways to achieve a series of new and unexpected sonorities. Some of these sonorities sound ‘electronic’, but they are absolutely not. All are entirely natural – and therefore they achieve an ever-changing quality of tone and colour. Exact repetition is impossible.

The Magnetic Resonator Piano (MRP) exemplifies a mix of familiar and unknown, it captures a seeming ‘other’ world, a surreal quality that I adore, and it beguiles through its completely natural beauty of tone. It seemed right to try to evoke a new response to Angkor through this deeply special instrument.

The curious thing I found was that while my music had moved on, I returned to the same schemes of creating ciphers and designing musical structures I had adopted many years ago. I realised that these compositional tools were ‘within’ my natural way of thinking. The fact that I had now seen Angkor in reality, as opposed to through illustrated books, ultimately made little actual difference to the creative spur the inspiration ignited. Yet there is a difference, which I can acknowledge. To attempt to recreate a ground plan, a physical structure that can be viewed from an infinite number of angles, plus the heady atmosphere of a moment in time is impossible. All we can ever do is evoke a perceived mystery and report aspects of an inspiration.

The opening lines on Preah Khan's stele translate as "The Lord (bhagaván) is divided, for his body is the Body of the Law, the Body of Enjoyment, and the Body of Transformations". From here comes the title of this work, which is ultimately all about transformations.

Grateful thanks to Andrew McPherson and James Doherty for their help in the preparation of this work for MRP, and to Rolf Hind whose exemplary pianism brought it to life.

The photographic image of Preah Khan was taken by the composer.

For a film version of the 1st performance, please visit: youtu.be/qD3M0idiRDY

© Paul Max Edlin 2018

...and the body of transformations (2018) - Rolf Hind (magnetic resonator piano)

Five Exotic Photographs (2019) for solo piano

1. Apsara
2. Columns
3. Kite
4. A Stone Smile
5. The Lake of Trees

These short pieces (musical glimpses) tell what photographs cannot. They are musical reminders of things I have seen and emotions I felt at the time of taking photographs of specific places and things. For instance, it is impossible to describe the grace one sees in an image of an apsara on the temples of Angkor. Similarly, it is impossible to fully explain the smiles of the many faces on the Bayon temple in early morning, or the mystery of the few trees that seem to float on the lake surrounding Neak Paen. 

Music © Paul Max Edlin 2019

Five Exotic Photographs (2019) - for solo piano

The Secret Gaze (composed: 1993, revised: 2020)
for solo piano

Programme Note:
Originally composed in 1993, this short dramatic work for solo piano explores a surreal setting where some form of fear permeates the mind, possibly/probably needlessly.  But the mind runs havoc when one feels as if one is being secretly watched!  That said, no particular scenario is intended.

Three notes (G, B and A flat) dominate the entire composition, and they create a manic sense of oppression, yet they also musically unify the disparate aspects of the work.

© Paul Max Edlin 2020

The Secret Gaze (1993, rev 2020) - for solo piano

...and of transformations (2018)
for large chamber ensemble
(Alto Flute [doubling Piccolo and Bass Flute], Oboe, Clarinet [doubling Bass Clarinet], Bassoon, 2 Horns, Trombone, Percussion, Harp, Guitar, Celeste, 2 Violins, Viola, 'Cello, Double Bass)

Programme Note:
The temple complex of Preah Khan is part of the vast area known as ‘Angkor’ in Cambodia. Much information can be found about the temple complex of Preah Khan, built by the exceptional God King Jayavarman VII. The history of the ancient Khmer civilisation, and the surreal, mysterious and magnificent temples of Angkor itself, have long caught my imagination. In this regard, I had written a series of large-scale works based on the architectural designs as well as encrypting the pieces with a set of relative information. Angkor, in effect, had become an obsessional source of extra-musical inspiration. However, it was not until 2017 that I actually visited Cambodia and saw ‘in person’ these wondrous temples. It was as if I was visiting a number of pen friends. I knew every temple so well, even if I had never seen them before ‘in the flesh’.

