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

The Celestial Palace

1989 (appx 25’)
2 mezzo-sopranos and ensemble
alto.fl.0.3.0 – 1.0.3.0 – 2pnos, 2 perc, – 5 vc 

This work relates the legend of the Phimeanakas, The Celestial Palace, that lies within the grounds of The Royal Palace in the ancient city of Angkor Thom. Each and every night the King had to have union with the serpent goddess in order for good to come to the Khmer kingdom. Failure to have this union would bring calamity to the empire.  The work is structured on the physical shape of the Phimeanakas, it uses original Sanskrit texts found on the steles of the ancient Khmer kingdom and the narratives contained within are symbolised in a host of ways.  This work became the central (and most intimate) act of a five act opera 'Bayon', that celebrates the life of Jayavarman VII, the most famous and extraordinary of the ancient Khmer rulers.  © Paul Max Edlin 2016

The performers on this recording are RCM Twentieth Century Ensemble conducted by Edwin Roxburgh

The illustration to accompany this track is by Louis Delaporte (1890), and is an informed reimagining of the main entrance to The Royal Palace from the Elephant Terrace.

A film version of this complete work is available on You Tube via this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FmTMxiMZbQ&t=273s

The Celestial Palace (1989) - complete work - Edwin Roxburgh/RCM C20th Ensemble

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

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)

2009 
Ô saisons, ô châteaux
I - Ô saisons, ô châteaux (O seasons, o chateaux…)
II - Conneries (Stupidities)
III - Veillées (Vigils)
for Soprano, String Quartet and Electronic keyboards
To Poems by Arthur Rimbaud

The poetry of Arthur Rimbaud has long intrigued me, and this is not the first time I’ve set his poems. The innate symbolism that permeates every sentence is manna from heaven to me – as my own music is steeped in symbolism. Ô saisons, ô châteaux sets Rimbaud’s famous poem of the same name as well as a nonsense poem and another from his equally well-known Illuminations. 
As an aside, the sound of the glass harmonica has always fascinated me ever since I heard a recording of Mozart’s famous Adagio and Rondo. There is an inevitable beguiling enchantment this extraordinary instrument creates. However, this instrument is seriously limited in what it can do and it takes something extra to make it ‘virtuoso’. Fortunately, the use of modern day sound sampling means that one can create a ‘virtual’ virtuoso glass harmonica. The pianist plays a keyboard which now sounds like a vast instrument that Mozart would surely have adored!
The first song alludes to feelings of nostalgia and life changes, yet inhabits a labyrinthine maze where one is constantly trying to discover the truth. The music is derived from Rameau’s opera Castor and Pollux (all about the Gemini twins). It is the funeral music, where one twin knows he has to live without the other – and inevitably gains strength from it. Hence the baroque nature of the music. The text of the second setting of nonsense verse reveals an essential element: the inevitable ridiculousness that people apply to ‘names’. This song is my homage to those inspiring masters. The final song is all about the importance and relevance of friendship above all things, and is thus set simply and directly. 
© Paul Max Edlin 2009

This is a live recording of the world premiere given in April 2009 by the soprano Olga Pasichnyk with the Silesian Quartet and Maciej Grzybowski. Grateful thanks to Olga Pasichnyk for granting permission to make this recording available on Soundcloud.

Ô saisons, ô châteaux (2009) - Complete Work - Olga Pasichnyk (soprano)

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

1986 
Libretto: Jonathan Kreeger, based on Oscar Wilde’s story 'The Fisherman and his Soul'.

Duration of complete opera: 90 mins. 

Excerpts:
1. Act 1, Scene 2 - Mermaid and Fisherman
2. Act 1, Scene 3 - Priest and Fisherman
3. Act 1, Scene 5 - Witch and Fisherman
4. Act 2, Scene 1 - Soul and Fisherman
5. Act 2, Scene 2 - High Priest and Soul
6. Act 2, Scene 3 - Emperor and Soul
7. Act 2, Scene 4 - Merchant, Fisherman and Soul
8. Act 2, Final scene - Fisherman and Soul (conclusion)

Principal roles: tenor, baritone, lyric soprano, mezzo-soprano, bass, counter-tenor, alto
Other roles: tenor, baritone, silent role, Chorus
1.1.1.1 – 4.1.1.0 – hp, celeste, 5 perc. – 3,3,2,3,1

