Four Compositions

Track Listings

1. NONAAH

2. Duet for Wind & String

3. Cutouts

4. Prelude

Editorial Reviews
Kyle Gann, The Village Voice
"Any resemblance between these pointillistic chamber compositions and Schoenberg is purely coincidental. Delicate as to texture, curiously dispassionate as to mood, these mostly notated woodwind, string, and piano chamber works are motivically atonal, but tend to collapse into tonal cadences just to show you they know where they are. Like Ornette Coleman, Mitchell's playing with the tension between center and periphery, but in a milder, more abstract idiom and from the other direction; Coleman still had the center as a given, Mitchell's trying to reconstitute it. His most enticing non-Art Ensemble release, this demands and repays careful listening."

Richard Hayes, Capital Times
"Mitchell's atonal explorations here seem somehow earthier and more alive than most contemporary chamber music, perhaps a reflection of his cutting-edge jazz background, and Buckner is in fine form on Prelude."

Album Description
Pointillistic chamber compositions: NONAAH, Duet for Wind & String, Cutouts, and Prelude. Delicate as to texture, dispassionate as to mood, these mostly notated woodwind, string, and piano chamber works are atonal, but collapse into tonal cadences.

Four Compositions

Four Compositions, Music, Mitchell, Classical, Classical Composers, Classical Music, Orchestral & Symphonic

Si ji (Four Seasons)
Average customer rating:

Successful crossing over from East to West

One of the best solo guitar albums I have ever heard

Virtuoso playing and an unusual repetoire

Si ji (Four Seasons)

Manufacturer: Gsp Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B000AXWHEY
Release Date: 2005-09-13

Tracks:

Wang Huiran: Yi Dance
He Luting: Shepherd Boy with Flute
Dietmar Ungerrank: Intonation & 4 Sound-and-Image Compositions - Intonation
Dietmar Ungerrank: Intonation & 4 Sound-and-Image Compositions - Long Out-stretched Pier with its Shadows
Dietmar Ungerrank: Intonation & 4 Sound-and-Image Compositions - Wind on The Hill
Dietmar Ungerrank: Intonation & 4 Sound-and-Image Compositions - Waiting for Guests
Dietmar Ungerrank: Intonation & 4 Sound-and-Image Compositions - Land Circus
Traditional - Heavenly Bird
Tradional - Lantern Song
Traditional - Mayila
Evan Hirschelman: Meditation No.2
Evan Hirshelman: Meditation No.1
Stephen Goss: The Blue Kite
Stephen Goss: Yellow Earth
Stephen Goss: Farewell My Concubine
Carlo Domeniconi: I Ching - 1 T'ai
Carlo Domeniconi: I Ching - 3 Lin
Carlo Domeniconi: I Ching - 4 T'ung len
Carlo Domeniconi: I Ching - 5 Huan
Carlo Domeniconi: I Ching - 6 K'uei
Carlo Domeniconi: I Ching - 7 Chieh
Stephen Funk Pearson: South China Sea Peace
Thierry Rougier: Four Seasons - Spring
Thierry Rougier: Four Seasons - Summer
Thierry Rougier: Four Seasons - Autumn
Thierry Rougier: Four Seasons - Winter

Customer Reviews:

Successful crossing over from East to West.......2007-07-06

Nowadays many classical musicians move to 'cross-overs' between Western classics to exotic works, and Chinese musicians and composers pioneer in cross-overs from Chinese music to Western.
Alas, not all attempts are successful. Either there has not been enough nurturing in the Chinese repertoire, or the western playing style has not yet been fully developed.
Ms. Yang is a young classical guitarist. Gathering from what she said in her own introduction to this disc, she is a musician with a great ambition. It is true that the classical guitar may not have a substantial repertoire as other western instruments like the violin and piano. Hence drawing materials from other culture in a guitarist's repertoire is both a necessity and an endeavour.
A guitarist from Beijing, Ms. Yang is familiar with classical Chinese instruments like the gu qin, the zheng and the pipa. These ancient Chinese instruments are like the guitar- all are played by plucking strings set on wooden surfaces. So as Ms Yang herself noted - the guitar originated from the Middle East, a 'cross-over' area of Eastern and Western culture.
In many of the modern works recorded in this disc, Ms Yang played the guitar to the effect of those ancient Chinese instruments, and this is quite stunning. Her familiarity with the Eastern musical style is fully demonstrated, adding the requisite flavour of authenticity to her interpretation. There are a number of great compositions of the gu qing, the zheng as well as the pipa, and I truly look forward to Ms Yang's transcriptions of those to the guitar in due course.
A highly recommended recording for guitar players, guitar lovers and Chinese music fans alike.

