PROMETHEAN EDITIONS String Music Catalogue: Inspired by Virtuosos
String music with an exciting fusion of musical styles One of the defining qualities of the music published by
Virtuoso Violin Encores
Promethean Editions is the exciting fusion of different
Coming To (2010) by Hatzis for violin and piano was
musical styles that can be heard in the works of its
commissioned by three-time Grammy Award-winning
published composers. Looking outward from the Western
violinist Hilary Hahn, and appears on Hahn's landmark
classical tradition, these composers broaden their stylistic
recording project In 27 Pieces: The Hilary Hahn Encores,
horizons by partnering the traditional with the modern – or
released by Deutsche Grammophon (0289 479 1725).
ancient – to create challenging, exciting contemporary
Accordingly, this short work incorporates the expressivity,
classical works. Composer Christos Hatzis draws
dynamism and dexterity typical of Hatzis’s writing for
inspiration from the throat singing of Canada’s Inuit
string instruments, and provides violinists with an
culture, the microtonal subtleties of ancient Middle Eastern
opportunity to demonstrate that their musicianship is of
music, and elements of his own Greek musical heritage.
the highest calibre. An enjoyable journey from subdued
Like Hatzis, John Psathas is also known for incorporating
microtonal meanderings to
elements of Greek music, while other string works give a
dramatic lyricism, with
nod to gypsy-style performance and even Tibetan Buddhist
frequent intermingling of the
philosophy. Gareth Farr’s music has long been influenced
two states, Coming To has been
by the interlocking rhythmic character of Indonesia’s
hailed as a 'real crowd-pleaser…
gamelan music, while inspiration also comes from New
alternating between airy
Zealand’s Māori legends. Canada’s Vincent Ho finds
lyricism and furious gypsy-like
inspiration in other art forms in modern culture – such as
passion.’
paintings by Edward Hopper and Luc Leestemaker – his music becoming an expression of his reactions to these visual provocations.
Dystopia (2010) for solo violin was also written especially for Hahn. Hatzis looks beyond Western equal temperament, incorporating a microtonally
In reflecting this broad range of influences and styles,
altered modal scale to evoke a Middle-Eastern sound world.
works for string instruments in the Promethean Editions
This hyper-virtuosic work sees the violinist often having to
catalogue cover virtuosic works for solo and accompanied
employ both arco and pizzicato techniques simultaneously
violin, works which utilize the exquisite and expressive
in an imaginative decoupling of the left and right hands.
voice of the cello, and refreshing contemporary works for
Despite its technical demands, Dystopia lends itself well to
string quartet.
individual expression, making it an exciting addition to solo violin repertoire as a bold, dense and captivating encore or recital work.
www.promethean-editions.com String Music Catalogue – June 2015
John Psathas’ Gyftiko was commissioned by the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra for the 2011 Michael Hill International Violin Competition. Psathas's first work written for solo violin, this expressive and virtuosic work is Photo Credit: Simon Darby.
comprised of quick melismatic passages, intertwining voices, and frequent use of double-stops. As with the purposefully challenging works by Hatzis, Gyftiko is unrelenting in its demands on the violinist’s technical competency. Gyftiko translates to 'gypsy-like'; a moniker which relates to and informs both the modal and performative flavour of the work, in which some sections suggest an improvisatory quality.
Sergey Malov the 2011 Michael Hill International Violin Competition winner performs Gyftiko by John Psathas.
Contrasting with these fiery works is Vincent Ho’s quaint
sense of loneliness, evoking an imagined environmental
Morning Song (2009) for solo violin, which captures a
sound world to accompany the painting. The sweetness of
moment of inspiration triggered when the composer
the cello’s upper register is used to carve out tender, rising
witnessed the sun rising. The unpremeditated nature of
passages, generating subtle swells of melancholy, while the
this experience is illuminated by way of fluid, timeless
lower reaches of the instrument bring out the dark night of
gestures for the violin, and results in a beautifully crafted
the soul in low, searching moans. The piano part is treated
moment in time, rich with color and emotion. Extensive
with similar expressivity, using quasi-improvised sections
use of glissandi and occasional microtonal inflections inject
and rubato.
a unique suppleness into this exquisite 'morning song', making it the perfect choice for a reflective highlight in recital programmes.