Fisherman - Simon Haynes (tenor)
Mermaid - Donna Bennett (soprano)
Priest - Ashley Thorburn (bass)
Witch - Amanda Floyd (mezzo-soprano)
Soul - Mark Oldfield (baritone)
High Priest - Denis Lakey (counter tenor)
Emperor - Der-Shin Hwang (mezzo-soprano)
Merchant (Act 2) - Edward D'arcy Hatton (bass baritone)

Director: Jamie Hayes
Conductor: James Lockhart
Orchestra and Chorus of the Royal College of Music Opera School (leader Daniel Meyer)

This opera in two acts is a retelling of Oscar Wilde’s beautiful but sad tale of a fisherman’s love for a mermaid and how he seeks to be with her. In order to join this ‘other world’, so unfamiliar to him, he must part with his soul. Thus begins a tale that takes us through exotic realms but ultimately leads to tragedy..

These excerpts are taken from a live recording of the 1989 premiere production given by the RCM Opera School, conducted by James Lockhart. The director was Jamie Hayes. It was one of the first operas performed in what was then the new Britten Theatre. The performance was part of the London International Opera Festival.

The recording of the full opera is available on request.

The Fisherman (1986) - opera excerpts

1996
for clarinet in A and string quartet

A work in which the inspiration and material is drawn from the Greek myth of Perseus and the Gorgon Medusa.  It treats the clarinet as soloist and protagonist in what is essentially a chamber sized tone poem.  Warped reflections of musical material are contained within a piece that encompasses symbolic representations, including ciphers.  These are based on key elements of the ancient myth that tells of Perseus' encounters with Athene, Hermes, the Graeae and, most particularly, the Medusa. 

This recording is of a live performance given by David Campbell and the Bingham String Quartet in 1997.  Grateful thanks to David Campbell and the Bingham String Quartet for giving permission to make this recording publicly available.

Glass Medusa - Clarinet Quintet (1996) - David Campbell & Bingham String Quartet

1993 
for flute, clarinet, viola, ‘cello, piano and percussion
Commissioned by Psappha with funds from London Arts Board.

Short programme note: Five Fantastic Islands takes the listener on a journey around a series of imaginary islands. It is unashamedly infused with images of Balinese and Cambodian temples combined with pure imagination – mysterious places in an unreal archipelago.

This recording, made by BBC Radio 3, is performed by Psappha and is conducted by Christopher Gayford.  It precedes the commercial recording also made by Psappha, with conductor Paul MacAlindin, which can be purchased from iTunes/Amazon via: www.amazon.co.uk/Five-Fantastic-I…antastic+islands

Psappha's commercial recording can also be listened to on Spotify via: https://open.spotify.com/track/4sPxVEb5RHoIJpXvvAx7Nx

Five Fantastic Islands (1993) - Psappha

...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)

2001/rev 2019 (appx. 17') for solo piano

I – with dramatic intensity
II – with exquisite grace
III – affirmative
IV – with grandeur
V- with pleasing grace
VI – with still serenity
VII – with effervescence
VIII – with rigour
IX – with sensitivity
X – with simple beauty

Programme note: 
The two ‘books’ of 'On Beauty' respond directly to Immanuel Kant’s ‘Analytic of the Beautiful’ and his ‘Analytic of the Sublime’. In order to clearly allude to these important works of philosophical debate, the third exquisite and highly poignant movement of Beethoven’s Piano Sonata in Major, Op 109, becomes more than a skeletal framework for the compositions. In Book 1, and within the spirit of the ‘theme and variations’ design as used by Beethoven, the music evolves from a stark presentation of ideas, gradually exploring these in a series of diverse and occasionally terse ways, yet always with a keen eye to aspects of symmetry and grace of pattern that ultimately reveal their beauty as opposed to their sublimity. Book 2 goes further and uses Beethoven’s melody as a starting point to an exploration of its line via use of harmonic and sub-harmonic series. Beethoven’s music makes this music, though it would be impossible to perceive without prior knowledge. The complex series of lines that make up the first of two movements in Book 2 are delineated by the use of colour. The second movement is utterly serene and hopes to finally respond to the sublime due to its understanding of what makes things ‘beautiful’ and that nature and natural process is what takes things to the ultimate point at which we may feel a sense of ‘sublimity’. 
© Paul Max Edlin 2002

This recording is for study purposes and is made using sample sounds.

On Beauty - Book 1 (2001/rev 2019)

...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

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.