A work for improvising pianist, baritone singer and 16 musicians
Text by Jonathan Holmes after the Sufi poet Hafez
(2010-2011)
Partitur
dedicated to musikFabrik on the occasion of their 20th Birthday
Liza Lim
A work for improvising pianist, baritone singer and 16 musicians
Text by Jonathan Holmes after the Sufi poet Hafez
Commissioned by Holland Festival, musikFabrik and Kunststiftung NRW
Duration: 60ʼ
Premiere: 8 June 2011, Bimhuis, Amsterdam, Holland Festival
Uri Caine (improvising pianist), Omar Ebrahim (baritone) and musicians of musikFabrik conducted by André de Ridder.
Also, 25 June 2011, WDR, Klaus von Bismarck Saal, musikFabrik im WDR as part of musikFabrik’s 20th Anniversary celebrations, Cologne
Project Description:
Improvisation as unpredictable play
Song as longing for the Divine Musicians as listeners, drunk with desire
The Concert Hall as a tavern, a meeting-place between world and !other"
The work is structured as an unfolding narrative of ʻfixedʼ and ʻopenʼ (guided improvised forms) where the creative contribution of the musicians enacts a metaphor for pathways for renewal and the creation of multiplicity of meaning that is in dialogue with the composed music.
Cultural background
Sufi thought as expressed in poetry, music and dance ritual organizes culturally codified meanings in order to shift perspectives in subjectivity between internal and external poles, between ʻselfʼ and ʻworldʼ understood as a form of transcendence. The body in Sufi ritual is the mediator between the divine, the self and the world, and in Sema (Sufi ritual whirling dance), there is a rhythmic process unfolding a number of dialogues between separation and union. Librettist, Jonathan Holmes has made a translation of the 14th Century mystic poet, Hafezʼ work (who is known in the Middle-Eastern world as the ʻtongue of the invisibleʼ) from both Persian and English sources and incorporates the process of translation into the form of the text. In the original Persian, several strands of meaning co-exist within the language allowing a perceptual ʻflickerʼ between different levels of understanding. This often creates problems in translation where the poetic codes of the original are irreducible to a single plane. Holmes' translation offers a perspective to these multiple layers of meaning by presenting lines of poetry in a 7 x 7 grid form in which the reader can trace a number of possible routes through the material.
Instrumentation:
Baritone singer
Solo piano with prepared notes: pianist also plays melodica (3 octaves, F3 ! F6 with mouth tube) (for the premiere, Uri Caine played a bass melodica in Movement VIII)
Flute / alto flute / piccolo
Oboe / lupophone
Clarinet / bass clarinet
Bassoon / contraforte
Saxophone alto / baritone
Horn (straight and wa-wa mutes)
Trumpet double bell (straight, wa-wa) / flugelhorn
Tenor-bass trombone (straight and wa-wa mutes)
Euphonium (straight mute)
Percussion – high cymbal hi-hat tambourine pair of bongos medium tom-tom 12” hand-drum (50cm diameter) pedal bass drum (fitted with a hair brush on pedal) –bass drum should have ʻhand drumʼ character to its sound waterphone
2 Thai gongs tuned to
vibraphone with extra quartertone notes – metal sounds are preferred –
variety of brushes, superballs, beaters, rūthes, 2 bows
Percussionist also bows piano strings with lengths of rosinned fishing line
Cimbalom
Violin 1, also with second instrument retuned:
Violin 2
Viola
Violoncello
Double bass
Helen Bledsoe, Flute/Alto flute/Piccolo
Peter Veale, Oboe/Lupophone
Carl Rosman, Clarinet/Bass Clarinet
Joshua Hyde, Alto-/Baritone Saxophone
Alban Wesly, Bassoon/Contraforte
Christine Chapman, Horn
Marco Blaauw, Trumpet (double bell)/Flügelhorn
Bruce Collings, Tenor-Bass Trombone
Melvyn Poore, Euphonium
Dirk Rothbrust, Percussion
Enikö Ginzery, Cimbalom
Juditha Haeberlin, Violin/ retuned violin
Hannah Weirich, Violin
Axel Porath, Viola
Jessica Kuhn, Violoncello
Michael Tiepold, Double bass
Uri Caine, Piano
Omar Ebrahim, Baritone
André de Ridder, Conductor
Performance notes
Fingerings for multiphonics used in the score are from the following sources:
Carin Levine, Christina Mitropoulos-Bott, The Techniques of Flute Playing, Bärenreiter, Kassel, 2004.
