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Genre:
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Subgenre:
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Scoring:
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Genre:
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Scoring:
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Genre:
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Subgenre:
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Scoring:
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composition
Summer moon : for soprano and orchestra, 1992 / Otto Ketting
Other authors:
Bownas, Geoffrey
(Text writer/Librettist)
Fujiwara, Sanesada
(Text writer/Librettist)
Jakuren
(Text writer/Librettist)
Ryokan
(Text writer/Librettist)
Taigi, Tan
(Text writer/Librettist)
Thwaite, Anthony
(Text writer/Librettist)
Ketting, Otto
(Composer)
Description:
Program note (English): [Première: 25 March 1992 - Anton Philipszaal, The Hague - Claron McFadden, Nieuw Sinfonietta Amsterdam, Lev Markiz, conducting] - This is my second song cycle for voice and orchestra. The earlier piece, The Light of the Sun (1978), was set to ancient Egyptian texts, describing personal and/or violent events - sexual intercourse, repelling proverbs, a ritual dance of the death, a mother's lullaby for her child. I have handled those texts dating back some 4000 years quite freely; all literal references to the names of gods and goddess, to real and imaginary landscapes and surroundings have been omitted. Those names say little to us today, but there is a universal meaning. That is impossible with the Japanese poems of Summer Moon, originating from the12th up to the 18th centuries; these are already very short and show mostly a numerical construction.. Sometimes the subsequent sentences acquire another meaning by the preceding ones. There are also much more intimate atmospheric
images and descriptions of nature descriptions with which the game is played. With difficultly I have found two which are more exuberant, whereupon the scenario wrote itself. Musically I have strived for simplicity and concentration, as in the second song, in which the instrumental line is in complete unison, with the exception of one glittering chord (only the moon) as an interruption. The imperceptible movement of meanings, quoting a memory, painting of small events, these formed the main inspiration points during the compositional process of Summer Moon. - OTTO KETTING