Solo Instruments

Purple is a general term for the range of shades of colour occurring between red and blue. If we consider the red as the human passion and the blue a mysticism-oriented colour then the purple position in between would be (ideally) the magic gate in between. Through a high level of excitement and virtuosity I wanted this piece to spread the huge amount of energy, vibrations and wishes raised by the performer.

Would it be (musically) possible to pass “through the door”?

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- 6 very large and resonant Chimes:
  Wood (hard, avoid the bamboo),
  Bamboo (medium high*) * For instance the KOLBERG Bamboo wind-chimes, medium “Naruko”, only the highest 28 tubes,
  Metal (cans for instance, organized by low, medium and high ranges, avoid scale-organized Wind chimes racks),
  Stone (may be replaced by additional irregular chimes if necessary),
  Glass (lamp bulbs for instance, organized by low, medium and high ranges, avoid scale-organized Wind chimes racks),
  Seashell (including very thin, smooth and delicate range as well as medium and lower one).
  ALL must resonate long.

- 5 Temple blocks

- 8 Cymbals: Hi-hat (Pedal set on half open), 1 Orchestra heavy cymbal, 22″ cymbal, 18″ cymbal, 16″ cymbal, 16″ Rived cymbal, 12″ Splash cymbal and 10″ Splash cymbal.
These dimensions represent the suggestion of a scale and may be adapted freely.

- 3 Tam-tams: very high, med. high and (med.) low

- 7 Skins or Drums for example, consisting of: 3 Bongos (very high, high and medium**), 3 Tom-toms (high, medium and (very) low) and Bass drum (particularly resonant).
This instrument distribution represents the suggestion of a scale and may be adapted freely.
** The medium one may be replaced with a Chinese drum “Low Pitch Battle Drum” for instance.

accessories (optional)
- Material to attach to the thumbnail (see Note, for the DRUMS)

mallets
- 1 Tam-tam beater
- 2 Snare drum sticks
- 1 metal brush

📷 photos of the Set-up (used as a basis during the Geneva Competition 2009)

Although it is not explicitly wished to break glass bulbs during the performance, so many bulbs were broken during rehearsals that it is now part of the piece’s characteristics. Ya-Hsin CHENG did it in such a spectacular way during her preliminary round at the Geneva Competition 2009 that it became an opportunity to show rather than hide it.

(Conclusion: You may break glass bulbs BUT ONLY if the glass chimes were NOT made by the composer!)

2009 — DVD Video released by Sidéral Film SA, Genève (Switzerland) with the performances of the 15 candidates selected for the “Récital 1” round. The video clips of all 31 candidates are also available. Recorded in High Definition.

1 DVD = 30 CHF / 30 US$ / 20 € + shipping  •  2 DVDs = 50 CHF / 50 US$ / 33 € + shipping

2009 — Concours de Genève: see the details for each performer on the individual video preview page on youtube.com/alinescu1

Audio excerpt, MP3 file 320kbits — 1′17″ of 9′07″ (the beginning).
Brian ARCHINAL (percussion) playing live at the Geneva Competition 2009 (1st Round), Unimail.

Dedicated to Simon FORSTER and his family.
Commissioned by the 64th Geneva International Music Competition — 2009, with the support of ProHelvetia, Fondation suisse pour la Culture.
Published by Editions Papillon, Genève. Worldwide delivery via editionspapillon.ch.

Two standalone pieces derived from this work: Cymbals Vitamins (opus 78b, variation, ca. 3′30″) and Dance –under impending rain– (opus 78c, ca. 3′).

Standalone variation upon the first part of “Purple ritual”. The instrumentation comprises only cymbals and a bass drum. In addition, there are some speech voice elements.

6 Cymbals: Hi-hat (pedal half open), 22″, 18″, 16″, 16″ Rived, 12″ Splash. These dimensions represent a suggestion and may be adapted freely.
1 Bass Drum (particularly resonant)
Mallets: 2 Snare drum sticks

Dedicated to Simon FORSTER and his family. Version: v.1.2

Standalone version of the third part of “Purple ritual”.

- 4 very large and resonant Chimes:
  Wood (hard, avoid the bamboo),
  Bamboo (medium high*) * For instance the KOLBERG Bamboo wind-chimes, medium “Naruko”, only the highest 28 tubes,
  Metal (cans for instance, avoid the typically used scale-organized Wind chimes racks),
  Stone (may be replaced by additional irregular chimes if necessary),
  ALL must resonate long.

- 5 Temple blocks

- 7 Cymbals: Hi-hat (Pedal set on half open), 22″ cymbal, 18″ cymbal, 16″ cymbal, 16″ Rived cymbal, 12″ Splash cymbal and 10″ Splash cymbal.
These dimensions represent the suggestion of a scale and may be adapted freely.

