CAT. Op.23. (2011) A Symphonic Concerto. Xavier Shuang XU (b.1988) Copyright XavierSX (2011)

Transcription

1 CAT (2011) A Symhonic Concerto O.2 Xavier Shuang XU (b.1988) Coyright XavierSX (2011)

2 Orchestration violin solo (amliication controlled by acoustic engineer) 1 iccolo 2 lutes 2 oboes 2 clarinets 2 bassoons 1 contrabassoon 4 horns trumets trombones 1 tuba 1 timani Percussions: Iron slices Bass Drum Cymbals Snare Drum Triangle Tam tam Whi Paer Bag Udu Box Guiro Finger Cymbals Wind Chimes Glockensiel Xylohone 1 har 20+1 violins (div.: *4+*) 12 violas (div.: *4) 10 cellos (div.: +4+) 8 basses (div.: 2*4) 1 iano (layed by a cat, amliied) Duration: c.a. 2 min Coyright Notice: The ictures o cats included in this ile are owned by htt:// The theme o Chi s Sweet Home (by Masumi Itō) is quoted as a material in the eisode Aearing on TV.

3 Perormance Notes Stage setu The orchestra is laced at the center o the stage as usual. The ercussions should be averaged around the back o the orchestra. The iano is laced at the very back o the orchestra and is layed by a black cat, assisted by a man. The assistant is resonsible or keeing the cat around the keyboard and letting it lay at its will. Avoid orcing its legs all the time. Helul instruments like a wood board, a collar or even cat ood can be used or convenience. The sound o the iano is always amliied through a loudseaker right there. The erormance o the cat is videoed by an unattended camera ixed at the right side o the keyboard. The solo violinist stands on the let side o the conductor s odium as usual. The dierence is that he stands on a secial edestal, which is a cubic cell made o metallic glass. The glass should be strong enough to stand the soloist and unilateral transarent (with one ace relective). The glass is such lated that the audience can observe what is going on in the cell, while observers inside see the glass as a sort o mirror. The size is 1. m in length and width, and 0.8 m in height. The soloist stands on the square to o the cell when laying. Traed inside the cell are three cats, two white and one black. The cell is mildly illuminated by our white luorescent tubes ixed along the corner lines o the ceiling. While set at the bottom corners are our microhones serving our searate channels. Thereore, holes should be drilled or electric wires ass. Wireless equiment can be used but holes should be ket or the urose o vent. The behavior o the cats is a art o the erormance and their sounds are always transmitted through our loudseakers on the corners o the auditorium, each osition in accordance to its sound source in the cell. A sot ad on the to o the cell is suggested to attenuate the ste sound o the soloist. On the right side o the conductor s odium, symmetrical to the osition o the soloist, is a LED screen, which is ut in ront o the orchestra, so it should not be very large, just around 2*2 square meters. It dislays the live video o the cat ianist in medium light intensity. The stage lights should be as weak as ossible (only or the musicians to see the score and the conductor). The soloist need not be highlighted. The amliier o the soloist is controlled by a seciic engineer according to the verbal notes on the score at times. Playing Instructions Strings: Note with a tail means a glissando within a major second near the end, direction indicated by the tail. Triangle notehead means extreme itches. Notehead with a slash means secial arc ress, to roduce dry and rattling sounds. Overtones, let hand izzicato and Bartok izzicato are noted in regular ways. Division schemes are written seciically. Those without texts should be interreted as average division o the whole.

4 Secials or solo violin: At Bar 4, a 20 second long bar o trills is noted by wave lines, indicating the aroximate itches. Beore Y, the violinist is required to lay the note F or about 20 seconds in various ways until the orchestra enters. The violinist can use secial articulations and arc methods and do whatever to make the note heard, even by whistling or using some other instrument that has been reared. At Z, the violinist should lay trills or slides around the noted itches. At CC, an eisode o ercussion style laying is needed. alm the our strings on the ingerboard knock the resonance body with inger tis knock the resonance body with inger joints arc lay beyond the bridge on the noted string: Line 1 4 reresenting G D A E. Amliier: The acoustic engineer who controls the amliier o the solo violin should be aware that the volume o the solo violin must be adjusted at times, and also understand the musical character o the solo violin to better imlement the control. Though the sta gives a reerence on the volume control, the engineer must hear the soloist laying and react according to live eects. The number o lines o the sta is roortional to the volume reerred, but there are no strict rules. Actual tuning deends on the real eect o the orchestra and the solo violin. Percussions: Triangle: muted. Cymbal: rubbing. Iron Slice is a big thin slice made o iron or steel, which can make a metallic and bright sound by shaking or brandishing. Paer Bag is disosable ater one blast, so the ercussionist should reare abundant number o aer bags. Box is a set o three musical boxes in dierent itches. The iano layed by the cat is totally let at the cat s will or all the time.

