George Crumb - Vox Balaenae

George Crumb (born in 1929)
Vox Balaenae (Voice of the Whale) for flute, cello and piano

Camille Lambert-Chan, flute
Philippe Prud'homme, piano
Stephane Tetreault, cello

Salle Claude Champagne - April 17, 2011
Montreal, Qc
----------------------------------
Vox Balaenae (Voice of the Whale), composed in 1971 for the New York Camerata, is scored for flute, cello and piano (all amplified in concert performance). The work was inspired by the singing of the humpback whale, a tape recording of which I had heard two or three years previously. Each of the three performers is required to wear a black half-mask (or visor-mask). The masks, by effacing the sense of human projection, are intended to represent, symbolically, the powerful impersonal forces of nature (i.e. nature dehumanized). I have also suggested that the work be performed under deep-blue stage lighting.

The form of Voice of the Whale is a simple three-part design, consisting of a prologue, a set of variations named after the geological eras, and an epilogue.

The opening Vocalise (marked in the score: "wildly fantastic, grotesque") is a kind of cadenza for the flutist, who simultaneously plays his instrument and sings into it. This combination of instrumental and vocal sound produces an eerie, surreal timbre, not unlike the sounds of the humpback whale. The conclusion of the cadenza is announced by a parody of the opening measures of Strauss' Also sprach Zarathustra.

The Sea-Theme ("solemn, with calm majesty") is presented by the cello (in harmonics), accompanied by dark, fateful chords of strummed piano strings. The following sequence of variations begins with the haunting sea-gull cries of the Archezoic ("timeless, inchoate") and, gradually increasing in intensity, reaches a strident climax in the Cenozoic ("dramatic, with a feeling of destiny"). The emergence of man in the Cenozoic era is symbolized by a partial restatement of the Zarathustra reference.

The concluding Sea-Nocturne ("serene, pure, transfigured") is an elaboration of the Sea-Theme. The piece is couched in the "luminous" tonality of B major and there are shimmering sounds of antique cymbals (played alternately by the cellist and flutist). In composing the Sea-Nocturne I wanted to suggest "a larger rhythm of nature" and a sense of suspension in time. The concluding gesture of the work is a gradually dying series of repetitions of a 10-note figure. In concert performance, the last figure is to be played "in pantomime" (to suggest a diminuendo beyond the threshold of hearing!); for recorded performances, the figure is played as a "fade-out".

Category:

Music

Tags:

• George
• Crumb
• Vox
• Balaenae
• flute
• cello
• piano
• trio
• Camille
• Lambert-Chan
• Philippe
• Prud'homme
• Stephane
• Tetreault

[Orch2001]

Very nice! We just premiered Crumb's latest work in Philadelphia and nearby Swarthmore, PA. Check out our page for video!

[Warbellesyc]

Thank you for uploading this extraordinary work.

[manolitosanchez]

Congratulations so much!! Very well played, and of course, very good music!!

[prez330]

@micropickletwo You obviously didn't listen to the section at 14:23. You clearly just listened to the first minute and decided it wasn't for you. This is truly a brilliant work, and I find it frustrating that you're so quick to dismiss it.

[oyecarnal]

nice work from three concentrated mucisians here. bravo.

[maisqpoesia9999lcg]

Nice!!

[MrJro2]

@micropickletwo IT IS MUSIC!!!!! Not God Awful NOISE. I do disagree and will continue to do so. Maybe if you didn't like it, you should have just moved on and tried to find something you do like rather than shitting on someones music instead?

[micropickletwo]

@MrJro2 I never said it has to be confined to my tastes. I simply stated this God awful noise is not music. Feel free to disagree if you wish. Every one has a right to be wrong.

[MrJro2]

@micropickletwo Why must music be confined to your tastes to be labelled as music? Smarten up! This has melody and rythm. Creation is just as much art as the finished product. It's like having a conversation with two others. Do you only speak to people about what you like? If so, try listening instead. 22 years of performing music and I enjoyed this. That may tell you something.

[TheTucsonJeff]

I've always been open and receptive to new music, but this seems to fit the "new noise" category. Maybe it will work for mood music in a movie. Right now, it's just giving me a headache.