Harrison / Felciano - Split Release (Cambridge CRS 2560)

Today is the 95th birthday of Lou Harrison, who died
in 2003, aged 85.

The following notes are from the album sleeve (enclosed):

Richard Felciano's "In Celebration Of Golden Rain" for the unique combination of Javanese Gamelan and Organ, the composer conducting, intrigued the imagination all the way. Felciano fulfilled his broad scheme, partly because he composed his own music for the gamelan. "Golden Rain" is the name of the spectacular set of tuned percussion instruments used on loan from Samuel Scripps.
Felciano wrote sparingly for the 12 UC players and the expert organist, Lawerence Moe. There were brief flourishes of phrases and silences, soft lowing rolls blending with the organ, articulative accents applied to tis sustained notes, deep gong tones picking up on the organ pedal, a fanciful play of overtones and stopped tones. Even of the conflict between the tuning temperaments of gamelan and organ. Felciano exploited the microtonal frictions to exquisite effect."
From article by Robert Commanday

Glossolalia was commissioned by Robert Snow for the dedication of a new organ in St. John Fisher Church, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The text was chosen from Psalm 150, a text in which organs, timpani, cymbals, strings - virtually every known instrumental type (...)
are exhorted to glorify God in his sanctuary.
The Latin text is exploited for it's phonic qualities as well as it's literal meaning, and the effect of glossolalia (speaking with tongues) is often the result. The work is a ritual in that the central instrument, the organ, is invoked from the outset by the others: the organ takes aural shape only gradually, the sound of it's bellows being heard before the sound of its pipes, attaining full definition only at the end.


Side One:

a1-Richard Felciano: Glossolalia (Ritual For Electronic Tape,Percussion,Baritone and Organ)
Marvin Klebe-Baritone
Peter Maund-Percussion
Lawrence Moe-Organ
Richard Festinger-Electronics
Conducted by the composer


a2-Lou Harrison: Gending Pak Chokro
Performed by the Berkeley Gamelan

Side Two:

b1-Richard Felciano: In Celebration Of Soft Rain (for Gamelan ond Organ)
Scripps Javanese Gamelan of the University of California, Jody Diamond and Daniel Schmidt, directors




























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