- De Nacht: Lament for Malcolm X (1983)
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Anna Rubin
for soprano, flute, oboe, Bb clarinet, bassoon, horn in F, piano, violin, viola, violoncello, and contrabass
De Nacht was written while I was studying in Amsterdam with Ton de Leeuw in 1983. I composed it for a competion run by the Delta Ensemble and was awarded first prize. I assembled the text, which is an impressionistic collage drawn from several sources including Near Eastern mythology and Malcolm’s X’s own life. Words from several languages are used. I was very influenced by the mythological works of Joseph Campbell and his concept of the hero’s journey. The piece is in two broad sections. Melodic fragments are set against fast, pizzicato and staccato accompanimental figures in the first part. It builds to a dramatic climax and is followed by a serene closing section which is a setting of a Hawaaian creation song.
At a time when the earth was hot,
At a time when the heavens turned about,
At a time when the sun was darkened to cause the moon to shine,
The slime, the source of the earth, the source of the night, that made the night,
Intense darkness! The deep darkness, the darkness of the sun, darkness of the night, the night gives birth.
The piece premiered at The Icebreaker (Het Ijsbreker), Amsterdam, in 1983 was performed several times after by the ensemble.
- Viola a Tre (1988)
-
Anna Rubin
for three violas
Viola à Tre was commissioned by the New York State Council on the Arts 1988. Violist Marlow Fisher initiated the project while he was living in New York City. The rich colors of the instrument provided inspiration for this work which contrasts contrapuntal with chordal sections. The musical language is flexible – at times atonal, modal, and quasi-tonal.
The piece premiered at the Dia Foundation in New York City in 1989.
- Flames Rising and Falling to the Sea (1988)
-
Anna Rubin
for string quartet
Flames Rising and Falling to the Sea is a one-movement work emphasizing melismatic and florid writing in a hereophonic texture. The note D perfumes the piece anchoring the atonal language of the piece.