Music Finland Core

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New York+New York = tombeau ou toute chose en provenance du tombeauNew York-New York = le soleilNew York plus New York equal a funeral.New York minus New York equal the sun.AdonisWhen I encountered for the first time in the late 1990s the name of Adonis's poem Tombeau pour New York (A Tomb for New York, 1971) I knew instantly that I wanted to write a piece with that title.The Syrian poet Adonis's (Ali Ahmad Sa'id ) modern fantastic and surrealistic poetical language had already earlier impressed me. The main themes in his poetry - exile, identity, language, politics and religion - remain universal and challenging, seen from his unusual multicultural perspective.Nevertheless it should be pointed out that my own Tombeau is not a musical interpretation of the poem. The first drafts and ideas for the piece orginated in 1998 when I studied in San Diego with Brian Ferneyhough. I returned to the material in December 2003 after having made a few changes in the ensemble as a point of departure for the current piece. When returning to the material at that point I very well realized that the implications of the title could in the aftermath of 9/11 be seen in many different lights. The piece is thus not a direct reflection around the horribilities of 2001 in NYC.Perhaps the title in my interpretation should be more seen as a hommage to the diverse collisions between mythologies and ambiguities that the surrealistic pairing the capital of the 20th century New York and Tombeau could give rise to. Additionally I have often been attracted to the calm serenity and refinement of many pieces written in memoriam during the end of last century.Behind the surface of the piece is a harmonic canonic matrix which designs how different harmonical things occur in the piece. Not very far away from the architectural urban crisscross of Manhattan with Avenues and Streets. We could say that each region or streetcorner in NYC has its own surface identity which might change at the next corner. When walking lazily around passing a landmark you think for a moment that you are at a certain corner before realizing it was a 'duplication' of the same landmarks (neon signs) more uptown.The piece is dedicated in memoriam my father Leif. G. Tallgren who passed away in January of 1998.© Johan Tallgren

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Abbreviation	Instrument
Woodwind
acl	alto clarinet
afl	alto flute
arec	alto recorder
asax	alto saxophone
barsax	baritone saxophone
barhn	baritone horn
bcl	bass clarinet
bfl	bass flute
bob	bass oboe
bsax	bass saxophone
bsn	bassoon
cbsn	contrabassoon
cl	clarinet
ehn	English horn
fl	flute
hn	French horn
ob	oboe
pic	piccolo
rec	recorder
sax	saxophone
srec	soprano recorder
ssax	soprano saxophone
trec	tenor recorder
tsax	tenor saxophone
Brass
ahn	alto horn
atrb	altotrombone
barhn	baritone horn
btrb	bass trombone
cornet	cornet
euph	euphonium
fhn	flugelhorn
hn	French horn
tba	tuuba
thn	tenor horn
trb	trombone
trp	trumpet
Percussion
dr	drums
glock	glockenspiel
mar	marimba
perc	percussion
timp	timpani
vibr	vibraphone
xyl	xylophone
Strings
db	double bass
gamba	viola da gamba
str	strings
vla	viola
vlc	cello
vln	violin
Other
acc	accordion
cel	celesta
cemb	harpsichord
chords	chords
elbas	electric bass
elg	electric guitar
elorg	electric organ
elpno	electric piano
guit	guitar
harm	harmonium
hca	harmonica
hp	harp
instr	instrument
kantele	kantele
keyb	keyboard
live electr	live electronics
mand	mandolin
mel	melody
org	organ
pno	piano
synth	synthesizer
tape	tape
Vocal
alto	alto
baryt	baritone
basso	bass voice
ch	choir
chc	childrens choir
chf	female choir
chm	male choir
chx	mixed choir
cten	countertenor
mezzo	mezzo-soprano
sopr	soprano
speaker	speaker
ten	tenor
voc	vocal

Symphony orchestra
2222 4331 11 1, str = 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 French horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, one other percussionist, harp and strings
Wind band
2252 3 423 21212 3 = 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 5 clarinets, 2 bassoons - 3 saxophones - 4 French horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones - 2 cornets, alto horn, 2 tenor horns, baritone horn, 2 tubas - 3 percussionists
Big band
221 4 4, pno, guit, db, dr = 2 alto saxophones, 2 tenor saxophones, baritone saxophone, 4 trumpets, 4 trombones, piano, guitar, double bass, drums
Additional codes
+	fl+pic = flutist doubles on piccolo
/	pno/org = can be played on either piano or organ
lib	ad libitum
obl	obligato
str	str: 65432 = specified number of string players
str min	str min: 65432 = at least 65432
str max	str max: 65432 = not more than 65432
solo	vln solo = violin is the solo instrument in a work not obviously for solo violin