and more bears RECORDINGS designed for repeated listening

Transcription

1 1 and more bears RECORDINGS designed for repeated listening

2 2 A ROZSA PROGRAM orchestra conducted by Miklós Rózsa 1. Overture To A Symphony Concert, Op :28 Three Hungarian Sketches, Op Capriccio...4:12 3. Pastorale...6:01 4. Danza...6:51 5. Theme, Variations And Finale, Op :48 All music composed by Miklós Rózsa Original: Sesac C 2209/2210 P 1965 Achtern Dahl 4 D Vollersode Germany P 2009 & C 2009 AND MORE BEARS LC 12483

3 3 A ROZSA PROGRAM orchestra conducted by Miklós Rózsa Before arriving in the United States in 1940, Miklós Rózsa made three important stops: Leipzig, where he gained a solid technical background, studying composition and musicology; Paris it was during this period that his works first began to be heard with some frequency and London, where he wrote his first background music for the films. Since then Rózsa has composed a long list of memorable Hollywood film scores including those for Spellbound, Lost Weekend, Ben Hur, Quo Vadis and many others. Concurrent with his work for the screen, he has continued his separate career as a composer of serious symphonic music. Despite the fact that Rózsa, now an American citizen, left Hungary while still in his teens, that country has left its indelible stamp upon his music. Never copying or imitating actual folk melodies and rhythms, he rather absorbed this material and drew inspiration from it so that it became an integral part of his own musical ideas giving his music, what Rózsa has termed, an Hungarian accent. The most recent of the three compositions heard on this recording is the appropriately-named Overture To A Symphony Concert, Op. 26/a. Rózsa long had wanted to write music which could be used as a curtain-raiser to a concert and finally composed the Overture in the fall of The writing of this work coincided with a momentous event taking place in his native country the Hungarian uprising of Rózsa, of course, was profoundly affected and stated in his program notes for the work s world premiere in Düsseldorf, Germany (1957): The Overture does not express any definite program, though now a year after its creation I have to admit that the events of the Hungarian uprising, the tragic and dramatic

4 4 experiences of the Hungarian people striving for liberation, had a bearing on the character of my music. That the work was somewhat influenced by the Hungarian revolt is suggested by the composition s dramatic intensity, its heavy use of brass instruments to signify a martial theme, its clashing harmonies and its alternating moods of brooding sadness and exuberant high spirits. Written in 1938, the Three Hungarian Sketches, Op. 14, was an outstanding success at its premiere at the International Music Festival in Baden-Baden in Colorful and rhythmic, the work is in three sections: the opening Capriccio, itself divided into three parts; the descriptive Pastorale, evoking an image of the Hungarian plains, and the lively Danza, which, from the opening glissando of the harp to its fast-paced ending, is a skillful blending of three typical Hungarian dance rhythms. Theme, Variations And Finale, Op. 13, was composed in Ever since its first performance by Charles Munch in Budapest in 1934, the work has been a favorite of some of the world s top conductors and has often been included in their concert programs. Here, Rózsa makes good use of his knowledge of counterpoint and orchestration, but the most outstanding feature of this music is its emotional appeal. A seemingly-simple theme, first expressed by an unaccompanied oboe, is rhythmically and harmonically developed in an improvisational manner by the entire orchestra in the succeeding eight variations and finale. ORIGINAL LINER NOTES

5 5 and more bears RECORDINGS designed for repeated listening For the very first time you now can acquire exclusively through AND MORE BEARS the PT Master Recording catalog, formerly known as 'SESAC Transcribed Library'. Extensive parts of this catalog will be available worldwide for downloading through the regular channels and platforms, as well as CD-on-demand albums. The most important point for music lovers and collectors is the material's exclusiveness: the music was unavailable elsewhere. The musicians and band-leaders were given studio time to record exclusive sessions of extra songs. Successful artists liked SESAC because it meant some extra money. From the very beginning, the repertoire was only available on a loan basis for radio stations every month the stations were given 40 cm transcription discs (later LP-sized discs) that were delivered with complete text information for the radio presenters. For DJs, SESAC transcriptions meant interesting and rare material for their audiences. And the sound quality is brilliant, as the recordings took place in some of America's best studios, and outstanding arrangers worked on these sessions. These recordings were initially produced for SESAC, America's second-oldest copyright society. The library was active from the late 1940s until the early 80s. The rights to the recordings were owned exclusively by the heirs of the SESAC founder and, with a few exceptions, have never been used for vinyl recordings... much less CD. Highlights of the catalogue include: A catalog of more than 7500 songs; Exclusive recordings from jazz giants such as Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Woody Herman and many others; Ace session musicians and supporting players who were stars in their own right like Alice Coltrane, Nat Adderly, Thad Jones, Kai Winding, Si Zentner, Gary Burton, Andy Williams, Eric Dolphy, Zoot Sims and many, many more; Rare and sought after session recordings with Chet Atkins, The Jordanaires, Anita Kerr, Richard Maltby, Tony Mottola, Nathaniel Shilkret, The Stamps Baxter Men, The Statesmen, Webb Pierce and Faron Young; Extensive classical repertoire with symphony orchestras. 1950s material in categories like Swing, Lounge, Country, Folk, Barbershop, Choir, Cowboy Music, Southern Gospel, Hawaiian, Latin, Marching Bands, Polkas among others. Go to to explore the full catalogue and see the latest additions