Peter Veale, Claus-Steffen Mahnkopf, The Techniques of Oboe Playing, Bärenreiter, Kassel, 1998.
Marcus Weiss, Giorgio Netti, The Techniques of Saxophone Playing, Bärenreiter, Kassel, 2010.
1. At dawn I heard the tongue of the invisible
baritone, piano, full ensemble
Swept up at every meeting
Scattered at every leavetaking
Welcome!
Drink!
Drink Boldly!
Wine from the garden
Enter!
If the light has failed, light the lamp of the moon.
Let my pupil pluck a rose from your garden, Ensnared in the thickets of your hair.
The crescent vessel of the moon Halts in its voyage across the over-ocean.
The roots of the world are entwined in the wind, And in the smile of the rose there is no constancy.
Swept up at every meeting
Scattered at every leavetaking
A tongue…a tongue
A poem humming in its flesh
At dawn I heard the tongue of the invisible
2. Between the pages of the world (i)
ʼ piano (+ melodica), full ensemble
3. This door is the mouth of love 5+ʼ baritone, piano, full ensemble
This door is the mouth of love, Whether it leads to the mosque or the wine-shop. Souls inhabit the dust of its threshold
Behold the eye beneath the twilit archway
A rapture spreads through the heart of your ruby May each night bring a new dream of you
In the fecund womb of your eye I am reborn each morning
Our embraces are a banquet of revolving time
4. Between the pages of the world (ii) 2.5ʼ baritone, piccolo, oboe, bassoon, trombone and strings
oboe solo and strings, percussion
6 Between the pages of the world (iii) 3-5ʼ piano solo (optional melodica)
7. Encircling its towers with a silver coronet of song 16ʼ
baritone, piano, full ensemble
At dawn
I heard the tongue of the invisible Proclaim this the age of wine. Drink boldly!
My bare arms Charm the evil eye. Wear them always around your neck
May every night bring a new dream of you
May each day enflesh that dream
You suck as if at your motherʼs milk
A rapture spreading through the heart of your ruby.
This door is the mouth of love, Whether it leads to the mosque or the wine-shop. Souls inhabit the dust of its threshold
Living at the border of inside and out Like a kiss
Bid welcome to the guest!
A tongue, A poem humming in its flesh. Enter!
A language, murmuring
Along a garland of streets, Caressing the body
Of my city, Encircling its towers
With a silver coronet of song.
We are singers on the wings of the stars –Swimmers, in the wine-dark sunrise.
Oh, my lover!
Be silent!
8. Our embraces are a banquet of revolving time 5ʼ
baritone, piano, full ensemble
Think how the cypress measures the breeze
Bending an ʻnʼ before it
And so we reckon our love
Stooping to sup from the red-rimmed cup
The sun is a candle to the fire in my breast
A rose between your breasts
Wine in our bowl
My love in your heart
Limʼs version of grid:
Welcome! Come! Enter!
