Philip Armstrong

Orphic Disclosure

Introduction:

"Orphic Disclosure" is a chamber work in seven movements for wind and brass octet: flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, trumpet, trombone & tuba. Each of the first six sections takes a piece of music based upon the Orpheus myth as a point of departure. The last section reveals the Orphic Disclosure.

Midi Recording:

1. L'Orfeo, an opera in five acts by Claudio Monteverdi, first published by Ricciardo Amadino, Venice in 1609. (mp3)

2. Orpheus und Eurydike, an opera in three acts by Ernst Krenek, first performed in 1926 and thereafter published by Universal Edition, Vienna in 1977. (mp3)

3. Orpheus, a ballet in three scenes by Igor Stravinsky, published by Boosey & Hawkes, London in 1947. (mp3)

4. Orpheus Behind the Wire, for mixed a cappella choir, by Hans Werner Henze to poems by Edward Bond, published by Schott Musik International, Mainz in 1984. (mp3)

5. The Mask of Orpheus, a lyric tragedy in three acts, by Harrison Birtwistle to a libretto by Peter Zinovieff, published by Universal Edition, London in 1986. (mp3)

6. Orpheus Buecher, for choir and orchestra, and Begehren for music theatre, by Beat Furrer including texts from Cesare Pavese, Ovid and Virgil, published by Baerenreiter, Kassel in 2001. (mp3)

7. Orphic Disclosure (mp3)