9 PRATOLEVA PEARLS for Piano Solo Frank Corcoran ( 2008 )
“How to widen the musical horizons of sound ” on those black and white ivories of the polished piano ? – That´s the problem. Brahms and the great 19th. c. Romantics did their thing. Debussy and Schoenberg´s Opus
19 and Ligeti´s Studies did theirs in the 20th. c., the lyric and the percussive and the sound-cloud and -cluster and the pianoforte´s interior and those waiting 88 keys black, white.
Mine are nine miniatures . Here Webern succeeded . Berg´s opus 1 bursts asunder musical brevity. Symphonic outbursts promising more. Use the immense range. The palette of colours.
I composed these nine short pianistic pearls under the Italian sun and in my Italian sunny garden. Hence the title. Each is only a few bars long. Brevity is wit. Is danger.
In Pearl Nr. 1. I compose two explosive lines fortissimo moving from the extreme hight and depth of the keyboard to arrive at its centre.
Pearl Nr. 2. is only three bars long. Complete composed whimsy.
Nr. 3. is marked ” Serioso ” . It has its reasons. Always the same material, always the same seven-note row .
Nr. 4. has ” Lusingando “, a few dancing triplets in the right hand. The left cuts it off. That´s all.
Nr. 5. is very fast, fortissimo two-voiced music. This time the left hand´s cut off occurs way up in the piano range. Changes the colours.
Nr. 6. apes a vast wind-orchestra, pianissimo it blows. Maestoso.
Nr. 7. The contrary movement in contrary wedge-movement recalls the first “Pearl”. Here the crazy , white-hot trills sear through.
Nr. 8. This has the range and colours of a Webern Opus 6 orchestra, complete with fortissimo orchestral tutti and all. This is not Viennese but Tipperary Expressionism.
Nr. 9. is the longest “Pearl” , though still in miniature form . It sums up all gestures, motives and coloristic statements of what´s gone before.
FRANK CORCORAN :
Born 1944 in Tipperary, Ireland. Studied in Dublin, Rome and Berlin ( Composition with Boris Blacher ). 1980 West Berlin International Artists´ Programme. Since 1983 Professor at Hamburg. 1989 to 1990 Fulbright Professor in the U.S.A. and guest-professor at CalArts, Harvard, Princeton, Indiana, New York, etc.
Many distinctions, performances and commissions. Prizes include : 1996 Akustische Kunst Prize for ” JOYCEPEAK MUSIK”. The W.D.R. commissioned ” Sweeney´s Vision” won the 1999 Bourges Festival Premier Prix. Another W.D.R. commission, ” QUASI UNA MISSA”, won the 2002 Swedish E.M.S. Prize. Works broadcast in Europe, North America, Canada, Asia and Australia.
Member of the Irish Academy of the Arts, Aosdana. World Music Days, International Rostrum of Composers, Prix d Ítalie orchestral
entry, international jury member for ” Città di Trieste” , ” Premio Valentino Bucchi”, “Welt Musiktage” etc.
Newest works include:
“VIOLIN CONCERTO” ( Irish Radio 2012 ), “SONGS OF TERROR AND LOVE” ( New York North South Consonance 2011 ) , “CLARINET QUINTET ” ( RTÉ commission 2010 ), ” FOUR ORCHESTRAL PRAYERS ” ( National Symphony Orchestra 2010 ), the Swiss Ensemble ” Antipodes” commission ” QUASI UNA SARABANDA” 2009, 2008 North German Radio Choir ” NINE ASPECTS”, Irish Chamber Orchestra´s ” QUASI UNA FUGA” Shannon International Festival 2007 commission, Hungarian Radio Bartók Jubilee “QUASI UN BASSO” , 2006 American premier of ” MAD SWEENEY ” , Zagreb Philharmonic ” QUASI UN CANTO” 2005 , 2004 Hamburg Ensemble ” QUASI UN PIZZICATO” , James Joyce Dublin Festival ” ICE ETCHINGS” and Samuel Beckett Jubilee ” THE LIGHT GLEAMS “. 1987 EBU Concert ” SYMPHONIES OF SYMPHONIES OF WIND” broadcast in 27 countries, etc. etc.