One of the best solo guitar albums I have ever heard.......2006-10-06

One of the most original CDs I've ever heard. This CD is full of incredible music. Yang XueFei plays with sensitivity, creativity and passion.
When I played this CD for my guitar teacher, he commented that it was rare for him not to have heard at least one piece on any particular classical guitar CD, yet all these pieces were new to him. Carlo Domeniconi (who wrote the masterpiece "Koyunbaba") has composed an outstanding suite based on the I Ching. The 3 pieces by Stephen Goss, which are based on Asian films, are themselves cinematic: "The Blue Kite" is a work of minimalist beauty. There are many other talented composers lending their gifts to this CD. Most of the selections are either composed for Yang Xuefei or are arrangements by her. All are inspired by Chinese culture and music. My favorite piece is "Long Outstretched Pier with its Shadow" (by Dietmar Ungerrank); it is elegantly written and the execution is sensual and rich.
Yang XueFei's technical agility, especially the right hand, (as in "Yi Dance") goes beyond that of her contemporaries. As impressive as this is, the passion she imbues into each work is what connects her to the songs and ultimately to the audience. Technique is there to help her express what is inside of her. It is as if the guitar is her lover. This just isn't a great guitar album; it is a great album period. Its emotional complexity deepens with each listening. Buy it!
I've also purchased "Romance de Amor" which is extremely good as well (listen to her version of "Requerdos de la Alhambra" as compared to one of her heroes, John Williams on "The Guitarist"), but "Si Ji" is totally unique. Don't miss it.
As an aside, If you do end up buying and enjoying this CD, you might listen to Lily Afshar. The influence of her Persian heritage is similar in effect to "Si Ji" by Yang XueFei. Both artists have breathed life into the modern repertoire of guitar music.

Virtuoso playing and an unusual repetoire.......2005-10-26

I am a classical guitar student, and an over-the-top consumer. So I have a lot (many dozens) of classical guitar CDs. They are for the most part quite good, but they tend to blend. I might be able to distinguish Tennant's Rodrigo or Barrueco's Scarlatti, but too many guitarists play an awful lot of the same repetoire, and they play it quite similarly.

This CD is quite different. The pieces are all Asian in flavor and by composers I had never heard of. And they are quite beautiful. Ms. Yang appears to be quite young, so this could be the start of a long and interesting career. But at least one of the pieces was written for her, so she has already apparently developed a solid reputation.

Average customer rating:

Beautiful music to listen to while reading, painting...

Chinese Traditional Pipa Music
Liu Fang
Manufacturer: Oliver Sudden Prod
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | International | Styles | Music

General | Far East & Asia | International | Styles | Music

World Dance | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

Solo Instrumental | New Age | Styles | Music

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Chinese Traditional Yang-Qin Music
Chinese Traditional Erhu Music Vol. 1
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Eleven Centuries of Traditional Music of China

ASIN: B00000JFPM
Release Date: 1997-05-15

Tracks:

The Great Wave Washes the Beach
Flying Snow Decorating the Green
Melody From A Bamboo House
The Love of the Wei River
The Dance of the Yi People
Spring Rain
The Romance of the Red River Valley
The Moon Is High
The Flower Festival

Album Description

Solo performer Liu Fang plays authentic instrumental pieces for the pipa, a 2000-year-old four-stringed Chinese lute. This extraordinary collection od digitally-recorded traditional compositions captures the pipa's unique and meditative sound. Complete with detailed liner notes in English, French and Chinese.

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful music to listen to while reading, painting..........2002-01-04

meditating, dining, bonsai gardening... The pipa is a 2000 year old four stringed Chinese Lute. Want to get relaxed? Listen to this CD. The quality of sound on this recording is superb. Enjoy the pipa's unique and meditative sound.

