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Modulations 1

  • Text
  • Hatzis
  • Modulations
  • Vibraphone
by Christos Hatzis | Percussion Quartet

promoted Inuit culture

promoted Inuit culture around the globe. His strongest inspiration is his own religious faith, and his religious works have been hailed by critics and audiences alike as contemporary masterpieces. In addition to composing and teaching, Hatzis has written extensively about composition and contemporary music. His writings have been published on Interface, Organized Sound and Harmony, are increasingly translated into other languages and are frequently listed as required reading for music courses in tertiary educational institutions. Two of Hatzis’s works – String Quartet No. 1 (The Awakening) (PE117) and Constantinople – have earned him Juno Awards for Classical Composition of the Year (2006 and 2008, respectively) by a Canadian composer. In 2008 Hatzis also received the Jan Matejcek Concert Music Award, awarded to the most performed and broadcast Canadian composer of the year. In 2010 Hatzis was commissioned by virtuoso violinist Hilary Hahn to write a new work for violin and piano. The resulting work, Coming To (PE119), appears on Hahn’s album In 27 Pieces: The Hilary Hahn Encores, which went on to win the 2015 Grammy Award for Chamber Music / Small Ensemble Performance. A second commission from Hahn soon followed, with Hatzis writing the hyper-virtuosic Dystopia (PE121) for solo violin. In 2013 the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra commissioned Hatzis to score a major new ballet work, Going Home Star: Truth and Reconciliation. Hatzis collaborated with award-winning aboriginal throat singer Tanya Tagaq, Steve Wood and the Northern Cree Singers in creating the score for the groundbreaking production. The ballet’s subject matter is close to the composer’s heart as it confronts the impact of the residential school system on Canada’s aboriginal young people. Upon premiering in October of 2014, Going Home Star received critical acclaim. Most of Hatzis’ writings and other information about the composer can be found at http://www.hatzis.com. PE118 – iv

Modulations 1 (2011) I. Points of Intersection II. Nocturno III. Crystallization Modulations 1, for two vibraphones and two five-octave marimbas, was written at the request of TorQ Percussion Quartet after a workshop featuring the music of Hatzis’ composition students at the University of Toronto. The premiere performance was given by TorQ as part of the New Music Festival (Canada) at Walter Hall, Faculty of Music, University of Toronto, Canada on 5 February 2012. Two fundamental techniques are evident in this work — Hatzis’ ongoing interest in metric modulation and minimalism. Metric modulations allow the music to continue to sound the same, but the notation appears differently, giving a new perspective to the performers. From this new rhythmic platform an additional pulse can easily be added, creating complex cross-rhythms. A similar approach is applied to harmonic shifts. Fundamental changes are nearly imperceptible at first; listeners only recognize in hindsight once a new element is fully realised. There are also sudden shifts, as if quickly moving faders on a mixing board to contrast this often subtle approach. Performance notes General • Metric modulations are integral to this work. The relationship over a double bar line is expressed as an equation, and a new tempo is also stated for clarity. • Dynamics should be strictly adhered to. It is intended that some material will be inaudible as it fades in or out. • Notes with a cross centred on the stem indicates a deadstroke. PE118 – v

Score Library

Hatzis Modulations Vibraphone