Description

The 3rd of 4 in the series includes incredible ”down to earth” compositions performed brilliantly by hornist, composer and arranger Daniel Grabois.

Name: Daniel Grabois - Earth Names (CD)
SKU: WEEC664337
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.7 (109 reviews)

GENRE: Classical/Horn/Chamber

COMPOSERS: Maurice Ravel, Daniel Grabois, Daniel Kessler, John Stevens, Su Lian Tan

This is the third of four recordings in Grabois” ”Names” series, following Air Names and Fire Names.

Grabois recorded Air Names with no thought to creating a tetralogy, but then it struck him that four recordings representing the four primal elements and showing four different areas of his engagement with the horn and with musical styles was a great idea. Air Names explored songwriting using (mostly) the horn sound effected and distorted electronically.

For Fire Names, Grabois created a much more long-form composition: a 45-minute work for horn and fixed media (otherwise known, to those of us who are older, as ”tape”). In Fire Names, the horn sound was not transformed by effects, but the tape track was created entirely in his lab. The title Fire Names inspired the composition: He imagined some sort of prehistoric scenario involving the control and naming of fire, and composed accordingly.

When it came time to plan Earth Names, the title suggested a grounded quality, something down-to-earth. He had received from composers some incredible pieces of music for horn and piano in contemporary styles, and had written two pieces for unaccompanied horn and a duo for horn and cello. All of that had to go on this disk. To round it out, he added Maurice Ravel”s Sonata, originally written (in his teen years) for violin and piano. The violin part easily adapted to horn, and the piece makes a gorgeous horn sonata. And thus was the repertoire conceived.

Daniel Grabois is a hornist, composer, arranger, and electronic musician. He is Professor of Horn at the Mead Witter School of Music, University of is also a member of the Meridian Arts has engaged with new music since the beginning of his career, playing countless premieres. He has published numerous pieces of chamber and solo music featuring the horn.