Behold the eye beneath the twilit archway
If the light has failed, light the lamp of the moon
The crescent vessel of the moon
The sun is a candle to the fire in my breast
In envy the breeze holds her breath
Halts in its voyage across the over-ocean
Let my pupil pluck a rose from your garden
Ensnared in the thickets of your hair
The roots of the world are entwined in the wind
A rose between your breasts
Wine in our bowl
In the smile of the rose there is no constancy
A tongue A poem humming in its flesh
At dawn I heard the tongue of the invisible
Drink boldly! (drink wine from the garden)
In the fecund womb of your eye
I am reborn, each morning Swept up at every meeting
May every night bring a new dream of you
My bare arms charm the evil eye May each day enflesh that dream
Our embraces are a banquet of revolving time
Wear them always around your neck
You suck as if at your motherʼs milk
A rapture spreads through the heart of your ruby
We are singers on the wings of the stars
My love in your heart
The sultan of the world is slave to me
Scattered at every leavetaking
At such a dawn
This door is the mouth of love
Whether it leads to the mosque or the wine shop
Buds fear to bloom
Think how the cypress measures the breeze
Bending an ʻnʼ before it
Stooping to sup from the redrimmed cup
The rose flowers for a day only
Souls inhabit the dust of its threshold
A language murmuring Along a garland of streets
Before the bud is pressed
Between the pages of the world
Living like a kiss at the border of inside and out
Caressing the body of my city
Swimmers in the wine-dark sunrise
Oh, my lover!
Encircling its towers with a silver coronet of song
Like a kiss Be Silent!
In the Time of the Rose (After Hafiz)
1.
Come!
Behold an eye beneath a twilit archway, Enter!
If the light has failed, light the lamp of the moon. Let my pupil pluck a rose from your garden, Ensnared in the thickets of your hair.
The roots of the world are entwined in the wind, And in the smile of the rose there is no constancy.
Think how the cypress measures the breeze, Bending an ‘n’ before it. And so we reckon our love, Stooping to sup from the red-rimmed cup.
Our embraces are a banquet of revolving time. Welcome!
Drink wine from the garden. The rose flowers for a day only, Before the bud is pressed Between the pages of the world.
2. At dawn I heard the tongue of the invisible Proclaim this the age of wine. Drink boldly!
My bare arms Charm the evil eye. Wear them always around your neck!
May every night bring a new dream of you. May each day enflesh that dream. You suck as if at your mother’s milk, A rapture spreading through the heart of your ruby.
The sun is a candle to the fire in my breast, In envy the breeze holds her breath. Buds fear to bloom, The crescent vessel of the moon Halts in its voyage across the over-ocean. And I am reborn, each morning, In the fecund womb of your eye.
A rose between your breasts, Wine in our bowl, My love in your heart –At such a dawn The sultan of the world Is slave to me.
3.
This door is the mouth of love, Whether it leads to the mosque or the wine-shop. Souls inhabit the dust of its threshold, Swept up at every meeting, Scattered at every leavetaking, Living at the edge of inside and out, Like a kiss.
Bid welcome to the guest!
A tongue, A poem humming in its flesh. Enter!
A language, murmuring Along a garland of streets, Caressing the body Of my city,
Come! Behold the eye beneath the twilit archway
At dawn I heard the tongue of the invisible
If the light has failed, light the lamp of the moon
Enter! The roots of the world are entwined in the wind
Sit, and sup from the redrimmed cup
Our embraces are a banquet of revolving time
In the smile of the rose there is no constancy
Proclaim this the age of wine! May every day bring a new dream of you
You suck as if at your motherʼs milk;
Welcome!
Drink wine from the garden
Oh, my lover Enter!
In envy the breeze holds her breath
I am reborn in the fecund womb of your eye
The sultan of the world is slave to me
We are singers on the wings of the stars
Let my pupil pluck a rose from your garden
Think how the cypress dances with the breeze
The rose flowers for a day only
The sun is a candle to the fire in my breast
A rapture spreads through the heart of your ruby
Drink boldly! Souls sing in the dust of the threshold
Wine is in our bowl; With a rose between your breasts
Your bare arms charm the evil eye
Wear your arms ever around my neck
My love is in your heart
The blossom fears to bloom
Your song caressed the city of my body
Encircling my towers with a coronet of song
Living like a kiss at the border of inside and out
Bid welcome to the guest
A poem hums in the flesh of your tongue May each day enflesh the dreams of you
My fingers hold back your hair
A new language garlands my ears
Oh, my lover!
