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Green Jade - Plum Blossoms
by Violet Archer (1982, for C & alto flute, baritone & piano)

Violet Archer composed in all genres, and was especially attracted to the idea of Gebrauchsmusik (literally, 'utility music'), a concept closely linked to her teacher Hindemith. Traces of music as a social endeavour can be found throughout her oeuvre, especially in her many pedagogical works. Archer wrote that her deep religious faith also provided a sense of purpose and foundation to her work. Above all, Archer was an adventurous composer, blending neo-classicism with, at various times, dissonance, folk-elements, expressionism, and parallelism. Though she taught serialism and aleatoric methods, Archer did not incorporate these techniques into her music. Despite the variety of methods she employed, Archer’s music is marked by a spareness of textures and a certain clarity. She completed 335 works over her lifetime.

The collection of works by Violet Archer on this recording span thirty years. The final two works, the song set Green Jade and the brief song Separation, are linked by Chinese texts. Green Jade is notable for the addition of C and alto flute. Extended and somewhat ‘exotic’ techniques are asked of both the flute and piano parts. The set dates from 1982. Separation, composed 1976, consists of a single musical phrase and lasts a mere 13 measures, a brevity that is perhaps possible only in a 20th century context in marked contrast to the 10th century origins of its text.

lyrics

Green Jade
Poems from Sunflower Splendor by,
Wu-chi Liu & Irving Lo

3. PLUM BLOSSOMS

On a branch covered with jade-green moss-
A pair of tiny birds of kingfisher blue
Roost side by side.
Myself a stranger, I encounter her
By the fence at dusk,
Leaning without a word on a tall bamboo.
Chao-chün: unused to distant Tartar sounds,
Secretly longs for the land south and north of the river.
I think of her, pendants clinging, returning
under the moon,
Turned into this blossom all alone.

credits

from Gentle Lady, do not sing sad songs​.​.​., released June 12, 2013

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Ludwig Recordings Delta, British Columbia

Ludwig Recordings is a Record Label specializing in the music of composer Christopher Ludwig and its artists.
Ludwig Recordings has an especially strong focus on Art Song.

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