I felt a need to return ‘musically’ to Angkor and to respond to what I had seen. Of all the extraordinary sights, Preah Khan left a new and immensely strong impression. This was a place I knew about, but its specialness had never been made quite so clear. Books generally refer to the unique two-storey pavilion with its almost Romanesque columns, no doubt because they initially appear more ‘European’. However, there is nothing remotely of the ‘West’, and its neighbouring ‘Hall of Dancers’ bears some of the most exquisite bas reliefs in all of Angkor. Similarly, the mix of man made and now ‘natural’ architecture is exemplified by the way in which trees and buildings entwine, as if purposefully juxtaposed by a surrealist artist. I know that I will never forget standing in what still seems like a surreal and other worldly part of the complex, surrounded by mysterious buildings encrusted in fine and ornate bas reliefs. That was a literal ‘dream’ in a day’s reality. The mix of man and nature is surreal, for sure.

The curious thing I found was that while my music had moved on, I returned to the same schemes of creating ciphers and designing musical structures I had adopted twenty to thirty years ago. I realised that these compositional tools were ‘within’ my natural way of thinking. The fact that I had now seen Angkor in reality, as opposed to through illustrated books, ultimately made little actual difference to the creative spur the inspiration ignited. Yet there is a difference, which I can acknowledge. To attempt to recreate a ground plan, a physical structure that can be viewed from an infinite number of angles, through the necessary medium of a single musical pathway, plus the heady atmosphere of a moment in time is impossible. All we can ever do is evoke a perceived mystery or atmosphere and ‘report’ aspects of an inspiration.

Preah Khan has a famous stele with inscriptions that tell of the gods it invokes, the context of the temple and its relationship with the God King. The opening lines translate as "The Lord (bhagaván) is divided, for his body is the Body of the Law, the Body of Enjoyment, and the Body of Transformations". From here evolves the title of this work, which is ultimately all about transformations.

This sound version is for reference and was created using Spitfire Audio BBC Symphony Orchestra Professional.

© Paul Max Edlin 2018

The photograph of Preah Khan was taken by the composer in 2017

...and of transformations (2018)

A Pilgrim of Angkor 
(1997, rev 2020) for large orchestra

4 (picc./fl./alto fl./bass fl).3 (ob./ob d'am./cor-ang).3 (picc Eb./Cl in A/Bass cl).3 (bsn./2 contra bsn).sop.sax – 4. 3. bass tpt. euph. 2.- 1  hp, pno, 9 perc. – 16.14.12.10.8

Composer’s Note:
The great temple complex of Angkor was reputedly discovered by the French explorer Henri Mouhot in 1860.  The temples hadn’t been fully abandoned, but they were in serious neglect.  Angkor Wat was still home to a group of monks while other temples had been taken over by the encroaching forest.  Why the Khmers gradually left Angkor, once the greatest capital on earth, remains a matter of conjecture.  What is certain is the extraordinary impact it makes today, created by a mix of dimension, intricate detail, symbolic plans, and an environment that mixes man and nature.  

No piece of music can recreate a complex work of architecture, because one is three dimensional and another isn’t!  But the simplicity of fundamental design, combined with the most detailed and abundant imagery is how music is created.  As a result, this work uses ways to evoke, represent, symbolise and guide the listener into an other-worldly place where ritual and exoticism combine.  

The title is a direct translation of the name of Pierre Loti’s famous book about the city, Un Pèlerin d’Angkor (originally published in 1912).  But it is right, because I have been a pilgrim of Angkor for oh so many years, finally visiting the city in 2017, twenty years after this work was created.  © Paul Max Edlin 2020

This electronically created version is for study use only.

Music © Paul Max Edlin 1997

A Pilgrim Of Angkor (1997 rev 2020) - for large orchestra

Five Illusions - for Orchestra (2014)
1. Maze
2. Lake
3. Towers
4. Nocturne
5. Puzzle

This study version uses Note Performer.

