Lois V Vierk

for solo accordion

The myriad timbres and expressive dynamics of the accordion have always been a wonder to me. The instrument's deep and powerful sounds, its penetrating middle register with octave doublings, its high-pitched soft, fragile, colors are all full of interest and are gorgeous. Unlike a piano, where the struck notes die away, an accordion held-note can dramatically or gently crescendo and decrescendo. Many kinds of accents and dynamic shapes are possible. Dynamics make the music flow.

Blue jets and red sprites are two kinds of lightning that flare at the outer limits of earth's atmosphere. They flash high above a thunderstorm, appearing over the part of the storm that is producing the most powerful cloud-to-ground lightning. One theory of juets and sprites holds that after a strong lightning bolt there is an upward rush of electrons. As the electrons surge upward in a kind of upside down avalanche they eventually collide with nitrogen molecules. This makes them glow blue or, at higher altitudes, flash bloodred.

These descriptions of visual and aural events were my starting points in writing the music.

Blue Jets Red Sprites was commissioned by Guy Klucevsek.

Recording is by Guy Klucevsek, accordion

Please note that the score has been slightly updated.  The recording does not contain those updates so it will not completely match the score. 

from CD:

Starkland ST-209 "Guy Klucevsek: Free Range Accordion"

http://www.starkland.com/st209/index.htm

Click here to view the score.

Lois V Vierk

for four accordions

Many of my works from the 1980's are for ensembles of like-instruments--8 cellos, 18 trombones, 8 violins, 8 ryuteki flutes, etc., and this work for 4 accordions. In these pieces two or more of the instruments act together, forming a "sound shape". The beginning of this work consists of relatively simple sound shapes of trills and tremolos. The piece unfolds slowly. It utilizes principles which I call "exponential structure" in which rates of change of musical materials are constantly increasing by an exponential factor. Gradually these materials develop into more complex and dynamic scales, repeated chords and clusters, accents and dynamic patterns. Over a 20-minute time span Manhattan Cascade is transformed from a gentle flow of sound to its cascading conclusion, crashing like a giant waterfall.

This piece was commissioned by Guy Klucevsek.

Vierk: Manhattan Cascade, for 4 piano­‐accordions      

Recording is by Guy Klucevsek, accordion      

from CD: New World Records NWCR626 "Manhattan Cascade"

Click here to view the CD on New World Records. 

Click here to view the score.