“This is the first piece I wrote specifically for Phaedrus. It is the piece that “ignites” the whole process. I think it represents well my excitement as I embark in this new and challenging adventure. Although in the course of the years I expect to become fairly eclectic, this piece is a good representation of the kind of music that you can expect in Phaedrus.”
Over the centuries, many artists have been inspired by the beautiful landscapes that our Earth offers at different moments of the day.
Carlos Plaza explains:
I originally wrote this piece for Kotebel just before embarking on the writing of the piano concerto. I decided to work on the first movement and I immediately turned to “Dawn” because I felt that the string introduction was perfect. However, as much as I liked the piece, it was not appropriate for the piano concerto. It had a lot of piano, but I wanted to be more meticulous with respect to the way the instrument was used. I wanted a more classical approach for the piano. So, I took the opening section and discarded the rest…..
This section in Phaedrus features a combination of audio and text. This allows you to take the program with you and listen to it at your convenience. Then, you can always come back to the text section and continue your exploration of each classic.
Our first analysis of the Classic of the Month features “Close to the Edge” from Yes. There is a lot to say about this classic, both from a purely musical point of view and also its lyrics, packed with mystical content, and how they relate to the novel Siddhartha by Herman Hesse. Therefore, this classic will span over 2 programs. This first program will be devoted to the Structural Analysis strictly from a musical point of view. On the second program, I will concentrate on the lyrics and its relationship with Siddhartha.
Program 1 includes an introduction to some key music concepts: form, time signatures and phrases. These concepts are used during the structural analysis of the piece.
Here’s a short extract of Close to the Edge – Part I:
For several decades, the question of “Tonality” vs. “Atonality” has been the subject of analysis and debates by musicologists, musicians and philosophers. The fact that atonal music (dodecaphonic, serial, concrete, etc.) has not been able to impose itself over tonal music after a century, has led many to believe that atonal music is “unnatural”.
This article features a detailed analysis of the Pentacle Suite, and a previously unreleased live video with Kotebel’s performance of the Pentacle Suite in the 2007 edition of the Gouveia Art Rock Festival. Here’s an extract:
We start this section with a peculiar album. It serves as a statement that good Art Rock doesn’t necessarily have to come out of progressive rock bands. We will include some similar albums occasionally. This album comes from a well-known Pop artist. For some reason, he felt compelled to write something outside the bounds of the mainstream commercial perimeter where he usually lives.
The result is an album full of vitality, clever arrangements, intriguing melodies. An aesthetic landscape different to what we’re used to in progressive rock, yet it has all the elements of an excellent prog album.
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