Live Music in Nature - Fallen Trees
From the heart of an ancient forest, this melancholic and mystical live concert takes us on a journey of contemplation and introspection. It starts with a piece by contemporary composer Fiona Brice and features Violeta Vicci’s arrangement of “Song of the Birds”. Available from 7pm BST on 28th of October, 2021.
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PROGRAM NOTES
00:17 Antwerp - Fiona Brice
From the album “Postcards From” on Bella Union Records. All tracks were written on location.
A bleak train. Cold confidence and rain. The composer’s words:
“This was written on an early morning train journey from Brussels to Antwerp. It was a local train, not very comfortable, rain was pouring down the windows and obscuring the view. Everything felt grey and unformed, including me. I couldn’t settle to read or listen to music but I had manuscript paper with me and sketched the melody to occupy my mind, to try to find some focus.”
06:28 Violeta Vicci - Improvisation
A free improvisation on an arpeggiated violin ostinato in Eminor. Weaving in and out of this eerie and melancholic surrounding landscape, taking inspiration from the sound of the preceding piece of music, Antwerp.
12:15 Malincolia - Eugene Ysaye
Written in summer of 1923, Malincolia is the second movement of the 2nd Sonata for Solo Violin by the Belgian virtuoso violinist and composer. His more than successful attempt to write for the violin is a way of showcasing all the contemporary techniques possible on the instrument. In writing a series of sonatas partly mirroring those of Bach;s, Ysaÿe’s work can be said to constitute a precursor of ‘sampling’ - the electronic technique of including sections of someone else’s music in one’s own. The ‘Dies Irae’ - the Latin sequence signifying the ‘Day of Wrath’, the last judgement before God, alongside a melody which originated as a Gregorian plainchant at the end of the 15th century - is the most predominant quotation in this intrinsically melancholic piece of music.
15:05 Violeta Vicci - Improvisation
This is a vocal improvisation on an A minor drone inspired by Malincolia and the “Dies Irae”. Acting as a link to the melancholic and yearning “Song of the Birds”.
20:36 El Cant dels Ocells or “Song of the Birds”
A traditional Catalan Lullaby. The song was made famous outside Catalonia by Pau Casals’ instrumental version on the cello. After his exile from Spain, when Francisco Franco was proclaimed head of state in 1939, Casals used to begin each of his concerts by playing this song as a sign of rebellion and yearning for his country. For this reason, it is often considered a symbol of Catalonia and for all the people in exile.
27:16 Violeta Vicci - Tuvan
Taking inspiration from the Mongolian throat singer “Tuvan”, is a guttural piece, rooted in nature and ancient tradition.
A melancholic ebb and flow of strings and vocals, pull the listener into a world of sadness and grief.