ALICE ÉTUDES CLARINET QUINTET
Donation protected
The "Alice Études Commissioning and Recording Project" is a joint venture between composer-conductor-clarinetist Gregory Vajda and the Farallon Quintet.
We are excited to add a new concert composition to the repertoire of classical clarinet quintets, and to contribute to the works inspired by the magical world of Lewis Carroll's Alice stories.
About the composition:
Alice Études is a 25 minute long, 7 movement composition written for the Farallon Quintet. Each movement is inspired by a quote from Lewis Carroll’s books: ‘Alice in Wonderland’ and ‘Through The Looking Glass’. From scenes like experiencing time in slow pace while falling really fast, through the combinatorics problem of changing seats around a circular table while having no tea in your cups, to the challenge of living backwards and remembering forwards, I wanted to create my own musical Alice World. All movements deal with one, two or tops three musical ideas making the composition a collection of étude-like pieces. The last of the seven études called ‘Waking’ is a variation on the first one entitled ‘Down the Rabbit Hole’ creating a frame to this dream world of my clarinet quintet. Three movements are dedicated to three classical-contemporary composers whose oeuvres were heavily influenced by these two books of Carroll as well: György Liget, David del Tredici and Unsuk Chin. As an inclusive and somewhat provocative gesture I composed my own take on a song by Taylor Swift in the movement ‘Shaking’. We all coexist in Wonderland regardless of style and genre.‘Alice’ connects us all.
1. Down the Rabbit Hole - homage to György Ligeti
[Either the well was very deep, or she fell very slowly, for she had plenty of time as she went down to look about her and to wonder what was going to happen next.]
2. The Pool of Tears - homage to David Del Tredici
[However, she soon made out that she was in the pool of tears which she had wept when she was nine feet high. `I wish I hadn't cried so much!' said Alice, as she swam about, trying to find her way out. `I shall be punished for it now, I suppose, by being drowned in my own tears! That WILL be a queer thing, to be sure! However, everything is queer today.’]
3. A Mad Tea Party
[`I want a clean cup,' interrupted the Hatter: `let's all move one place on.’ He moved on as he spoke, and the Dormouse followed him: the March Hare moved into the Dormouse's place, and Alice rather unwillingly took the place of the March Hare. The Hatter was the only one who got any advantage from the change: and Alice was a good deal worse off than before, as the March Hare had just upset the milk-jug into his plate.]
4. Through the Looking Glass - homage to Unsuk Chin
[Let’s pretend the glass has got all soft like gauze, so that we can get through. Why, it's turning into a sort of mist now, I declare! It'll be easy enough to get through—' She was up on the chimney-piece while she said this, though she hardly knew how she had got there. And certainly the glass was beginning to melt away, just like a bright silvery mist. In another moment Alice was through the glass, and had jumped lightly down into the Looking-glass room.]
5. Wool and Water [‘That's the effect of living backwards,' the Queen said kindly: 'it always makes one a little giddy at first—‘ 'Living backwards!' Alice repeated in great astonishment. 'I never heard of such a thing!’ '—but there's one great advantage in it, that one's memory works both ways.’ 'I'm sure mine only works one way,' Alice remarked. 'I can't remember things before they happen.’ 'It's a poor sort of memory that only works backwards,' the Queen remarked.]
6. Shaking - on a Taylor Swift song
[She took her off the table as she spoke, and shook her backwards and forwards with all her might. The Red Queen made no resistance whatever; only her face grew very small, and her eyes got large and green: and still, as Alice went on shaking her, she kept on growing shorter—and fatter—and softer—and rounder—and—]
7. Waking - homage to Tom Waits
[—and it really was a kitten, after all.]
Farallon Quintet
We are excited to add a new concert composition to the repertoire of classical clarinet quintets, and to contribute to the works inspired by the magical world of Lewis Carroll's Alice stories.
About the composition:
Alice Études is a 25 minute long, 7 movement composition written for the Farallon Quintet. Each movement is inspired by a quote from Lewis Carroll’s books: ‘Alice in Wonderland’ and ‘Through The Looking Glass’. From scenes like experiencing time in slow pace while falling really fast, through the combinatorics problem of changing seats around a circular table while having no tea in your cups, to the challenge of living backwards and remembering forwards, I wanted to create my own musical Alice World. All movements deal with one, two or tops three musical ideas making the composition a collection of étude-like pieces. The last of the seven études called ‘Waking’ is a variation on the first one entitled ‘Down the Rabbit Hole’ creating a frame to this dream world of my clarinet quintet. Three movements are dedicated to three classical-contemporary composers whose oeuvres were heavily influenced by these two books of Carroll as well: György Liget, David del Tredici and Unsuk Chin. As an inclusive and somewhat provocative gesture I composed my own take on a song by Taylor Swift in the movement ‘Shaking’. We all coexist in Wonderland regardless of style and genre.‘Alice’ connects us all.
1. Down the Rabbit Hole - homage to György Ligeti
[Either the well was very deep, or she fell very slowly, for she had plenty of time as she went down to look about her and to wonder what was going to happen next.]
2. The Pool of Tears - homage to David Del Tredici
[However, she soon made out that she was in the pool of tears which she had wept when she was nine feet high. `I wish I hadn't cried so much!' said Alice, as she swam about, trying to find her way out. `I shall be punished for it now, I suppose, by being drowned in my own tears! That WILL be a queer thing, to be sure! However, everything is queer today.’]
3. A Mad Tea Party
[`I want a clean cup,' interrupted the Hatter: `let's all move one place on.’ He moved on as he spoke, and the Dormouse followed him: the March Hare moved into the Dormouse's place, and Alice rather unwillingly took the place of the March Hare. The Hatter was the only one who got any advantage from the change: and Alice was a good deal worse off than before, as the March Hare had just upset the milk-jug into his plate.]
4. Through the Looking Glass - homage to Unsuk Chin
[Let’s pretend the glass has got all soft like gauze, so that we can get through. Why, it's turning into a sort of mist now, I declare! It'll be easy enough to get through—' She was up on the chimney-piece while she said this, though she hardly knew how she had got there. And certainly the glass was beginning to melt away, just like a bright silvery mist. In another moment Alice was through the glass, and had jumped lightly down into the Looking-glass room.]
5. Wool and Water [‘That's the effect of living backwards,' the Queen said kindly: 'it always makes one a little giddy at first—‘ 'Living backwards!' Alice repeated in great astonishment. 'I never heard of such a thing!’ '—but there's one great advantage in it, that one's memory works both ways.’ 'I'm sure mine only works one way,' Alice remarked. 'I can't remember things before they happen.’ 'It's a poor sort of memory that only works backwards,' the Queen remarked.]
6. Shaking - on a Taylor Swift song
[She took her off the table as she spoke, and shook her backwards and forwards with all her might. The Red Queen made no resistance whatever; only her face grew very small, and her eyes got large and green: and still, as Alice went on shaking her, she kept on growing shorter—and fatter—and softer—and rounder—and—]
7. Waking - homage to Tom Waits
[—and it really was a kitten, after all.]
Farallon Quintet
Organizer
Gregory Vajda
Organizer
Huntsville, AL