5 Notable Features Like in all situations, this work is oen or erormers, however, I believe it would be helul i the comoser writes something as a rologue, rom which the erormers can gain some essential inormation in a direct way, thus to lay the music closer to the original thoughts. Cat is such an orchestral work that is not only a violin concerto but also a concerto or the symhonic orchestra. Though a solo violin lays a distinctive role through all the iece, the concerto elements between other instruments cannot be ignored. As many o the contemorary works, the orchestration aears as localized. Excet some tutti eisodes, in most time only a grou o certain instruments are alied. The conversations and cometition between woodwinds, brasses, ercussions and strings, as well as some other combinations o instruments are oten observed. Every grou o instruments has its own temoral dominations, which again justiies the genre o symhonic concerto. The tonality o the work is an interesting toic. One can easily tell that it is an atonal work but may hesitate when hearing some bars. The act is, the tonality does not dominate the music in this iece but it does aear. It would be easy to ind that all the eisodes are constructed in such a way that ends with a minor triad, while in the main body, a three itch set [0, 1, 4] is treated as the core o develoment. The most amazing eature o this work is that consonance and dissonance exchange their roles. Traditionally, dissonance chords are required to be released to consonant chords. Here is the oosite: the listener eels right to hear dissonant hrases but is more likely to be uset when the consonant triads come. As the minor triads redict a new eisode, this would be a good design that stimulates the listeners exectations. The over 20 minute iece can be divided into minor eisodes. Actually, it is not necessary, but the division may give the erormers and the listeners a clearer musical image. The names o each eisodes will limit eole s imagination as it is always the case, while some eole may ind it helul. In all, there are 17 eisodes: The Debut The Swing The Chase Cadenza I A Doze A Parade Fantasy The Real Parade Being A Thinker Exotic Adventures The Seesaw Trouble & Cadenza II Sel indulgence Temted By Birds Schrödinger s Reerence The Rattling Door The Skeleton Aearing on TV Where Is My Tail? The rimary musical elements are a long lyrical hrase and a grou thrilling and ast notes on a distant register. Sometimes the lyrical melody is in the lower register when suddenly juming u to high itches, or the song in the uer register is disruted by several ierce sounds below center C. The comarison between registers and timbres can be heard through the whole work. The contradiction between emotions is also signiicant, as eaceul hrases alternate with scurrying notes, and mild tones alternate with harsh sounds. This is the CAT.

6 Illustrations: The soloist edestal Aearance: Wiring/Vent Holes, radius cm. 10 Unilateral transarent glass setting: 80 relective mirror cats inside transarent side 10 Unit: cm Inside: White Fluorescent Tubes Microhones D C A B Stage and Auditorium: orchestra soloist odium LED screen (2*2 m 2 ) stage ront D: :C auditorium A: :B

7 Coyright XavierSX (2011) Piccolo Flute 1,2 Oboe 1,2 Clarinet 1,2 Bassoon 1,2 Contrabassoon Horn in F Trumet in Bb Trombone 1,2 Bass Trombone Tuba Timani Ironslices Bass Drum Cymbals Snare Drum Triangle Tam-tam Whi Paer Bag Udu Box Guiro Finger Cymbals Wind Chimes Glockensiel Xylohone Har Violin solo Amliier Violin I Violin II Viola Violoncello Double Bass Piano (cat) q = 80 A m m s s q = 80 A meditative startling s s q = 80 A The Debut Cat Xavier Shuang Xu (b.1988) A Symhonic Concerto solo solo 1,2,4 1,2 E A C D G The Debut

8 2 Picc. B m m m Tts. III. con sord. Tim. B. D. S. D. Tri. Box Gro. W.Ch. s s s s s s m Xyl. Aml. caricious B s s m s s I II B izz. s s s sul ont. izz. s s s sul ont.

