This work presents musically two textural contrasts referring to the unstable medium that produces the mirages. On the one hand, there are smooth areas with melodic interventions that develop in the middle and acute register, where elongated notes occur in which occasionally there may be fluctuations represented by vibrato. On the other hand, there is the sound mass, in which the instruments form a kind of hype accelerating and decelerating melodically simultaneously encompassing the whole register of which each instrument has.

Mirages

Facing the Mountains 《觀山》李志純曲（委託創作，世界首演）
作曲Composer: 李志純 Chihchun Chi-sun Lee
指揮Conductor: 陳志昇 Chih-Sheng Chen
演出 Ensemble: 小巨人絲竹樂團 Little Giant Chinese Ensemble & friends
2024/04/07 《絲竹楓彩渲臺北》
地點Venue ：臺北市中山堂光復廳
Program Notes:
Facing the Mountains is based on the inspirations of three mountains: Yangmingshan in Taipei City, Mount Damavand in Iran, and Mount Garibaldi in Vancouver, Canada. Taking its historical and humanistic background as the starting point, it is cross-culturally intertwined and shuttles between the cultural backgrounds of the three mountains: volcanoes; their relics of prehistoric human history and were later the residences of aboriginal tribes; moreover, each one of the three mountains has a rich historical trajectory and unique characteristics.
Facing the Mountains is funded by the Taipei City Government, Department of Cultural Affairs Commission grants.
樂曲解説:
【觀山】Facing the Mountains 是以台北市的陽明山、伊朗的德馬溫峰(Mount Damavand)及加拿大溫哥華的加里波第山 (Mount Garibaldi)為創作的泉源。以其歷史人文背景為出發點，跨文化交織且穿梭於三座山之文化背景之間。三座山皆為火山; 三座山皆有史前人類歷史的遺跡及之後為原住民部落的居所; 三座山皆各自具有豐富的歷史軌跡及獨特的特色。
此首作品透過歷史，講述萬年前的火山岩時期、早期史前文化、近千年至400年來的歷史文化背景，及現代史之人文背景為主要訴求與樂曲概括。
此作品由臺北市政府文化局藝文補助。

Facing the Mountains

Train Journey Fragments is a set of miniatures on open, anonymous, barren, forbidding landscapes and impressions. The original version of this piece, written for solo classical guitar in 2009-10, was my first microtonal/sixth-tone piece. In the succeeding years to the present, sixth-tone microtonality has become an integral part of my musical language. I returned to this piece in 2014, arranging it for guitar and small ensemble. Coming back to this piece now a third time (re-editing) is like reconnecting with an old, almost forgotten friend. Certain fragments are musically independent, occupy their own world, while others relate to each other on different levels. Motives and harmonies when they recur are refracted, as if showing themselves through shifting lenses. 

Lewis Krauthamer - Train Journey Fragments (2010/14) for guitar and ensemble

Christ Rose 

Christrose blühend im Schnee 
Gartenmimose du auch 
Freude, wenn ich dich sehe
unter einem Blätterbauch 

Christrose breitet sich aus 
dankt den lockeren Boden 
so ein bunter Blumenstrauß 
so schöne Episoden 

Will gern in Ruhe stehen 
So wie Mimosen eben
will keine Werkzeug sehen 
stille ihre Fäden weben

Refrain: 
Dich liebt o Gott mein ganzes Herz 
D‘rum zieh mich zu dir himmelwärts 
O Nein, mein Gott dies ist kein Scherz 
Dich liebt o Gott mein ganzes Herz 


Christ Rose

Kommt unter einen Baum
 
Der Gutsbesitzer, er sagte zu denen, die noch warteten:
‚Kommt unter einen Baum, denn ich werde euch 
die süßen Früchte meines Gartens geben. 

Der Baum des Lebens, er ist durch die Sünde fruchtbar geworden, 
denn seine Früchte bringen Tag für Tag neue Herzen zu Fall
von viel Frauen und Männern. 

Sie liegen unter seinem Schatten ohne die Kraft, 
sich von seinem Einfluß frei zu machen, 
von zerstörten Tugenden, Würden, verstümmelten Leben. 

Nicht Urteilssprüche oder Strafen, sondern Liefe mit 
Vergebung und Barmherzigkeit werden das Licht 
meiner Lehre sein, das nur eure Pfade erhellt.  


Kommt unter einen Baum

Kommt_unter_einen_Baum

Linden Concerto (2024) for flute, english horn, clarinet, horn, cornet, cello, and double-bass -- in three movements.

(starting times)
I.  0.00
﻿II. 3:40 (attacca)
III. 8:42

Linden Concerto (demo)

Between Mountains and Seas recounts a nomadic journey around the world and the experiences encountered along the way. Written for Bansuri, Violin, Guzheng, and Calabash, this piece seeks to celebrate the distinct cultures experienced throughout this journey and brings out the inner wanderlust of the listener.

Composer: John Tan Jon Young (Etudes of Elijah) 2024

Between Mountains and Seas (2024)

This piece follows the journey of a drunkard stumbling through the rainy alleyways before he enters a tavern (clearly not his first). 

