Sid Richardson - Astrolabe (2014)

0:00 Largo misterioso [an evocative, atmospheric introduction]
1:28 Adagio, Solemn [harsh, menacing chords and tremolos drive the music towards...]
2:02 Ritualistic [paganistic chanting of star names]
2:29 Adagio misterioso [a frantic flute solo, over ghostly chords]
2:58 Allegro moderato con moto [a playful mood as fleeting runs are interspersed with piquant strikes] (4:26) Ritualistic
4:43 Subdued [heavy bell chords demarcate furtive lines] (5:42) Intensifying [as the flute takes a manic solo]
6:38 Largo misterioso [the music suddenly becomes quiet and mysterious]
7:17 Adagio agitato [ghostly chords and flute solo return, but now pushed by restless tremolos]
7:50 Ritualistic (8:13) Solemn [a final climactic ritual and violent push of tremolos]
8:42 Largo, Still [lucent, thin timbres and whispers bring a calm yet unsettling ending]

The astrolabe is an astronomical device used to solve problems relating to time and the position of the celestial bodies in the sky. It was the primary astronomical education tool of ancient times, and as such astrolabes were fashioned by various cultures around the world for both scientific and astrological purposes. Aesthetically, the astrolabe was regarded as a symbol of the universe and as an object of great beauty. "Astrolabe" seeks to interpret the mystical and scientific properties of the device and to consider the implications of time and positioning in musical space. Over the course of the work, several disparate musical elements are combined in new ways, each time with shifts in texture and mood, in much the same way as the moving components of the astrolabe are manipulated to solve for solutions to astronomical problems. The mystical and supernatural properties of the astrolabe, which date back to its early history as an instrument of astrology and divination, are reflected in musical passages incorporating the players’ voices. The text is compiled out of three sources: star names from constellations of the zodiac, excerpts from Geoffrey Chaucer’s "Treatise on the Astrolabe," and Walt Whitman’s poem “Kosmos.”
—Sid Richardson

Composer: Sid Richardson (1987 –)
Ensemble: Da Capo Chamber Players
Flute: Patricia Spencer
Clarinets: Meighan Stoops
Violin: Curtis Macomber
Cello: Jay Campbell
Piano: Stephen Beck (guest)
Percussion: Michael Lipsey (guest)

[MusicTheoryEnjoyer]

I got to meet Sid when playing this piece (I was on clarinet) at the Nief Norf festival in Knoxville back in '15 or '16. He was a really down to Earth composer for having written a piece about astronomy.

[GuilhermeCarvalhoComposer]

Nice, I especially liked the slow passages in there. Combining string harmonics with crotales played with a bow always works for me. :)

[ArgentAlapin]

Definitely a rich experience, but not completely to my preference.

Then again, I used to not like Prokofiev and certain works of Sorabji but did so after a while.

[declup]

Can anybody recommend other pieces in which the vibraphone's texture is softened by piano?

[PhucNguyen-ynng]

May I ask where can I buy this score. Thank you!

[christophedevos]

Not bad at all, Vivier meets Harvey+Stockhausen. Thank you for sharing.