Another work for cello that takes inspiration from imagery is Gareth Farr’s Shadow of the Hawk (1997) for cello and piano. There are hints of Farr’s characteristic Balinese influence in this work, along with echoes of Prokofiev and
Cello Works Originally written for cello and orchestra, Vincent Ho's Nighthawks (2000) is also available for recital performance as an arrangement for cello and piano. Nighthawks was written in homage to the renowned American painter Edward Hopper. In writing this work, Ho took inspiration from Hopper's painting of the same name that depicts a solitary New York cafe at night. Ho's musical interpretation of Hopper's Nighthawks is highly captivating with his use of expressive glissandi, molto vibrato, trills and ricochets in the cello part. These effects come together in conveying a
Shostakovich. The music is pervaded by a continual sense of forward momentum, which builds from the opening as the cello’s syncopated pizzicato groove rides atop urgent running lines in the piano’s lower register. Rhythmicallydriven melodic material emerges and is exchanged between the instruments, before a quieter, more expressive middle section provides an interlude, with glimmering trills in the cello’s upper register set against gestural waves of notes in the piano. The tension mounts as the music accelerates and returns to the material of the opening, and then charges to an aggressive finish.
‘It’s a gem of drama and adventure, just like the story that inspired it.’ Gareth Farr – Wakatipu for violin (PE093) received a 5-star review from Strings magazine Extract from Strings magazine by Mimi Rabson, Berklee College of Music, July 2012 …It’s rare to find a composer who is able
The symmetrical diminished scale that is
to sustain and develop intensity as
the harmonic backbone of the piece may
effectively as Farr. He catches the listener’s
be familiar to jazz players and fans of such
ear right away with unfamiliar scales and
Romantic composers as Ravel and
angular rhythms. But these choices aren’t
Debussy. In this piece, it sounds
alienating - the way he introduces this
otherworldly, adding to the supernatural
unconventional vocabulary, the way he
flavor of the story. Despite all this unusual
weaves the story, draws listeners into the
vocabulary, Wakatipu is truly violinistic.
spellbinding tale. There is enough of the
It’s certainly not easy, but the piece’s
expected to engage audiences, but the
technical demands are within the reach of
constant evolution keeps them on the
any good violinist. Wakatipu should
edge of their seats.
become part of the encore repertoire.
www.promethean-editions.com
String Quartets
quartet. Both movements of this work began as
String Quartet No.1: The Awakening (1994) is one of Hatzis’
transcriptions of recorded performances by two of Greece’s
landmark works and winner of the 1998 Jean A. Chalmers
living master-musicians, clarino player Manos
National Music Award and the 2006 Juno Award for
Achalinotopoulos and percussionist Vagelis Karypis. The
Classical Composition of the Year in Canada. It was
transcriptions are based on two separate recordings of a
commissioned by and premiered by the renowned Smith
traditional taximi entitled Kartsigar. Taximia form part of
Quartet. The St. Lawrence String Quartet later performed
an oral tradition where improvisation played an important
the work extensively and recorded it for EMI Classics. This
role. Songs always began with an instrumental prelude, the
innovative work features highly dramatic and engaging
taximi, in which a musician displayed his prowess. This set
interplay between live string quartet and a digital audio
the mood for the song to follow, and could last for as long
KARTSIGAR part, supplied on an audio CD. The digital audio part
as 20 minutes.
contains samples Inuit throat-singing, steam locomotion John ofPsathas
In addition to non-Western musical influences, Psathas has
(which comprised part of the composer’s childhood
also looked to non-Western philosophies, beliefs and
experience) and electronic textures thatBreathes weave through theVoice practices inspiration. Abhisheka (1998) for string quartet Unbridled, Manos the of Lifefor into Kartsigar
Heavily, with timeless passion and sustainedwas intensity quartet’s intense material. drafted immediately after Psathas read a book by the q
= 58
String Quartet 4 No.2: The Gathering (1999) was
! ! ! & 4by and dedicated commissioned to the St. Lawrence String
Violin I
Quartet. At nearly 40 minutes in duration this is one of
4 &4
Œ ‰. œ m˙ F elements of American minimalism of the 1960s, Brazilian pizz. arco l tango, and B dance and ŒMiddle East. 4 music‰ ofÓ the Balkans . Ó ‰ Viola 4 mœ. œ This is a standout work that is sure to enhance the œ m ˙ P F repertoire of professional string quartets. pizz. ? 44 j of Farr’s j most jwidely performed j Mondo Rondo (1997) is one Violoncello mœ. œ œ. œ mœ. œ œ. œ mœ. chamber music works. P It is immediately engaging due to its
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Violin II
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combination of exotic melodies and percussive, funky 6
often solely comprised of quarter-tones. This harmonic
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This excerpt from Psathas’ Kartsigar for string quartet evokes the exotic and virtuosic improvisations of Greek folk musicians, bars 11-14, p.1 (PE176S).
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String Music Publications CODE
COMPOSER
TITLE
DUR.
