A radio composition. 1992. Commissioned by CBC Radio Music, as part of a series of broadcasts commemorating the 60th anniversary of Glenn Gould's birth and the 10th anniversary of his death, in the fall of 1992. Steve Wadhams, producer; Laurence Stevenson and Rod Crocker, sound design. 37 minutes.

The Idea of Canada is a new form of audio composition. Speech and music combine as equal partners, each enhancing the effect of the other. The words are the voices of Canadians, speaking from the heart about what Canada means to them. Some don't believe in Canada at all. Some believe passionately in this country. Some see it as a good idea that has somehow gone wrong. The music complements and comments on these thoughts and is often actually derived from them using the pitch, rhythm and timbre of the spoken word. All this is supplemented by an aural backdrop drawn from the sounds of the Canadian landscape. The Idea of Canada is a counterpoint of music and ideas inspired by the experimental radio documentaries produced in the 1960's and 70's by the Canadian pianist Glenn Gould. It was produced in 1992 using the latest computer technology - wizardry that Gould could only have dreamed of! For example, one particularly effective innovation is a technique which allows the spoken word to turn itself into music by triggering its own distinctive 'sound shadow', giving the speech a haunting and compelling quality. Sometimes the 'shadow' is a single sound (a cello, a saxophone, or a synthesized sound), sometimes a combination of sounds. One voice, asking the question "do you believe in Canada?" was given a shadow made up of drums, bass and electric guitar. Gould's vocal counterpoint, featured so strongly in his radio documentaries is greatly developed and extended in The Idea of Canada, thanks to computer sequencing and MIDI technology. By assigning phrases and words to notes on a keyboard, Christos Hatzis was able to compose elaborate polyphony; a clash of voices and viewpoints which is musically complex, but remarkably easy to follow and understand. The thoughts constantly re-appear in new forms and new contexts, giving them surprising twists and subtle shadings. The Idea of Canada was conceived by CB producer Steve Wadhams as an attempt to express Canadians' competing beliefs about what this country is. It does not argue one side or another in the national debate, it simply tries to reflect it in a powerful and poignant way. As voice and music flow around each other easily and dramatically, there are moments of chaos and quietness, anger and hope. There is humour too, with a comic cameo appearance by Glenn Gould himself, springing forth from the archives to comment on a national unity hotline!

(Liner notes from the CBC cassette release of The Idea of Canada)

01 - My Canada

Music by Norbert Palej
Text by Stanislaw Lem
Jay Smack, narration
Mariusz Monczak, violins
Robert Adamczak, piano & synthesizer

Return From The Stars

for info please visit https://christoshatzis.com/music/85
Recording date: December 17, 2006. Artists: Maryem Tollar, Arabic vocalist; Jayne Brown & Sophia Grigoriadis – backup vocals; Ernie Tollar - sax & flutes; Hugh Marsh - violin; Kathleen Kajioka - oud; Nicolas Hernandez - guitar; Rich Brown - bass; Mark Duggan & Rick Shadrach Lazar - percussion. Isabel Bader Theatre, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.

3. This Is My Body (excerpt) from "Mystical Visitations"

This is "The Midnight Cry", the first movement of Donald Grantham's "Southern Harmony" (1998), performed by the brilliant UT Austin Wind Ensemble guest conducted by Mike Lebrias.

COMPOSER: Donald Grantham
CONDUCTOR: Mike Lebrias
BAND: University of Texas at Austin Wind Ensemble

NOTE: This is a live performance! (recorded in Bates Recital Hall on 2/26/2023)

Please be aware that this music belongs to its respective owners, and I do not claim any right over it. I upload this solely for archiving purposes, and for the sharing and enjoyment of great music. If you are the rightful owner of this copyrighted material and would like the video removed from SoundCloud, leave a comment below with your statement and I will take the upload down effective immediately.

Donald Grantham — Southern Harmony: I. The Midnight Cry (University of Texas Wind Ensemble)

MIDI performance. For info please visit: https://www.christoshatzis.com/music/92

String Quartet No. 4 (The Suffering). 2. Ecce Homo

Destination

'Eternal Threads of Hope' 
For Santour, Piano, Vocal & Electronics.

Poets:
Forough Farrokhzad & Parvin Etesami 

Composer: Sahar  Helmi 
Santour: Elnaz  Mohammadzadeh 
Piano & Vocal: Sahar Helmi 

Poster design: 
Elnaz Mohammadzadeh

commissioned by Iranian Female Composers Association - IFCA


Eternal Threads of Hope

این ترانه‌ام را پیش‌تر محسن نامجو خوانده بود. حالا آهنگ و آوازی دیگر بر آن سوار کرده‌ام

اما نرود یادت
آن روز که خندانی
آن روز که از شادی، باران بهارانی

آن روز که آزادی
آن روز که: – باور کن
آن روز که شوریده، رقصنده‌ی میدانی

آن روز که خون ارزان بر خاک نمی‌ریزد
آن روز که «جان، جان، جان…» با قهقهه می‌خوانی

آن روز که: – ما بردیم
بزم‌ است به برزن‌ها
می‌چرخی و پاکوبان
غرق بوسه‌بارانی

آن روز که نزدیک‌ است
آن روز که یادش خوش
آغوش
پس از آغوش، ریسه‌‌های طولانی

*

آن روز ولی از ما یادی به میان آور
رفتیم غریبانه
بی‌صدا و پنهانی

از یاد نبر خون را، خونی که شتک می‌زد
خونی که از آن آمد، فردات چراغانی

یک جرعه بنوش آن روز
با خنده بنوش آن‌ روز
یاد مردگانی که
زنده‌اند و می‌دانی

یاد آر

Antonio Vivaldi RV 108 sonata in aminor

Three music box players and electronics (2-channels) (2017)
commissioned by 21C Music Festival - The Royal Conservatory of Music, Toronto, Canada
Premiered at 21C Music Festival, Termerty Theater (May 27, 2017)

This work is written as part of a series, “In Praise of Shadows” inspired by Junichiro Tanizaki’s essay, “In Praise of Shadows” (1933). The first part of the sequence is for three paper players and electronics.  Interested in the place of collective loss of the tangible in our modern life, it uses the analogue of the excessive illumination in Edison’s modern lighting and its affect on Japanese aesthetics and culture. Following this work, “Orison” is composed for three music box players and electronics. The work is motivated by the voices of children during wartime, both from past and present, speaking and singing about hope and peace, as well as the sorrows arising from their personal experiences. These melodies, presented as empty spaces on the music score, reveal as they are fed through the music boxes.

Eternal Threads of Hope

Sahar Helmi

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