Octet
for flute, clarinet, 2 bassoons, 2 trumpets, 2 trombones
Commissioned by Reina Sofia School of Music, Madrid
Description
First performance: 2 April 2008
Ensemble Modern, Frankfurt
OCTET was commissioned by the Reina Sofia School of Music and was composed in memoriam of Stockhausen.
The number ‘8’ is linked to Stockhausen in many ways as he would’ve been 80 years old in 2008. He was mostly using the 8-channel sound technique within his electronic compositions such as in the ‘Octophonie’ .
OCTET is the realization of Samuel Beckett’s radio play “Embers”, from which I took out some extracts and used it for OCTET .
The unusual wind-instrument set-up (Flute, Clarinet, two Bassoons, two Trumpets, two Trombones) makes it possible for the players to play it on the same program as Stravinsky’s Octet.
Synopsis
Text: fragments from Beckett’s Embers
Henry:
That sound you hear is the sea, we are sitting on the strand.
I mention it because the sound is so strange, so unlike the sound of the sea,
that if you didn´t see what it was you wouldn´t know what it was.
I never finished anything, everything always went on for ever.
Riding Master:
Now Miss! Elbows in Miss! Hands down Miss! Now Miss!
Back straight Miss! Knees in Miss! Now Miss! Tummy in Miss!
Chin up Miss! Now Miss! Eyes front Miss! Now Miss! Now Miss!
Henry:
Waiting in the dark, no light, only the light of the fire,
and no sound of any kind, only the fire.
Dead silence then, not a sound, only the fire.
Silence in the house, not a sound.
Ada:
I hope you put on your jaegers. Did you put on your jaegers, Henry?
Henry: What happened was this, I put them on and then I took them off again and then I put them on again and then I took them off again and then I took them on again and then I –
Ada: Have you them on now?
Henry: I don´t know.
Performances
Eötvös: Kosmos, Cadenza, Octet
chamber concerto
Adrian Heger, piano and conductor
Apollosaal
Staatsoper unter des Linden
Eötvös: Octet
Conductor Seminar
Ars Nova Ensemble
European Creative Academy
Eötvös: Octet
Ligeti Ensemble
Conductor: András Keller
Venue: Budapest Music Center
Eötvös: Psy, Dance of the brush-footed butterfly, Korrespondenz, Encore, Octet
I Solisti Aquilani
cond: Vittoriano Vinciguerra
Eötvös: Octet
Concerto Budapest
conducted by Zoltan Racz
Budapest Music Center
Eötvös: Octet
Ensemble Kontrapunkte
conductor: Peter Keuschnig
Musikverein Wien, Brahms-Saal
Eötvös: Octet
Ij-Salon concert
Eötvös: Psy, Octet, Windsequenzen
New Creations Festival
Jeney: Heraclitian Fragments
Eötvös: Psy
Eötvös: Octet
Eötvös: Windsequenzen
Stravinsky: Octet
Cond: Peter Eötvös
Toronto Symphony Orchestra
Eötvös: Octet
Eötvös: Octet
Ligeti: Concerto for violoncello
Bartók: Divertimento
Cond: Peter Eötvös
Reina Sofia School of Music
Eötvös: Octet, Sonata per sei
First performance
Eötvös: Sonata per sei
Eötvös: Octet
J. Harvey: Sprechgesang
van der Aa: Here
Cond: Peter Eötvös
Ensemble Modern
Details
Publisher information
Edition Ricordi München (Sy 3828)
https://www.ricordi.com/en-US/Catalogue.aspx/details/441960
Orchestration
flute, clarinet, 2 bassoons, 2 trumpets, 2 trombones
Further information
Wurde von der Reina Sofia School of Music, Madrid in Auftrag gegeben und in memoriam an Karlheinz Stockhausen geschrieben.
Die Zahl “Acht” steht in mehrfacher Beziehung zu Stockhausen, dessen achzigster Geburtstag 2008 gewesen wäre.
In seinen elektronischen Kompositionen (z.B. “Octophonie”) hat
Stockhausen hauptsächlich eine achtkanälige Technik verwendet.
OCTET ist eine musikalische Realisierung von Samuel Beckett´s Hörspiel “Embers” (“Aschenglut”), aus dem einige Textausschnitte in einer weiteren Version mit zusätzlichem Sopran-Solo unter dem Titel OCTET PLUS vertont wurden.
Beide Stücke können unabhängig voneinander aufgeführt werden.
Die ungewöhnliche Bläserbesetzung (Flöte, Klarinette, zwei Fagotte, zwei Trompeten, zwei Posaunen) ermöglicht den Spielern des gleich besetzten Octets von Strawinsky ihr Repertoire zu erweitern.
/Peter Eötvös/
Sound
Recordings