He begins drink in the lively atmosphere before him and the patrons start to dance, shouting and breaking things in their drunkenness before blacking out completely.

Composer: John Tan Jon Young (Etudes of Elijah) 2025

Dance of the Drunkards (2025)

An Observatory Spinning in Space
was commissioned and premiered by the Grand Valley State University New Music Ensemble in 2025! 
This is a studio recording.
Grace Morrison, flute
Conrad Cassar, clarinet
Jeremy Cleary, bari and alto sax
Jake Doctor, cello
Liam Martin, marimba
Noah Seim, piano

the solos were written by the performers

An Observatory Spinning in Space (for chamber ensemble)

Nightly Dreams is taken from a piece of music Martyn has written for a cinematic instrumental album that he is currently working on, which has a heroic theme running throughout. Think of this piece of music as a dream of a hero.

It’s a piece for four parts plus piano and percussion, including wine glasses, which uses gentle lilting melodies and triumphant themes to create a very driven piece.

Nightly Dreams - Open Score

Olivia Kieffer is a composer, percussionist, toy pianist, and educator from the United States. Her music has been described as “immediately attractive”, “like a knife of light”, and “honest, to the point, and joyful!”

An aspiring composer with over 10 years of musical experience. Specializing in scoring for visuals, songwriting, and orchestral composition, with aspirations to emphasize honoring one's sense of self through his music.

In recent years Paul Brantley’s compositions have been performed or commissioned by The Knights (at Tanglewood, BRIC, Dumbarton Oaks and Naumburg Concerts), Minneapolis Guitar Quartet, Horszowski Trio, Flux Quartet, New Esterházy Quartet, Memphis Symphony Orchestra, U.C. Berkeley Chamber Chorus (on tour), Monadnock Music Festival, Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival, St. Bartholomew's Summer Festival of Sacred Music, The Young People’s Chorus of NYC, Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas (NYC’s Town Hall), Left Bank Ensemble (Kennedy Center), Ethel (Kimmel Center), Excelsior Trombone Ensemble (NPR’s Performance Today), The Goliard Ensemble on tour, The Manhattan School of Music Symphony, Belladonna (Schubert Club, St. Paul, MN), L’Opera du Village (Pourrieres, France), SONYC (the Kitchen), and as featured composer on these various series: Bargemusic, Ecstatic Music (Merkin Hall), The Harry Jacobs Chamber Music Society, HVG, North River, MOSA and Concerts in the Heights. 

His cello concertino, The Royal Revolver, was premiered in December 2017 by cellist Eric Jacobsen (The Knights, Silk Road Project) and members of The University of Michigan Symphony conducted by Kenneth Kiesler. The Washington Heights Chamber Orchestra will give 25th anniversary performances of On the Pulse of Morning this May, with Abigail Fischer, soprano, Spring 2021. It was recently announced that Brantley is one of three winners of the Aliénor Composition Competition sponsored by the Historical Keyboard Association of North America to compose a new full-length piece for solo harpsichord. Boyd Meets Girl recently gave the premiere of Filles de l’Elysee which will featured on their forthcoming CD.

Paul is a six-time MacDowell Colony Fellow who has also received fellowships from Banff Centre and Anderson Center. Brantley has been composer-in-residence for Monadnock Music Festival, Gabriel Fauré Conservatoire (Angoulême, France), Goliard Ensemble, Yara Arts Group, The Seal Bay Festival, Children’s Choral Celebration, Sewanee Music Festival, Washington and Lee University, and the Sophia Institute at Union Theological Seminary in NYC. He has given composition seminars at Yale School of Music, Hunter College (Anthropology Dept.), and The University of Michigan School of Music.

Multifaceted musician, Brantley has performed or recorded as solo cellist with Trey Anastasio (Phish), Cantata Profana, CITH, Cassatt Quartet, Jeff Coffin Mutet, Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, Dave Gregory (XTC), Heartbeat Opera, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, Lenny White, and SONYC. Brantley has arranged and conducted for David Binney, Ethel, Todd Rundgren, and Christian Scott.

Paul studied at Manhattan School of Music (B.M), Curtis Institute (diploma), Eastman School of Music (M.M.) as well as Fontainebleau, Tanglewood, and The Yellow Barn where he was later artist faculty. His principal teachers include Samuel Adler, Leonard Bernstein, Eugene Eicher, Alan Harris, David Loeb, Ned Rorem, and David Wells.

He co-founded the Seal Bay Festival of American Music and was artist faculty at Yellow Barn Music Festival for many years. In addition to positions at Syracuse University and Washington and Lee University, Brantley was a Manhattan School of Music faculty member from 2000 to 2014.

Paul Brantley currently resides in New York City where he free-lances as a composer, cellist, and conductor. His music is published by Bill Holab Music and Oxford University Press. He has recorded solo cello for Sony/Columbia, Rounder, Warner Bros., Polydor, Compass, and others.

A music composer for a variety of music, but specialising more in classical, orchestra, ensembles and piano music. Enjoy exploring new challenges and musical styles. 


New tracks tagged #mixed ensemble