9 Picc. 10 s s 7 s a2 s a2 Cbsn. Tts. B. Tim. I. S. m solo solo senza sord. B. D. S. D. Tri. T.-t. P. B. s s s s s W.Ch. m Glock. Xyl. Aml. izz. I II

10 4 Picc. Tts. Tim m 7: 7: m s s s I. S. B. D. S. D. Tri. s s s T.-t. P. B. s Udu W.Ch. Glock. Xyl. H. Aml. 4: s I II :4 s s

11 Picc. C The Swing 2 7 Tts. con sord. B. Tba. Tim. S. D. Udu Gro. Glock. Aml. C The Swing I C II

12 molto accel. 0 solo m 7 m m Tts. senza sord. m I. S. S. D. Tri. Whi s s F. Cym. molto accel. cresc. Aml. slowly turn u molto accel. I izz. II izz. izz. izz. izz.

13 Cbsn. Tts. m D 40 m m m m m (4) (4) 4 m (4) m m (4) m 7 molto rit. Whi Gro. Aml. I II Picc. m D boring cresc. D 4 9 molto rit. B. Tba. P. B. Box Gro. s Aml. dim.

14 8 9 0 a2 m Tts. B. Tba. F. Cym. ten. Aml. I II

15 Tts. y=y The Chase E 9 B. Tba. Tim. B. D. Cym. Tri. Aml. Muta A in G y=y E The Chase rushingly Violins E y=y Violins I II Violins Violins Violins Violins Violins Violas Violas Violas Violas

16 10 Aml. 0 Strings Aml. Strings Picc. Tts. B. Tba. Tim. Glock. Aml. F F I. II. I II F

17 11 Picc. 70 a2 III. IV. Tts. a2 B. con orza Aml. I II 7

18 12 Picc. '02." Hit 01 7 Cadenza I Allegro Cbsn. Tts. B. Tba. Tim. Aml. II Aml. s a2 leggiero leggiero ten. ad lib. 80 arrogant Allegro 21 s izz. Aml. izz. izz. izz. 8

19 1 G Meno mosso A Doze m m m izz. con sord. Meno mosso A Doze m leggiero Aml. m 90 Tts. I. II. m Tim. Aml.

20 14 H 9 Cbsn. Tts. B. Tba. Tim. Cym. S. D. Udu Gro. Muta in #F #G #C #D W.Ch. H. H rit. mysterious Aml. I H sul ont. 10 violins II sul ont. 10 violins

21 1 Cbsn. 100 s s s Tts. B. Tba. s s s Tim. Cym. S. D. Udu Gro. F. Cym. m W.Ch. H. senza sord. Aml. I II

22 1 Picc. 10 m m solo solo solo m Tts. m Tim. B. D. S. D. Tri. P. B. m m Gro. F. Cym. Glock. m Xyl. H. m Aml. I II

23 Picc. Tim. B. D. S. D. Tri. T.-t. P. B. Udu Box Gro. F. Cym. W.Ch. m I March m March I 110 Muta in A C E F m m m 17 Aml. I II March I Picc. B. D. A Parade Fantasy 11 Udu Aml. m A Parade Fantasy izz. Picc. 120 B. D. Aml. I. a2 a2

24 18 Picc. 12 J II. Cbsn. a2 a2 Tts. a2 B. Tba. B. D. Xyl. J Aml. II J izz.

