Located in the UK
Located in the USA
Located in Europe
- John McCabe
Desert IV: Vista (1983)
- Novello & Co Ltd (World)
Programme Note
Written for a printed Festschrift of compositions celebrating the 80th birthday of my teacher Thomas Pitfield, Vista is the fourth in a numbered series of pieces inspired by various aspects of desert landscapes (to which series there are several unnumbered additions). In this case, the music is intended to reflect the feelings invoked by the vast space of the desert land- and sky-scape, the immensity of distance and the sense of inwardness it can produce. Little flurries of wind change the shape of the dunes, and though there is considerable life in the desert, most of it is discreet and almost hidden. In the middle of this otherwise slow-moving piece, there is a quick, dance-like section, as if a lively caravan were moving across the scene, disrupting the otherwise reflective calm. The piece is for solo recorder (tenor and, for the central section, sopranino), and is dedicated both to Tom Pitfield and to John Turner, whose idea it was that I should contribute to this particular album and who gave the first performance.
© Copyright 1993 by John McCabe
© Copyright 1993 by John McCabe