Here - Tyalgum Festival of Classical Music

Le Grand Tango in its original form for piano and cello, was premiered in 1990 by Rostropovich, and is arranged in three
distinctive sections.
The first section Tempo di tango combines strong rhythmic elements with modern dissonances and popular song-like
melodies. The second Meno mosso: libero e cantabile is an eloquent but melancholic dialogue, while the final section Piu
mosso: Giocoso is a fiery, rhythmic dance-like tour de force for the cello and piano.
Kol Nidrei Opus 47
Max Bruch (1838-1920)
German composer Max Bruch subtitled his Kol Nidrei "An Adagio on Hebrew Themes for Cello and Orchestra". Composed in
1881, the work is based on two Jewish themes that Bruch described as "first-class".
"The first is an age-old Hebrew song of atonement, the second (D major) is the middle section of a moving and truly
magnificent song O Weep for Those That Wept on Babel's Stream – setting words by the English poet Byron – equally very old.
I got to know both melodies in Berlin, where I had much to do with the children of Israel in the Choral Society", wrote the
composer. However, as has been pointed out by Jewish musicians and scholars since the work's premiere, Bruch's secular
treatment of the themes hardly qualifies his Kol Nidrei as a piece of Jewish music. In both works, Bruch treated the themes as
folk tunes that he took as themes for art music compositions. Bruch was, nevertheless, a master at transforming his "folk
tunes" into art music, but still retaining their folk elements. The combination of Bruch's late Romantic expressive harmonies
and his Jewish themes created a work of great power and beauty that has maintained its place in the repertoire.
Fata Morgana: Die tanzende Sonnee
(Mirage: The Dancing Sun)
Sofia Gubaidulina (b. 1931)
Gubaidulina was born in Chistopol, in the Tatar ASSR. In her youth she would spend much time praying in the fields near her
home that she might one day become a composer. She studied composition and piano at the Kazan Conservatory, graduating
in 1954.
In Moscow she undertook further studies at the Conservatory with Nikolay Peyko until 1959, and then with Shebalin until 1963.
Her music was deemed "irresponsible" during her studies in Soviet Russia, due to its exploration of alternative tunings. She
was supported, however, by Dmitri Shostakovich, who in evaluating her final examination encouraged her to continue down
her "mistaken path". In the mid-1970s Gubaidulina founded Astreja, a folk-instrument improvisation group with fellow
composers Viktor Suslin and Vyacheslav Artyomov.
Bachianas Brasileiras No 1
Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959)
Introdução: Embolada
Prelúdio: Modinha
Fuga: Conversa
Villa-Lobos returned to Brazil in 1930, after several years in Paris. Appealing to Brazilian national pride, he announced that he
saw great similarities between Brazilian national melody and the melody-style of Johann Sebastian Bach, and began to write
his series of works called Bachianas Brasileiras, meant to display this dual nature of Brazilian music.
The first of these works was for a new form of chamber ensemble: a group of eight cellos. Villa-Lobos also used this ensemble
for some transcriptions of Bach works, so by including this work on programs with these transcriptions he could reinforce his
contention about Brazilian music.
Bachiana Brasileira No 1 is in three movements. In accordance with what would become his usual practice Villa-Lobos gave
each movement two titles, a "Bachian" one and a Brazilian one.
Introdução: Embolada : an embolada is a kind of perpetuum mobile from northeastern Brazilian traveling musicians. It is a
rapid and rhythmic invention with a two-section melody.
Prelúdio: Modinha: this section has the most Bachian melody of the work, a flowing and lovely tune. Formally, it serves as the
first part of a "prelude and fugue" pair. A Modinha is a type of Brazilian song.
Fuga: Conversa: the Brazilian title, Conversation denotes the flavour of the work, which is a fugue written so that the
interchanges between parts resemble the improvised musical "conversation" of a chôros ensemble.
Dr. Clyde Wilde led the Village Nature Walks from
1992 to 2001. Clyde passed the baton to Naomi
Doak in 2002; the Festival's current Nature Walk
leader, Dr Jean-Marc Hero, took over in 2005
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