Programme Note:
The birth of this score has taken about thirty years. The first four pieces in this set are a reworking of a set of pieces for piano duo that I completed in the early 1980s. However, I always wanted to create orchestral versions of these pieces, feeling their range of colours ideally suited to such large forces. The reworking became a new compositional journey too as the music went through much serious and substantial change, and a final movement was created, making an arch shape design which felt right. I knew that this work should begin high and relentlessly tumble to the depths, yet remain optimistic and firmly driven. The creation of this piece happened so easily and became a total pleasure. The titles of the five movements are suggestions only, aimed at focusing thoughts, just as Debussy’s titles for his piano preludes do. However, the overall title ‘Illusions’ was easy to reach. These are illusions in every sense – surreal and dreamlike images that I enjoy inhabiting. The work is dedicated to my wife, Giuliana, who inspired me to create these orchestral pieces. It then became the inspiration to a larger scale work, a one act opera based loosely on the story 'La Belle et la Bête'. 
© Paul Max Edlin 2014

Five Illusions - for full orchestra (2014)

Gone in 60 Seconds
For solo trumpet
Commissioned by Oxford Festival of the Arts

Brendan Ball - trumpet

Gone In 60 Seconds - Brendan Ball

VORTEX - Concert Piece for Trumpet, Percussion & 10 solo strings (2020)
by Paul Max Edlin

For: Trumpet in Bb, Percussion (Crotales, Marimba [4 octave], Vibraphone, 4 Rototoms, Tenor Drum, Bass Drum, 4 Gongs [varying sizes], Tam-tam), 4 Violins, 3 Violas, 2 ‘Cellos, 1 Bass

Programme Note:
This short concertante style work derives from a short piece for solo trumpet, Gone in 60 Seconds, commissioned by Oxford Festival of the Arts for trumpeter Brendan Ball. I was so inspired by Brendan’s virtuoso performance that I decided to create a larger piece using the same musical material. The principal motif is a three-note pattern that literally spirals in varying directions, hence the concept for (and title of) this work.

Pitted against the solo trumpet is a percussion part that literally duels and spars, with the two players 'jousting' with each other. The strings act as both a backdrop, a resonating chamber and as a partner, though always responding directly to the musical material presented by the main protagonist – the trumpet. The perpetual energy that results, either in dramatic or more tranquil sections, crosses between ever twisting whirlwinds and spirals, thus the title Vortex, suggested by my son Peter, seems most apt.

This work was composed during the Christmas period of 2020.

© Paul Max Edlin 2020

Vortex - for solo Trumpet, Percussion & 10 strings (2020)

Paul Max Edlin, 2016/2017 Composer in Residence for the London Chamber Orchestra, has a career that combines composing with higher education, artistic direction and performing.  

His works have been performed by many leading artists including Arditti Quartet, Britten Sinfonia, David Campbell, Cantus Ansambl, Dame Sarah Connolly, Dame Evelyn Glennie, Rolf Hind, Johannes Möller, London Chamber Orchestra, London Sinfonietta, Olga Pasiecznik, Psappha, Silesian Quartet, Southbank Sinfonia and Gabriella Swallow.

He studied with Edwin Roxburgh, Richard Blackford and Joseph Horowitz (Royal College of Music) and Michael Finnissy (University of Sussex). He has won many prizes including Premio Internazionale Ancona, Harriet Cohen Memorial Award and United Music Publishers Prize. His music explores symbolism and often derives its inspiration from extra musical material. From the mid 80’s to mid 90’s many works were inspired by the art and architecture of South-East Asia, especially Indochina. From 2000 onward symbolism of a wider range of sources guided his music, from the chiastic structures of J.S. Bach to the writings of Gabriel García Márquez and Federico García Lorca and visual work of Frida Kahlo.

He is Director of Music at Queen Mary University of London, Artistic Director of Deal Music & Arts (formerly Deal Festival), Chair of the Board of of Trustees of Ora Singers, and he supports a range of charities and arts organisations through activities on their various boards and committees.  From 2012 to 2013 he was President of the Incorporated Society of Musicians (ISM), the UK's leading association for professional musicians.

Paul Max Edlin

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