Fabulas

SKU: CF.O5368

ISBN 9780825836190. UPC: 798408036195. 9 X 14 inches.

Fábulas (Fables), the first work of Carlos Rodriguez to be published by Pembroke Music (a division of Carl Fischer), was commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association. It was premiered by the Los Angeles Philharmonic under the direction of Esa-Pekka Salonen on April 10, 1996. The piece, an extended one-movement structure involving a large orchestra with a very full percussion section, is concerned with narrative forms in purely symphonic terms, ie. - without an actual program. The musical sequence of the piece, in three continuously evolving sections lasting about 15 minutes overall, is derived from the very opening 12-note string chord arrayed in a pattern of perfect 5ths and minor seconds extending over four octaves. The central core of the piece, subtitled Six Anagrams, involves a highly unusual and original application of the 12-note concept. Each pitch in the row is assigned a letter so that the row spells out the phrase voice leading. The six anagrams are re-orderings of this sequence into six new rows, which are then subjected to canonic development. The resulting sophisticated game provides Fábulas, with a rare degree of musical coherence. A fascinating work that rewards detailed analysis, Fábulas, is so brilliantly scored that it dazzles on its own terms, as sound, even without detailed examination of its elaborate underpinnings.