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Author: deebee
Date: 2001-01-07 17:00
Just saw a TV doco on wild'n'crazy German-Australian composer George Dreyfus (b 1928) - now apparently doing a lot of his work back in Germany.
Made me think of his "Quintet, after the Notebook of J-G Noverre, for Wind Instruments" (1968) using the standard line-up of flute, oboe, clarinet, horn and bassoon. It's a big five-movement piece, about twenty minutes long and very difficult (esp. the horn part) - would do a similar job on a concert program to, say, the Hindemith or Harbison. For my money, it's one of the major works for this medium.
Has anyone, other than the Sydney W Q and Canberra W S, had a crack at this one?
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Author: Chris Hill
Date: 2001-01-07 18:39
That sounds interesting. Where my I purchase a copy? (Publishing info, etc.) Thanks!
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Author: Robin
Date: 2001-01-08 12:29
Deebee:
Weren't GD's hands amazing.
He is quite a remarkable man. I met him once, because my school music teacher was one of his friend's at the Melb con. My school orchestra played a piece by him (called Lawson's Mates) at the school concert and he was present. It was to commemorate a birthday of his. What was the quote that I liked from the doco?
"He was sort of post modern before anyone else had even thought of it!"
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Author: deebee
Date: 2001-01-08 14:23
Robin -
he also came to our school (Carlingford High - NW suburbs of Sydney) and conducted his children's cantata "Song of the Maypole." This would have been in about 1972. If I remember correctly, he also played a bassoon version of his music to the TV series "The Adventures of Sebastian the Fox" [sorry, don't know the make of the bassoon]
I'm not sure how the whole thing came about - our school wasn't hugely into big musical events like that - and we needed to do some serious augmenting of our very scratchy orchestra. But in the end, a good time was had by all!
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Chris -
the first place I'd try for the quintet music would be the Australian Music Centre...
http://www.amcoz.com.au/home.htm
I have a score (but no parts) from the AMC. It seems to be in the composer's hand, and quite possibly printed and bound by him also - the covers aren't the normal AMC ones, and neither do they have the "big-publisher" look.
The CD I have is by the Canberra Wind Soloists (CSM:14, © 1989 Canberra School of Music) - I'm assuming that this would also be available thru the AMC. I have a vague recollection that sets of these CDs were placed in Australian Embassies, High Commissions and the like, in many capitals around the world. . .something to do with 200 years of European settlement in Australia!!??. . .so that lead could be worth a try.
Failing that, the music and/or CD could be chased up thru Alan Vivian (the clarinettist on the recording) - calling all Canberra clar's - is he still there?
- OR - Margaret Crawford (flute professor, Sydney Conservatorium) knows the piece well - c6 months ago I was yacking to her about it.
hope some of this lot bears fruit! - deebee
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