At such a dawn
We are swimmers in the wine-dark sunrise
And the bud is pressed between the pages of the world
The flower now opens to the secrets of the moon
Now your garden is guarded always
Be silent!
Welcome!
No one has ever seen your face, and yet a thousand Doorkeepers have arrived. You are a rose still closed, And yet a hundred nightingales have arrived (Hafez)
performance instructions:
notes in brackets: enter at any time during the bar, duration freely chosen notes without brackets occupy entire bar's duration glissandi are very slow with an almost imperceptible change in pitch
/ begin 'tuning', ie: briefly sounding each instrument in turn; keep texture spars
bring out different harmonics on the open string by changing bow position/pressure/speed, creating subtle waves of sound
bring out different harmonics on the open string by changing bow position/pressure/speed, creating subtle waves of sound
shadowy multiphonics Alto sax. enters after oboe entry (plays in bars 7 and 8) (69) (102) (112) (113) (116)
& piano begins 'tuning in' to ensemble, 'shadowing' any element of the ensemble & Violin I solo 5
* Each instrument takes up the pitch 'D', ornamenting ad lib. with grace note inflections staggered entries, B. Cl. and Double Bass on the beat
drums, hi-hat and cymbal (mix of sticks and brushes) freely dialogue with piano (set up groove)
6. Once each box has
6. Once each box has been utilised, the garland is closed wit
Oboe solo:
Oboist chooses placement in time of the 9 boxes during performance and is accompanied by strings (see below).
(violin
Highlight movement
7. Highlight movement through the garland with changing timbres
3. Any pitch can be 4. Movement between
& 2, viola, 'cello, Strings provide an accompanying garland for the Oboe Overall dynamic
Percussionist accompanies with brief commentaries on drums, cymbals, cowbells (played with fingers and brushes).
3. 1. Pitch garland for melodic improvisation starts from any box but Vary length of phrases in order to allow different instruments to
2. Melodic movement is primarily scalar using pitches within box
Pitch garland for Vary length of phrases
Movement between 6. Once each box has 7. Highlight movement
3. Any pitch can be ornamented with microtonal inflections, eg: as
Melodic movement
4. Movement between adjacent boxes can proceed via a pivot
Strings provide an accompanying garland for the Oboe solo using the oboe part as cue for Overall dynamic level is very soft [ - ] with occasional surges of greater dynamic [
&
Any pitch can be ornamented
5. Movement between boxes can also be effected via glissandi between
'cello, Strings provide an accompanying garland for the Oboe Overall dynamic level is very soft [ - ] with occasional
Movement between
6. Once each box has been utilised, the garland is closed wit h
3. 1. Pitch garland for melodic improvisation starts from any box but Vary length of phrases in order to allow different instruments to
7. Highlight movement through the garland with changing timbres
1. Pitch garland for Vary length of phrases
2. Melodic movement is primarily scalar using pitches within box
2. Melodic movement
3. Any pitch can be ornamented with microtonal inflections, eg: as
Movement between 6. Once each box has 7. Highlight movement
3. Any pitch can be 4. Movement between
4. Movement between adjacent boxes can proceed via a pivot no
5. Movement between boxes can also be effected via glissandi between
6. Once each box has been utilised, the garland is closed wit h
7. Highlight movement through the garland with changing timbres
Movement between 6. Once each box has 7. Highlight movement
'garland' during oboe solo
Solo improvisation by pianist (melodica ad lib.) based on materials from Movements II and IV
improvise, ornamenting freely with trills and grace notes, shifting between pitches (include rests)
(Bowed
(bowed piano)
ENSEMBLE:
Musicians