25 Picc Cbsn. Tts. B. Tba. B. D. Aml. I

26 20 Picc. K 1 (4) (4) Tts. H. Aml. I (4) K K Picc. (8) 140 (8) a2 (8) Tts. (4) m H. m Aml. II izz. m div. izz. m

27 Picc. (12) 14 L (1) 21 (12) (1) (12) (1) Tts. Aml. I II (8) L (4) div. L Picc. 10 (20) The Real Parade (20) (20) Tts. (12) (1) B. S. D. F. Cym. The Real Parade Aml. I II

28 22 Picc. 1 (24) (24) (24) a2 cresc. (20) Tts. cresc. B. I. S. S. D. F. Cym. cresc. Aml. I cresc. II

29 Picc. Tts. B. I. S B. D. Cym. S. D. Tri. P. B. F. Cym. H. Aml. I II s 4: 4: unis. m Tts. T.-t. Aml. I II con sord. izz. 1

30 24 Picc. M (4) (4) Cbsn. (4) Tts. B. Tba. Whi Udu Box Gro. F. Cym. M s s Aml. I M II izz.

31 2 Picc rit. Cbsn. Tts. dim. con sord. B. Tba. Whi Udu Box Gro. F. Cym. W.Ch. Aml. s s s I II

32 2 Picc. Tts. Tim. B. D. W.Ch. Glock. H. N A temo Being A Thinker 180 solo m senza sord. senza sord. m solo m N Aml. A temo m Being A Thinker cantabile m m I N A temo Gro. Glock. Xyl. H cresc. Aml. m m m m I

33 O m m m Tts. cresc. IV. Tim. Tri. muted Whi F. Cym. H. m O m Aml. cresc. violins on each sta I II O

34 28 Picc Tts. B. Tba. Tim. Cym. Tri. Whi F. Cym. Xyl. H. (4) (4) (4) (4) cresc. (4) Aml. I II

35 Picc. 200 P Exotic Adventures 29 m m Tts. B. Tba. Tim. Cym. T.-t. P. B. Xyl. H. Aml. (4) dim. m rit. rit. a temo P nonchalant Exotic Adventures izz. I P II

36 0 solo m solo m m Tts. III. m solo m Aml. solo m Tts. Aml. II m I. m 20 2 Q Tts. m H. Aml. Q I Q div. m II izz. m izz.

37 240 a I. Tim. Cym. S. D. Tri. P. B. F. Cym. Aml. sul tasto sul tasto sul tasto Tts. R 20 2 m I. m m Tim. Muta E F in G D Aml. R I R II

38 2 Picc. Cbsn. Tts. B. Tba. Tim. B. D. Cym. Tri. T.-t. Xyl. H. Aml. I II

39 20 Aml. I Picc. S Presto m The Seesaw Trouble & Cadenza II (4) (8) (4) m (8) (4) (4) m m m B. m Tim. Cym. S. D. Aml. (4) (4) (4) izz. S Presto The Seesaw Trouble & Cadenza II m m S m m

40 II. m m Tts. Tim. B. D. Aml. (4) (4) Muta in C be G D I II semre semre Aml. I II 290 T 29 T T izz. m m izz.

41 00 a2 0 a2 H. s s Aml. I II izz. m izz. ad lib. 10 Aml. I II Picc. Tts. Tim. Glock. Meno mosso q=80 U 1 Sel-indulgence 20 con sord. m Aml. rit. *as i nobody noticed Meno mosso q=80 U Sel-indulgence I II Meno mosso q=80 U

42 2 0 Tts. W.Ch. m Glock. H. beasty col legno s Aml. Tts. senza sord. izz. s s sul ont. c.a. 20s Aml.

43 Picc. accel Cbsn. Tts. B. Tba. Tim. Aml. accel. 8 violins 8 violins accel. 8 violins 8 violins

44 8 Picc. V 4 s s s s Cbsn. s s s s Tts. s s B. Tba. Tim. B. D. T.-t. Aml. (4) V s s s violins on each sta V I II s s

45 9 Tim. 0 B. D. T.-t. Aml. Violins (8) Tts. Tim. Muta in E #F B #C B. D. T.-t. Aml. I II Violas Violas Violas Violas Violoncellos Violoncellos

46 40 (4) (4) (4) (4) Tts. (4) Aml. (4) (4) Picc. W Temted By Birds 0 s s W Temted By Birds Aml. I II W izz. izz. con sord. 4 Violas sul ont. 4 Violas sul ont. 4 Violas izz. s sul ont.

47 41 Cbsn. m s m s m Tts. con sord. s B. s Tba. s I. S. Box Gro. Glock. Xyl. H. Aml. I sul ont.