- 2 Tam-tams: med. high and (med.) low

- 7 Skins or Drums for example, consisting of: 3 Bongos (very high, high and medium**), 3 Tom-toms (high, medium and (very) low) and Bass drum (particularly resonant).
This instrument distribution represents the suggestion of a scale and may be adapted freely.
** The medium one may be replaced with a Chinese drum “Low Pitch Battle Drum” for instance.

mallets
- 1 Tam-tam beater
- 2 Snare drum sticks

Dedicated to Simon FORSTER and his family. Version: temporary v.1

As the title says, the piece shows a thematic struggle between the two hands. The question is: Why does the struggle end in such a way?

This piece is based on a bass line taken from “Nyolc Zongoradarab” op.3 by György KURTÁG.

Big hands are required in order to play some of the very large intervals like the 9th and 10th (B natural – D natural).

2007 March 20th, by Adam Wojciechowski, Concert “Miniatures de théâtre musical”, Grosse Konzert Saal, Hochschule der Künste Bern.

2007, December 7th, by Kirill ZWEGINTSOW (Steinway D) at the Tonstudio, Hochschule der Künste Bern (Switzerland).
Sound recording, editing & mastering: Benoît PICCAND. Produced by Alin GHERMAN with the support of the HKB.

Inspired by 5 Romanian folk songs. As the Romanian composer Dan DEDIU said after listening to “Folclor”: “The nostalgia of simplicity through a (contemporary) musical vocabulary which is not innocent.” (in Romanian — “Nostalgia naivitatii „vazuta” printr-un vocabular muzical (contemporan) neinocent.” — Dan DEDIU, Breaza, 2004)

The miniatures are based on folkloric melodies from the “Folclor muzical” anthology by Emilia COMISEL, Education Ministry, Didactic and Pedagogical Edition, Bucharest, 1967.

A piano with 3 pedals (Una Corda, Sostenuto, Sustain) is required to play the piece.
Current version: v.3 / revised 2008 (color). Ask for a free update if you have older versions!

2008, November — Audio + Video recorded by Kirill ZWEGINTSOW (piano Steinway D) at the Tonstudio of Hochschule der Künste Bern (Switzerland).
Sound recording: Cyrill LIM  •  Editing & mastering: Kaspar KOCHULI.
Video: Voltafilm Luzern, Stephan HEINIGER.
Produced by Alin GHERMAN with the support of the Hochschule der Künste Bern.

photos and video project in progress

Premiere: 2004, June 18th, Alin GHERMAN (piano solo). Concert “Jeunes talents” organized by Arthis a.s.b.l. “The belgo-romanian cultural house” at Pianos MAENE auditorium (Brussels).

MP3, Kirill ZWEGINTSOW (piano Steinway D) at the Tonstudio of Hochschule der Künste Bern (Switzerland), November 2008.
Sound recording: Cyrill LIM  •  Editing & mastering: Kaspar KOCHULI.
Produced by Alin GHERMAN with the support of the Hochschule der Künste Bern.

Ariciul means “The hedgehog” in Romanian language. The piece is based on a Romanian folk song.

Composed as a light continuation of the “Folclor” miniatures for piano solo.

First performance — 2004 March 12th, by Alin Gherman (piano) at the “Petite Salle” of the Conservatoire Royal de Bruxelles.

MP3 file, 256Kbps — 1′ — piano: Eve BEROUX (Fr)
Warning: Eve BEROUX performed version 2 of the piece (very last notes pianissimo). In version 3 (current) the dynamic was changed to FF.

Variation based on the melody of “Play song” by Béla BARTÓK (“For children” vol.1, 1945).

Composed as a lighter continuation of the “Folclor” miniatures for piano solo. opus —  •  current version: v.4 — 2004

2005, April 8th, by Eve BEROUX (Fr), piano Steinway D, Grande Salle du Conservatoire Royal de Bruxelles. Produced by Alin Gherman.

First performance — 2004 March 12th, by Carmen-Elena ROTARU (piano) at the “Petite Salle” of the Conservatoire Royal de Bruxelles.

MP3 file — 42″ — piano: Eve BEROUX (Fr)

“après une lecture de la 7ème sonate…”
A dodecaphonical piece composed from June to November 2001.

Premiere of the revised version (2007) — 2008, September 26th, by Natalia KOZIARZ (Pl) at the Polska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Premiere of the first version — by Alexander VAGUENER at the “Petite Salle du Conservatoire Royal de Bruxelles”.

2007, December — Recorded by Natalia KOZIARZ (Pl) at the H.K.B. Bern Tonstudio.
Sound engineer: Benoît PICCAND. Produced by Alin Gherman.
Audio excerpt: MP3 — 1′41″ of 5′05″ total.