Tony Duggan <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>As Ian Crisp has mentioned, here in Britain in just four days from
>now, just after 11am, we will enjoy our first total solar eclipse for
>seventy-two years. ... As the skies darken in the middle of the day
>does anyone have any suggestions for music that we should play to get
>us through? My own thought is Sun Treader by Ruggles.
@ first: Please excuse poor english, in this mail i really was not able to
write like i would have had written, if i would have been able to. (You
see the problem)
I normally planned also to post something according to this subject, but i
was afraid if it would be too off-topic. The music which would "match" the
phenomenon "eclipse" should be as wide-spread in style as the perspectives,
from which the solar eclipse could be experienced. The range goes from
"eclipse, whats the matter?", to "the sun will fade away, apocalypsis is
close".
I never have seen an eclipse live in my whole life, but doubtless, it could
be understood as a highly dramatic event. Not at least, the direct access
to the biggest a(-)live-keeper is locally pretty disturbed.
A point which comes to mind is the dualism bright/dark, hot/cold, which
is during history associated with other dualisms like death/alive
(apocalypsis), the good/the evil (robbing the sun), and so on.
My recommendations for works or performed programs matching the criteria
should...
1. have an inner dualism (adagio, presto...)
2. Drama. Plenty of it.
3. Subject relation. (like your recommendation, the Scythian Suite)
So anything is highly associative.
As solar eclipse will cross germany, i invited at least 20 persons aged
between 15 and 32 to something like an eclipse party, starting at Thursday,
ending on Wednesday evening. And in the evening, if enough persons are
interested, i will (probably together with 2 girls from my former piano
class) give something like an "eclipse recital".
There is indeed one work which i studied nearly exclusively for this
eclipse recital. It is the Mondscheinsonate (Moonlight sonata) by
Beethoven.
"What the hell has moonlight in common with eclipse?" Would probably
most of you reply. My system is the following: Normally the moon shines,
powered by the sun. At this time, the moon also shines, but he shines in
black. A solar eclipse is the inversion of moonshine, maybe "moondark".
So, a "molto grave" first movement, a careful second movement, and a
killing third movement could reflect eclipse-conformity. Not at least,
the title "Mondscheinsonate" is not invented by Bweethoven, but it was
also a Ludwig, you know him, Ludwig Rellstab, some writer. So it is up
to my flexibility, to try to get the matching interpretation.
As a prelude to this Sonata, i think Rachmaninoffs Prelude in c sharp
minor could be a possible introducion. The beginning and the end are
resembling, the "agitato" middlepart maybe could figure out some of the
dramatic content of an eclipse. The first page starts ff, getting pp, then
ppp, agitato (eclipse) then dazzling chords in fff, with sffff, the sun
returns, ruling the day, leading to the natural and irresistible fading
of the sun, awaiting the darkness of the night.
The first piece, as it is a summer morning, should be the Etude Op. 25.1,
by Frederic Chopin. Also good as an earcatcher for persons which usually
dont hear classical music.
Maybe i also try to play Beethovens Op. 26, i am not through with the
piece, and it is not very eclipse-matching. But it is a nice piece.
Placed directly after the Moonlightsonata, the middle "adagio cantabile" of
the Pathetique sonata could have a nice impact, as i do not want to depress
my guests with 2 maybe too depressing works. Some catharsis, to
de-tensionise the soul.
As "Encores", i intend to play Mozard KV 330, 1eme & 2eme movement,
followed by Rachmaninoff, Prelude in g, Op. 23.5 The edges are in "alla
marcia", the middle section with "meno mosso" leaves room for an "yearning
ode at the missed sun" to re-appear.
As finally at this point, it will be dark, the anti-climax of the deep
evening will hopefully be reached with Domenico Scarlatti: Sonata K 87.
2 Pages, a nearly (classical)polyphonic meditation, leading into a nice
evening-party with friends in a world, which hopefully again has survived
the call for apocalypse.
With endarking wishes to all eclipse-watchers, and the entirety of the list
members,
Norman Reppingen, Germany
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