Duncan Honeybourne, Helen Cawthorne
Release Date: 28 June 2024
Label: Prima Facie
Packaging Type: EcoPak
No of Units: 1
Barcode: 7141148051318
Genres: Classical
Description
Composer Barry Seaman tragically died from Covid in April 2020, aged 73. A memorial album of his work, Imagine Two Rivers, was produced with Prima Facie Records in 2023. This album features four piano duets that are joyous for performers and listeners alike. The music dances with rich melodic and rhythmic interplay, reflecting Barry's love of folk music and dance, and a fascination with the creative possibilities of technology.
Inspired by minimalist music, Piano (1978) is specially written for beginner pianists and was premiered at the University of Sussex in 1985, along with The Tunes in the Beggar's Opera (1982). Lovely Joan (1983) is a series of 25 variations inspired by the popular folk song and won the composition prize in the 1983 Wangford Festival, being premiered at the winner's concert by pianists Harvey Dagul and Isabel Beyer. Variation 10 is subtitled 'tap' as it evokes the sounds of tap dancers.
Commissioned by Harvey Dagul and Isabel Beyer, Dance Numbers was premiered at the Purcell Room on 1st April 1984. This glittering, kaleidoscopic piano work derives from Barry's unproduced opera A Sum of Loves (1984), about the relationship between pioneering visionary mathematicians Charles Babbage and Ada Lovelace and their work on early computers in the 19th century. There are three sections. The first, Silver Ladies, is inspired by dancing automatons that intrigued Babbage. The second section is The Analytical Engine, Babbage's early computer, which was inspired by the Jacquard Loom, and the third, Rainbow Dance, refers to a ballet called Alethes and Iris, which Babbage created as a vehicle for his experimental lighting system. Iris was the Greek goddess of the rainbow. This section also evokes Barry's love of the incredible sound colours of the gamelan orchestra.
Tracklisting
Xuefei Yang, Johannes Moser, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Or
Kenneth Hamilton
Kenneth Hamilton
Michael Cretu
Laura Serra
The Choir of Robinson College, Cambridge & Will Sims
Helen Cawthorne
David Daly, Duncan Honeybourne, Ondrej Vrabec, Daniel Wiesner, Graham Walker, David Trippett
Karolos
Daniel Di Prinzio, Ihor Kordiuk
Nora von Marschall
Isabel Schicketanz
The Counterpoints
Narratio Quartet
Danbi Um; Juho Pohjonen
Lea Suter