Average customer rating:

Four Higher
Autorickshaw
Manufacturer: Tala-Wallah Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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General | Jazz | Styles | Music
ASIN: B0002TLBTS
Release Date: 2005-10-11

Tracks:

Saraswati
Purvi Tillana
Ganamurthy
Unjalur
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Ragam
Tanam
Tisra Tani
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Accross The Sands
Caravan

Average customer rating:

242 - 245
Braxton's triumphant return to form (and to Delmark!)

Four Compositions (GTM) 2000
Anthony Braxton
Manufacturer: Delmark
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Avant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music

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Victoriaville 2005
Live at the Royal Festival Hall 2004

ASIN: B00008OTOY
Release Date: 2003-02-25

Tracks:

Composition 242
Composition 243
Composition 244
Composition 245

Customer Reviews:

242 - 245.......2005-08-28

the term GTM (Ghost Trance Music) is highly misleading, as these recordings are not ghostly or trance like. they are however, fine examples of Braxton's stately and bold form of composing and playing. utilizing alto, soprano, baritone, piano, melodica, and many more...these songs somehow spring to life with it's snakelike structure and interweaving melody lines that weave spirals in your mind. i have given this cd many many listens and each time i am impressed with a new experience each time. that's something special.

Braxton's triumphant return to form (and to Delmark!).......2004-05-15

Multi-reedist Anthony Braxton has been responsible for some of the most challenging improvised music of the past 35 years. Although Four Compositions 2000 is representative of what Braxton has been producing for the past ten years, it also shows signs of a departure by incorporating stylistic innovations he mastered years ago. Everything old is new again.

Every 10 years or so, Braxton's music makes a slight stylistic change. After his wildly experimental debut in the late 1960s, his writing nestled into a sort of radical-traditionalism in the mid-1970s. In the '80s, Braxton's style developed into an intricate system of collage based on partially fragmented compositions unified by rhythmic pulse tracks. While still having the overall feel of jazz, the result was far more multi-layered and complex than the norm. During the '90s, Braxton entered yet another phase and dubbed the minimalist-inspired work Ghost Trance Music (GTM). Designed to last for hours (and theoretically days), GTM utilizes lengthy repeated pulse sections interjected with brief solos. The result often sounds less like traditional jazz and more like modern minimalist classical music.

Although still part of the Ghost Trance series, the music on Four Compositions 2000 show signs of the Braxton of days past. Numerous sections of the record revisit the irregular march rhythms of his '70s quartet music, though in a more refined manner. The diversity of sound production includes sputtering contra-bass saxophones, trilling flutes, melodica, tuned wood blocks and chimes all used to intriguing effect as a complement to the more traditional line-up of alto sax, piano, upright bass and trap set.

Braxton's GTM ensembles tend to be relatively large. With this quartet the pulse sections are broken up and the compositions feature more extended improvisation. Stop-start rhythms and flurries of notes contrast with sparse, unaccompanied solo sections. Rarely do all four musicians play at the same time. Each player gets a healthy amount of solo space and all shine when called upon.

While a good deal of the previous Ghost Trance Music is a bit repetitive, Four Compositions 2000 fortunately is quite different. Featuring shorter pieces with more sonic variety, space and improvisation than other recent endeavors, the record finds Braxton in what one could cautiously call an accessible mode. The record certainly makes an excellent entry point for those new to his oeuvre.

Four Compositions (Quartet) 1983
Average customer rating:

Totally original!

Four Compositions (Quartet) 1983
Anthony Braxton
Manufacturer: Black Saint
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Avant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B0000010X7
Release Date: 1993-09-07

Tracks:

Composition - No.105 A
Composition - No.69 M
Composition - No.69 O
Composition - No.69 Q

Customer Reviews:

Totally original!.......2000-07-21

If you're into unique sounding music this album is for you. It's quirky textures and cartoonish quality are sure to please.

