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John Psathas: A Learning Guide to Three Psalms, View From Olympus, and Omnifenix

These three concerti (Three Psalms, View From Olympus, and Omnifenix) from John Psathas are the subject of this Learning Guide from Chimaera.

The NZSO recorded these concerti in 2005 with conductor Marc Taddei and soloists Joshua Redman (saxophone), Michael Houstoun (piano), and Pedro Carneiro, (percussion). The CD/DVD of these exciting works shot to number one on the classical charts immediately on launching in September 2006, and remained the number one classical selling album in New Zealand practically uninterrupted for five months. It won a “Best Classical Album” Tui award at the 42nd Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards in 2007.

This Learning Guide contains:

- Overview and background to all three works, performers and instruments.
- Detailed analysis of each work.
- Learning activities for use with the CD/DVD, aural and score reading work, composition tasks, and extensive research activities including the history of NZ classical music.
- Free worksheets for this resource are available from Chimaera

Recordings of Three Psalms, View From Olympus, and Omnifenix are available on CD, together with the “Making View From Olympus” DVD here .

Full scores of the concerti are available from SOUNZ here:
Omnifenix
Three Psalms
View from Olympus

Teacher and student scores of Three Psalms, View From Olympus, and Omnifenix can be obtained from Promethean Editions.

Firestarters 3 - The Mike Nock Piano Collection

Firestarters 3 is a collection of nine recital pieces for solo piano written by Mike Nock, suitable for performers of approximately Grade VI to Diploma-level ability. Each piece has been annotated with suggestions for performance and interpretation, and all are ideal for student recital or professional performance. The volume is accompanied by a CD featuring realisations of the works by the composer. Firestarters 3 was published with funding support from Creative New Zealand, the Arts Council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa.

Biddington: Two Partitas; computer-set

Fazakerley: Carillion; computer-set

Fazakerley: Sea-Change; facsimile

Ritchie, A.: Widow's Songs; computer-set

Diskson: Three Cello Miniatures; computer-set

Wilson: Wind Octet; facsimile

Davidson: The Graceful Ghost: Contemporary Piano Rags

Many people think contemporary ragtime is a contradiction in terms, but this is not so. This album proves that ragtime is still a vital and exciting medium for contemporary composers.

Some controversy surrounds the performance of ragtime. There are those who think that the music should be played exactly as written, while others believe the pieces are just a starting point to improvisation. Personally, I travel the middle road, playing the works mostly as written, with changes in rhythm (and occasionally in harmony) during repeats.

Although ragtime, even now, mostly uses the musical language of the 1830s, I believe my harmonies (which bring it up to the 1890s) and Smart’s (which bring it into the 1910s) push the envelope as far as possible, while still allowing the pieces to be ragtime. As long as the muse remains alive in the land, then this wonderful, joyous music will continue to entertain and enlighten.

Matthew Davidson

Davidson: In the Land of Wonderful Dreams; facsimile