Chamber Orchestra - Level 4 - Digital Download
SKU: A0.944034
Composed by Music and James Joyce, Ofer Ben-Amots, and Poetry (our of Chamber Music). Contemporary. Score and parts. 127 pages. The Composer's Own Press #4615369. Published by The Composer's Own Press (A0.944034).
Ben-Amots: The Joyce Cycle (1986)
James Joyce's collection of 36 love poems titled Chamber Music has been a source of inspiration to many composers. From these, Ben-Amots has set nine for medium voice and piano (later orchestrated--see below), in a style he characterizes as neo-romantic to match the deliberate archaicism of Joyce's language. The songs are meant to be sung as a complete cycle, but these complex and beautiful settings may be performed independently.
Shortly after composing the cycle, Ben-Amots orchestrated it, and he now considers the orchestral version to have priority. Deftly and lightly scored (winds in pairs, no heavy brass), this version sounds strikingly Mahlerian in places.
1. O Sweetheart... The lover finds solace in love when friends him fail.
2. My love is in a light attire... He admires the sight of his love walking through an orchard.
3. My dove my beautiful one... In language reminiscent of the Song of Songs, he bids her arise.
4. Rain has fallen... They seek shelter on a rainy day.
5. Sleep Now, O Sleep Now... The lover's unquiet heart is calmed with a kiss.
6. It was out by Donnycarney... A cheerful folksong, sealed with another kiss.
7. Winds of May... By the turbulent sea, the loved one has disappeared.
8. I Hear an Army... Giving way to despair the lover dreams of an army ferociously charging up out of the depths. But...
9. From Dewy dreams... It was just a dream, after all.
For part and performance materials please contact thecomposerspress@gmail.com
* The poems, out of James Joyce’s Chamber Music, are in the public domain.
Duration: ~ 25 min.
Performance material by rental only! For demo recording, questions, or any additional information please e-mail Ofer Ben-Amots at: thecomposerspress@gmail.com