Average customer rating:

The Raleigh Ringers

The Raleigh Ringers

Manufacturer: Raleigh Ringers
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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Hymn to Joy
Bohemian Rhapsody
Dream On
Hotel California
Stairway to Heaven

Album Description

This is the first CD produced by The Raleigh Ringers. It highlights their diverse repertoire and includes transcriptions of classical and popular pieces (such as Hungarian Dance and Linus and Lucy), original compositions written for handbells, and arrangements of classic rock and roll. This is one of the best selling handbell CDs in the world and is over 74 minutes of music.

Customer Reviews:

The Raleigh Ringers.......2006-11-03

I've got lots of upbeat classical stuff, but the sounds and tingling on this CD are fantastic. A great mix of traditional and contemporary pieces. This CD is a real ringer!

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Portraits on the Piano
Mary Martin Stockdale
Manufacturer: Scorpiano Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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The Garden Gate
Four Wire Winter
Daughters' Lullaby

Album Description

Stockdale's critically acclaimed debut recording, Portraits on the Piano" reached #3 on the New Age Voice charts. These sweeping, melodic solo piano improvisations capture the strength and imagery of the Rocky Mountain West.

The Eternal Presence: Transcendent four part didjeridu compositions for deep listening, massage, yoga & meditation

Average customer rating:

Very interesting
A colossal accomplishment and great CD
A colossal accomplishment and wonderful CD
A beautiful recording of an extraordinary performance

The Eternal Presence: Transcendent four part didjeridu compositions for deep listening, massage, yoga & meditation
4 Didjeridu's
Manufacturer: Ancient Future
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00008GSWR
Release Date: 2003-02-02

Tracks:

A Mystic Meandering
Dynamic Ground
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Mist of Low Breath
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Album Description

The Eternal Presence brings together four didjeridu virtuosos from around the globe to perform new compositions in a richly resonant natural setting. The resulting CD is an extended, continuous cycle of eleven interwoven compositions that takes the listener on a journey through landscapes that are ethereal, introspective and invigorating. This makes it an ideal accompaniment for meditation and "deep listening", as well as a wonderful tool to enhance yoga, massage or other body and healing work.

The Eternal Presence CD bears the aural signature of its remarkable recording location - a richly reverberant stone tunnel perched at the peak of the Marin highlands, high above the Pacific Ocean, the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco. The tunnel was built during World War II as part of a military seacoast fortification, but abandoned shortly thereafter as its weaponry became obsolete. Transformed by the dense quiet of the night into a cathedral-like chamber for sacred sound, the tunnel becomes one of the players, contributing a powerful resonance that shapes every note of the performance.

The didjeridu (or didgeridoo) is an instrument originating from Australian Aboriginal culture that has spread around the world due to its evocative sound and expressive capabilities. In this recording, new ground is explored as multiple didjeridus are used to create harmonic combinations that evoke a wide range of emotions. For example, "Eternal Octavos" utilizes three octaves of instruments to produce an intensely focused sound with rich overtones, while "Primal Cycle" uses the musical "circle of fifths" to create a tonal center that is ambiguous yet strangely grounded. Other tracks on the CD explore different combinations, and all are interwoven into a continuous, organic 70-minute listening experience.

Customer Reviews:

Very interesting.......2006-05-26

A silo for weapon storage is transformed in a chamber for sacred sound. This very idea is really original and holds great potentials. The music is definitely not easy-listening. It reminds of a chamber music for viola and violoncello, only played with didjeridoo. It's clear that the musicians know about the use of music for light and deep meditation.

A colossal accomplishment and great CD.......2003-03-13

"The Eternal Presence" not only appeals to listeners who have a passion for the haunting sounds of the didjeridu, but to all listeners who want to experience something quite unique and magical.

Quality recording in a reverberant tunnel can be challenging at best, if not impossible, but this CD captures the essence of exactly what the musicians experienced, and transports the listener into the experience and beyond. While the disc will take the listener into another realm, whether listening intently or meditating, it definitely won't put you to sleep...on the contrary, it seems to heighten and awaken the senses.

The recording quality and musicianship are top notch, as sounds intricately weave in, out, around, and through the listener. Repeated listenings always offer something new to be heard. While the tunes evoke an ethereal quality, they are all unique and distinct, and as a few songs really get rocking, they still maintain the continuity and balance that the musicians strove for.

