New Old Tunes
A Salzburger Folksong nestled in African rhythms and Arabic scales,
an age-old Viennese song, that sqeezes out of an even older Gramophone or the Upper Austrian Anthem mixed with Blues and Funk...
With new commissions created specifically for the CrossNova Ensemble, the group traces the contemporary connections between classical and folk music.
At the same time, the transcriptions of Haydn’s “Rondo all´Ongarese” and Bartok’s “Romanian Dances” convey the long tradition of the “recycling” of folkloric elements in western musical culture.
Joseph Haydn (1732-1809): Rondo (Trio G-major Hob.XV/25, "all'Ongarese")
Gernot Wolfgang (*1957): "Looking East" (2000)
Béla Bártok (1981-1945): Romanian Dances
Wladimir Pantchev (*1948): Gramophone - "Wir gengan heut' nach Nußdorf h'naus" (2005)
Rainer Nova (*1979): "Hoamatland" - Theme and Variations (2006)
Michael Radanovics (*1958): "To-get-her" (2006)
Leonard Eröd (*1978): Integrationen - a multicultural Waltz (2011)
Thomas Mandel (*1965): Trahütt'n Extrem (2008)
Friedrich Gulda (1930-2000): "Die schene Musi"
The composers describe their compositions
Gernot Wolfgang:
In my childhood in Austria, I often listened to folk music from our Eastern and South-eastern neighboring countries. “Looking East” is a tribute to these early influences – with the inclusion of my musical preferences: electronic music of the 20th century and also jazz. The piece is of energetic nature and offers leeway for the clarinet and bassoon in the passages with more flexible rhythm, which simultaneously allow the listener space to breathe.
Wladimir Pantchev:
My old vinyl records (almost unplayble do to dirt and scratches), inspired me to write a new arrangement of the traditional Viennese song “Wir gengan heut’ nach Nußdorf h’naus”. The needle always gets stuck at the same place in the music; the music never gets past a certain point. The music is trapped in a no-man’s land between remembrance and continuity.
Michael Radanovics:
A folk song from the Austrian regions of Tyrol and Salzburg melted together with African and Arabic elements – “Ideas” from several cultures with a common denominator bring together; “Stay decent, stick together” with a background of bringing people together.
Thomas Mandel:
The polka, one of the archetypes of Austrian folk music, advanced musical material, and an (which is unusual in so-called modern music) outstanding ensemble with humor: these are the ingredients for a short piece of cross-over music.
The strength of the 2/4 meter connects the typical Austrian “hopeless, but not serious” with a tongue-in-cheek take on modern music.
Rainer Nova:
“Eastern - Western is old news” is a musical cartoon:
Mozart and Scott Joplin’s ride across the Balkan prairie.