48 42 X m 70 7 m m m m m Tts. senza sord. Aml. X I II X div. senza sord. 80 Aml. I izz. m II m m izz. m

49 rit. 4 Tts. H. Aml. s m rit. I II izz. Tts. P. B. Gro. Aml. 8 q= Schrödinger's Reerence 90 c.a. 20s Y Y q= m m m m m m try various ways o laying this tone randomly, 20s beore the orchestra wakes u Schrödinger's Reerence m m s rit. I div. Y q= II div. m div. m div. m m

50 44 9 Aml. I m dim. dim. m II dim. dim. m semre dim. dim. 400 solo m solo m Tts. H. m cantabile Aml. I II

51 Z 4 to the end o breath Tts. m B. Tba. B. D. izz. sul A sul D con sord. e sul ont. Z trenble and slide near the note Aml. I con sord. Z II col legno col legno con sord. div.

52 4 Picc m m m m m Cbsn. B. s B. D. Cym. rub Glock. Xyl. H. Aml. I II

53 B. Tba. B. D. Cym. T.-t. W.Ch. Aml. I II Picc. Udu F. Cym. H. rub rub AA s s s con sord. 42 AA 40 4 m 1 violins con sord. solo m m con sord. m rit. m m m m solo a temo m rit. a temo AA 47 Aml. m I violins izz. 20 violins senza sord. II senza sord. senza sord.

54 m m 10 m Tts. m Tim. m Cym. S. D. Aml. I II

55 molto accel. 44 The Rattling Door 40 m m BB 49 Tts. m m B. m m Tba. m Tim. Cym. S. D. P. B. Box s W.Ch. Glock. H. m Aml. molto accel. BB The Rattling Door retrosective I molto accel. BB m II m senza sord. m senza sord.

56 0 B. I. S. S. D. Box Gro. F. Cym. W.Ch. Glock. Xyl. H. Aml. Picc. Cbsn. Tba. Tim. I. S. Tri. T.-t. P. B. Gro. W.Ch. H. Aml. I 4 m m a2 I. hand in m s s m m s 4 a2 40 s m m sz izz. m dim. s m m To To

57 Tts. Tim. I. S. Tri. Box W.Ch. 470 CC q=144 The Skeleton 47 : s 1 Xyl. m H. Aml. I II Picc. CC q=144 The Skeleton CC q= a2 s Tts. I. S. B. D. Cym. P. B. Udu Box Gro. F. Cym. W.Ch. Xyl. m s m rub s :4 solo m Aml. I II

58 2 Cbsn. Tts. B. Tim. I. S. 48 m m I. III. m m S. D. Tri. P. B. Udu Box m m Gro. F. Cym. W.Ch. m m m Glock. Xyl. Aml. m m m I m m m II m m m

59 DD Aearing on TV 490 a2 Tim. I. S. B. D. S. D. Tri. Gro. F. Cym. W.Ch. m Xyl. Aml. DD Aearing on TV march DD m I II m m Tts. Tim. 49 a2 Aml.

60 EE a2 a2 I. III. Tts. a2 Tim. (4) (8) Aml. EE 10 m m Tts. Tim. (4) (8) P. B. Gro. Xyl. s Aml.

61 Picc. 1 Cbsn. Tts. Tim. (12) P. B. Gro. Xyl. ierce Aml. I col legno II col legno

62 Picc. Cbsn. Tts. 20 FF Where Is My Tail? Tim. (1) Cym. Tri. Aml. FF I II Violins Violins Violins FF Violins Violins Violins Violas Violas Violas Violoncellos Violoncellos div. Violins Violoncellos Violas

63 7 S. D. Tri. Aml. I II 2 S. D. Tri. Aml. I II s 0 (4) (4)

64 8 Picc. Cbsn. Tts. B. Tba. GG I. S. S. D. Whi s Udu Aml. GG m (8) GG (4) (4) I II (4) (8)

65 Picc. Cbsn. Tts. B. Tba I. S. T.-t. Whi Udu W.Ch. Aml. Picc. B. Tba. Tim. W.Ch. Xyl. Aml. sul G s s s s s I II s s s s s