Great for a long drive in the car, or at home alone or with friends, The Eternal Presence will soon have an eternal slot in your CD tray, and with a pair of headphones it's a whole new experience, as the post production work of the artists really shines. A highly recommended "must have" CD.

A colossal accomplishment and wonderful CD.......2003-03-13

"The Eternal Presence" not only appeals to listeners who have a passion for the haunting sounds of the didjeridu, but to all listeners who want to experience something quite unique and magical.

A beautiful recording of an extraordinary performance.......2003-02-14

I was fortunate enough to attend the performance that accompanied this recording, and would not have expected that a recording of that music could have captured the awe and mystery invoked by the space and the musicians that evening. I am therefore delighted to find that the CD is every bit as momentous and spine-tingling as was the concert.

What sets this music apart from similarly "trancendental", ethereal recordings is, well, that this is really music: each piece has a distinct character, and the personalities of the four musicians shine through their performances. While the sound certainly invokes a meditative, relaxed state, it is constantly evolving, and stands up to serious, repeated listening.

You don't need to know anything about the didjeridu to appreciate the performances. But, the added fact that all the sounds you hear are coming from some of the oldest instruments known to man -- as beautifully crafted by two of the musicians (Barry Hall and Jusse Nayeli) out of ceramic and agave cactus -- adds to the magic. It's sometimes difficult to believe that the range of tones is coming from just the four musicians, with no electronics or effects beyond the natural reverberance of the tunnel in which they played.

Tracks:

Rhode Island is Famous for You (Coney Island)
It's Only a Paper Moon
Little D's Daydream
Ethel and Esther
I'd Rather
Alice
Headed South
Prairie Song
Idle Boy
Ladies Home Auxiliary
Moon River
Head over Heels
The Anthem

Album Description

This debut recording by New York Neo-Cabaret and jazz band was released to accolades on May 21, 2002. The Biddies are very proud of this first work and consider it a brilliant introduction to The Biddy Sound, with somber ballads as well as upbeat and lively original songs therein.

Customer Reviews:

Once you go biddy, you'll never go back..........2005-10-06

I was lucky enough to see these girls live once, and have been hooked ever since. Their music is so sweet to the ears you'll almost forget to notice HOW TALENTED THEY ARE!! Listen to the lyrics - you'll laugh. The harmonies are tingling. You thought you couldn't sing, but you'll be singing along & dancing in no time. Also makes for a great gift! (sending CD to my mom for her birthday right now...)

good record.......2003-02-26

i'm very addicted to this record. they are totally great musicians and such witty songwriters

Four Compositions (Quartet) 1995: Nos 182, 183, 184, 181

Average customer rating:

Four Compositions (Quartet) 1995: Nos 182, 183, 184, 181
Anthony Braxton
Manufacturer: Braxton House
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Avant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B000J3L9DK

Product Description

In his liner notes to this disc, Bill Shoemaker relates that the members of Braxton's group for this date had spent a good deal of time studying his "book," expecting various past compositions and sound territories to be explored for this recording date. When they arrived for the session, however, they were met not only by new Braxton pieces, but by an entirely new approach on the part of the composer: the inauguration of what would come to be known as his Ghost Trance Music. Generally, this sub-genre is characterized by a repeated unison melodic line played in evenly stressed eighth notes which wanders somewhat willy-nilly across the scale but is held by at least two of the instrumentalists at any given time throughout the piece. Soloists, to the extent they may be considered as such, offer embroideries on this central stalk only to return to the pattern after a time, allowing others to spin their own elaboration. If it is reminiscent of anything in Braxton's prior output, it might be said to bear some similarity to his Kelvin series compositions from the early '70s. For all its surface simplicity, there's a good deal of complex interaction taking place. As this was the first exposure for these musicians to this new conception, it's not surprising that they play with a bit of hesitancy during sections of this album. Subsequent recordings would offer meatier readings of this aspect of Braxton's work (notably Composition 193 for Tentet), but it's certainly fascinating to witness its genesis here. The colors utilized (especially with Norton dwelling for extended periods on various metallophones) serve to create a bright and playful atmosphere, a welcome approach to music that had the potential to sound a little dry and academic. It is refreshing to see that Braxton's music, always very demanding of its listeners, remained so well into the '90s. ~ Brian Olewnick, AMG

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