PP
ISMN
FORMAT
PRICE
PE065
Béla Bartók
Viola Concerto (ed. Erdélyi) (Viola & Orchestra)
21:25
100
979-0-67452-096-6
Score
NZ$120.00
PE066
Béla Bartók
Viola Concerto (Erdélyi restoration) (Viola & Piano)
21:15
60
979-0-67452-060-7
Score and Part
NZ$60.00
PE011
Lyell Cresswell
Whira (Violin)
19:30
19
979-0-67452-061-4
Performance Score
NZ$25.00
PE126
Gareth Farr
Meditation (Viola & Piano)
6:45
12
979-0-67452-151-2
Performance Set
NZ$44.00
PE033S
Gareth Farr
Mondo Rondo (String Quartet)
12:00
49
979-0-67452-201-4
Score
NZ$52.00
PE033P
Gareth Farr
Mondo Rondo (String Quartet)
12:00
56
979-0-67452-202-1
Parts
NZ$60.00
PE016
Gareth Farr
Shadow of the Hawk (Violoncello & Piano)
10:45
21
979-0-67452-062-1
Performance Set
NZ$50.00
PE093
Gareth Farr
Wakatipu (Violin)
6:00
12
979-0-67452-132-1
Performance Set
NZ$27.00
PE040
Ross Harris
Music for Solo Cello (Violoncello)
6:00
8
979-0-67452-065-2
Performance Score
NZ$25.00
PE119
Christos Hatzis
Coming To (Violin & Piano)
3:15
15
979-0-67452-208-3
Performance Set
NZ$34.00
PE121
Christos Hatzis
Dystopia (Violin)
4:00
12
979-0-67452-212-0
Performance Score
NZ$29.00
PE117S
Christos Hatzis
String Quartet No.1, The Awakening (String Quartet)
21:45
42
979-0-67452-198-7
Score
NZ$60.00
PE117P
Christos Hatzis
String Quartet No.1, The Awakening (String Quartet)
21:45
42
979-0-67452-199-4
Perf. Set (Parts and CD)
NZ$69.00
PE107S
Christos Hatzis
String Quartet No.2, The Gathering (String Quartet)
39:45
60
979-0-67452-187-1
Score
NZ$64.00
PE107P
Christos Hatzis
String Quartet No.2, The Gathering (String Quartet)
39:45
60
979-0-67452-188-8
Parts
NZ$60.00
PE015S
Matthew Hindson
Chrissietina’s Magic Fantasy (Two Violins)
9:15
14
979-0-67452-066-9
Score
NZ$25.00
PE015P
Matthew Hindson
Chrissietina’s Magic Fantasy (Two Violins)
9:15
14
979-0-67452-067-6
Parts
NZ$40.00
PE047
Matthew Hindson
Lament (Violoncello & Piano)
8:00
11
979-0-67452-069-0
Performance Set
NZ$50.00
PE155
Vincent Ho
Morning Song (Violin)
3:30
7
979-0-67452-143-7
Performance Score
NZ$29.00
PE160
Vincent Ho
Nighthawks (arranged for Cello and Piano)
9:23
19
979-0-67452-186-4
Score and Part
NZ$47.00
PEP12
Larry Pruden
Flight of the Albatross (Violin & Piano)
2:45
7
979-0-67452-166-6
Performance Set
NZ$29.00
PEP11
Larry Pruden
String Trio (Violin, Viola & Cello)
23:00
30
979-0-67452-154-3
Performance Set
NZ$67.00
PE175
John Psathas
Abhisheka: String Orchestra (String Orchestra)
9:00
15
979-0-67452-153-6
Study Score
NZ$44.00
PE028S
John Psathas
Abhisheka (String Quartet)
8:45
16
979-0-67452-046-1
Score
NZ$35.00
PE028P
John Psathas
Abhisheka (String Quartet)
8:45
16
979-0-67452-047-8
Parts
NZ$60.00
PE173
John Psathas
Gyftiko (Violin)
5:00
5
979-0-67452-145-1
Performance Set
NZ$29.00
PE176S
John Psathas
Kartsigar (String Quartet)
13:00
14
979-0-67452-172-7
Score
NZ$39.00
PE176P
John Psathas
Kartsigar (String Quartet)
13:00
14
979-0-67452-173-4
Parts
NZ$80.00
All prices are listed in New Zealand dollars and exclusive of GST To place an order email orders@promethean-editions.com, or visit our online store: www.43.co.nz.
Promethean Editions Limited • PO Box 10-143, Wellington, New Zealand • P +64 4 473 5033 • F +64 4 473 5066 • info@promethean-editions.com Publication and Promotion of New Music Gareth Farr, Christos Hatzis, Vincent Ho, John Psathas Publishers of New Editions of Bartok, Lilburn, Pruden, Vaughan Williams
www.promethean-editions.com