Harrison: Suites from the Ballet "Solstice"; A Summerfield Set for Solo Piano; Ariadne; Canticle #3

The hypnotic Ariadne has the flute striking a dramatic stance. This two segment piece was written in 1987 for the San Francisco dancer Eva Soltes. The inspiration derives from the music of India. The dancer keeps time with ankle bells. Harrison wrote seven lines of music for flute and seven for percussion. The order in which the lines are played is left to the choice of the performer. The nine movement ballet Solstice is from 1950. It was one of his first major pieces to emerge after the breakdown occasioned by the pressures of what turned out to be an ill-calculated move to the East Coast. Solstice which groups the nine segments into two parts representing the struggle between the old year and the new: the Moon-Bull stands for the dark days of winter while the Sun-Lion speaks for the warmth of summer. The balet was premiered on 22 January 1950 in New York, Merce Cunningham danced the part of the Sun-Lion; Donald McKayle, the Moon-Bull. The music is gorgeously detailed conjuring warm and lavish textures and melodies from minimal instrumental resources. The composer’s work in the Chinese Theatre in the 1930s seems to have left its stamp here though tempered by a Stravinskian eeriness. It’s an extremely attractive piece with pell-mell activity of an oriental caste contrasted with clouded and sinister-chilly realms. The final Blaze of Day sets delight free.... Nohema Fernande plays A Summerfield Set for solo piano. This circa 12 minute piece is in three movements: a running melodic chase and dream Sonata (splendidly Bachian arioso), a Schoenbergian glimmer in the form of Ground and a very short Round for the Triumph of Alexander. The work was written originally to be played on the organ by Susan Summerfield. The Alexander of the last piece is in fact Summerfield's son and celebrates his growth and development.... Canticle No. 3 is from 1941 and is laid out for ocarina, guitar and percussion. It was revised in 1989. The petite sounding ocarina tempts the Homeric percussion into rhythmic display and war dance. Grainger would have loved this. I wonder whether Grainger had any contact with Harrison.