Ask Roberto - Beyond Theory

[Roberto]

I try to pick projects which have some sort of deadline in relation to some competition/festival/etc, and that fit the group size. So, I wrote "crucifixion" understanding that takemitsu was my deadline... however, if I did not get it (which is always more likely than getting things!) I would find other festivals/etc to send to. So, I try to write for groups which make sense for multiple festivals when possible.

I prefer to write for large groups... though, I enjoy to write for solo instruments as well... I think I like mixed ensembles in small numbers least...

I'm starting work this year on a bigger piece, it will be closer to 20 minutes, and the orchestra is larger than "crucifixion"... I hope to finish the 1st mov this year and 2nd next year... let's see what happens.

I'll pop by as often as I can, I promise.

So, for the "Crucifixion" piece, was that composed specifically for the competition, and if so which other piece(s) did you have going on at the same time?

Since that's an orchestral piece, did you think "right, I'll compose a small work for solo instrument" or do you prefer to compose multiple-instrument works? (though not necessarily the size of Crucifixion).

[Roberto]

Let's get this thing going again? After a long year, I think I am ready to spend some time on here again in 2011.

How is everyone doing? Who is still lurking here?

News from me, 2010 has been a strange year. The most difficult and most critical moment was that I lost my father to lung cancer, this has had all sorts of consequences. Sorry that I have gone missing for so long.

As was mentioned here, the piece I had posted in this thread eventually won the Takemitsu prize in May, thanks for those who were pulling for me. I am hoping for a great 2011 and want to know what everyone on here is up to. I have a few things lined up for next year already, including the European premiere of "figures" in Croatia, as part of the ISCM/Zagreb Biennale... for those that live in or near croatia, come by this gigantic festival in april. It is one of the premiere contemporary music festivals in the world for over 50 years already.

Hopefully there will be great news in 2011, and let's try to get things rolling here again.

RT

[Ivan]

Hey man,

It's great to hear from you. I'm very sorry to hear about your father's passing - my condolences. Without a doubt this must have been a very tough time.

Let's definitely get things rolling here again in 2011. I recently updated the forum to the latest software and cleaned it from all spam accounts, etc... It's got a clean slate and is ready to get going again.

I'll give you a call in the next few days, we should catch up!

[Roberto]

Hey, I'm not in the US. I will be back in late FEB. Then moving up to manhattan finally. We hang out then.

Let's get this place going again indeed!

RT

Hey man,

It's great to hear from you. I'm very sorry to hear about your father's passing - my condolences. Without a doubt this must have been a very tough time.

Let's definitely get things rolling here again in 2011. I recently updated the forum to the latest software and cleaned it from all spam accounts, etc... It's got a clean slate and is ready to get going again.

I'll give you a call in the next few days, we should catch up!

[Ivan]

Sounds good man! I don't have your aim/ichat on this computer, can you send it again? I'm still: guitarmessenger

[Roberto]

News from up in here?

I'm writing this from Zagreb, Croatia, just got here two days ago for the Zagreb Biennale! My work will be on the 12th, and I am one of the 18 composers nominated for the ISCM-IAMIC Prize... let us see what happens.

Outside of that, I will be spending the next two months in Italy working on new music. Have many projects for 2011-2012 and I hope more news will soon follow on many fronts.

How is everyone here? Who is lurking around? I will be back in the USA on June 13th or so... hope to see some of my friends when I return.

[Ivan]

News from up in here?

I'm writing this from Zagreb, Croatia, just got here two days ago for the Zagreb Biennale! My work will be on the 12th, and I am one of the 18 composers nominated for the ISCM-IAMIC Prize... let us see what happens.

Outside of that, I will be spending the next two months in Italy working on new music. Have many projects for 2011-2012 and I hope more news will soon follow on many fronts.

How is everyone here? Who is lurking around? I will be back in the USA on June 13th or so... hope to see some of my friends when I return.

Hey man, best of luck with the competition - keep me posted! Also, I'll be in Boston over the summer so let's get in touch when you get back.

[Roberto]

Last pg. of the B minor sonata by Franz Liszt (as a tribute to the 200th year of his birth):

The entire last page is a masterpiece onto itself.

He originally had written some super over the top, fiery, second cadenza like coda; I am really happy he changed it to this ending we have now. I love the moment when he finally lands on the B major triad and then does that chromatic approach to the F# (G# G F#), as this reflects the opening pages triplet figure now totally transformed.

From there, it only gets better! He could have ended the piece after the three returns of the B major triad, but instead does the falling motif again (originally on pg.1: it had been G phrygian & G hungarian minor)... now, having chosen to close the work with the major triad, he descends instead as the phrygian mode with a picardy 3rd (so, Phrygian Dominant). But, we don't hear that as a dominant sound at all anymore!

He could have ended the work there as well, and it would have given way to some of his late music of the 1880's, but not wanting to leave the work suspended, he inverts the approach to the F# from the beginning of all of this and approaches the 5th degree of the tonic chromatically (E,F,F#). The harmonic color here is very striking as the music actually suspends for a brief moment!

The 2nd inversion tonic triad that results once the F# is reached is followed by the low, crushing B natural that closes the sonata... so beautiful.

This small closing coda is all the motifs that open the sonata restated and transformed. (e.g: the falling opening gesture, the chromatic triplet gesture from the first page [in both normal form and in inversion], the repeating note pedal around the minor 2nd, etc).

This entire piece is one of the greatest achievements in 19th century music.

Think about it this, there is not a single F#7 to B triad in the entire ending of the work. How many composers would have just gone V-I and closed the work? Closest thing he gets to that is this crazy approach (G, E, A#, C##) to B major triad. Here, the F#7 is hidden as an extension... F# A# C# E G (F#7b9), which gets altered into F#7 #5 b9... which is then disfigured to become this G E A# C## (by dropping the root and inverting the chord) that serves a dominant function (an alteration of what would have been an A#diminished 7 chord in 3rd inversion) resolving to B triad.

As stated in the Chopin analysis above *the 4th etude post*, composers like Chopin and Liszt used the diminished scale (octatonic) as a means to create moments of tonal ambiguity. Liszt, who pioneered most of this type of harmony (having extended it from what Beethoven and Schubert had done previously) would go on to compose music in the last 10 years of his life that stretched tonality to its breaking point.

Best to all from Budapest (April 26th, 2011)

[bokenya]

Thanks for this Roberto.

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