UN-intermezzi for solo piano
Program Notes
UN-intermezzi are a set of solo piano pieces whose individual titles are taken from the novel Un-Lun Dun by the English writer, China Miéville. The story presents an alternate and parallel universe to the city of London. China’s writing is so wonderfully poetic that I’ve stolen (with his permission!) several of his phrases. These pieces are alternate universes to other works and musicians who have inspired me.
The first, each dreams the other, is my version of the floating quality of Brahms’ Intermezzo in B minor, Op. 119 no. 1. The second, somewhere very else…, is inspired by the gigue from Bach’s B-flat Major Partita with its energetic bounce and hand crossing. It is dedicated to the pianist Aron Kallay. The third intermezzo, a bowl for shadows… is an homage to the whimsical style of Erik Satie, specifically his fourth Gnossienne. The canonic and climbing idea of storyladder, the fourth intermezzo, takes its idea from Ligeti’s L’escalier du diable and Jeffrey Holmes’ 5 Microtonal Studies iii for guitar duo. Motives from the other 4 intermezzi make guest appearances against this ascending musical ladder that is the musical representation of China Miéville’s name. In the final intermezzo, a chorus of night-things, the night-things move between calm contemplation and energetic activity.
No. 5 A chorus of night-things was used by filmmaker Nana Tchitchoua https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMRMghn19bY
Pianist Allison Lovejoy performs No. 5 a chorus of night-things on her album
NEW NOCTURNES
https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/allisonlovejoy2
Images
Audio / Visual
Performances
- March 23, 2012
- Premiere by Aron Kallay
- Newman Concert Hall, USC, Los Angeles
- @ Somewhere Very Else... Concert
- as part of the Polish-Lithuanian Connection Festival
- June 14, 2012
- Jacaranda Garden Party
- Aron Kallay, pianist
- August 11, 2012
- Cass Winery, Paso Robles
- Aron Kallay, pianist
- June 14, 2013
- Steven Vanhauwaert, Sao Lourenco, Algarve Portugal
- January 30, 2013
- Tricia Dawn Williams, Malta
- October 19. 2019
- Aron Kallay, Los Angeles (Pacific Palisades)
- Tuesdays @ Monk Space presents
- Another World at the Villa Aurora
- Jan 12 & 17, 2020
- Pianist Michael Smith (through Bridge Arts Ensemble that frame female composers and song writers to high school students in upstate NY districts) performed Chorus of Night-things at the OESJ High School and Galway Central School in NY.
- January 27, 2024
- Bridges Hall of Music, Pomona College
- https://raykallay.com
- Pianists Vicki Ray and Aron Kallay have given hundreds of world premieres in Los Angeles and across the country. Mark Swed, of the Los Angeles Times, called them, “exquisite… every sound sounded considered, alive, worthy of our wonder.” Their repertoire ranges from icons of the genre to newly composed works crafted specifically for their unusual and special resources.
Score
Available from info@veronikakrausas.com