SKU: PR.140401210

ISBN 9781491114438. UPC: 680160642106. 9 x 12 inches.

Written in honor of the Béla Bartók centennial, MUSIQUE NOCTURNES is inspired by one of his most characteristic and original works, the fourth piece (by the same title), from the suite Out of Doors. Both pieces feature overlapping “night musics” – atmospheric cluster figures, sharply contrasting motifs suggesting nocturnal bird, frog, or insect sounds, and an element of human, folksong-like melody as Levinson alludes to the authentic Hungarian folksong, “Tiszán innen, Dunán túl.”.
This simple piece was written in 2015 as a birthday present for the composer’s wife, poet and fellow bird lover Nanine Valen, and is a distant sequel to Canons and Chorale, which he wrote for her in 1969. The ornithological character is an affectionate tribute as well to his teacher Olivier Messiaen. The titular birds are a highly stylized chickadee and two song sparrows.First public performance: Swarthmore College, November 13, 2016, by Marcantonio Barone, whose editorial assistance in the preparation of this edition is gratefully acknowledged. Recorded by Marcantonio Barone on Innova 948.