George Crumb

Music for a Summer Evening (1974) is the third part of the "cosmic drama" Macrocosmos, which investigates the relations between the innermost human soul and the vastness of the cosmos; relations that also determine the temporal, dynamic and tonal dimensions of the composition. Its immense material extravagance is reflected by a range of some 70 percussion instruments; in addition, the two pianists are required to perform a variety of different techniques, such as pizzicatos, flageolets, etc. A specific motto is attributed to each of the three cornerstones of the work: a quote by Francesco Quasimodo to the first movement, Blaise Pascal to the third, Rilke to the fifth. The second and forth movements are intermezzi, performed by the pianos and the percussion section respectively. A Little Suite for Christmas A. D. 1979 relates to the birth of Christ and, specifically, to two panels in the Arena Chapel in Padua painted by Giotto. In this composition, as in the Five Pieces for Piano (1962), the traditional range of piano sounds is extended by creative techniques. Altogether an incredibly full-sounding, imaginative "cosmic journey" through the musical world of George Crumb.