{"product_id":"2496021","title":"Peter Szilvay - A Desperate Light [CD]","description":"Brand New From Reputable UK Company With 30 Years Experience In Retail, Please Note Not All Our New Items Are Shrink Wrapped.\u003cbr\u003eAll items shipped within 3 working days of payment.\u003cbr\u003ePlease note that all our DVDs are Region 2.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePlease note that not all audio CDs are shrink-wrapped fom the factory.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe piece opens as a cry for help. It is the struggle and despair of being locked up, wings clipped, denied access to life, without knowing when it will all be over. Relations, isolation, the longing to meet others again -- everything we experienced together during the COVID lockdown.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is a work tailor-made for a choreographer, and once again I am struck by how visually Kverndokk composes, and with what agility.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe source of inspiration here is stated by the composer himself: it is a tribute to Leonard Bernstein, inspired by maestro Bernstein's symphony 'The Age of Anxiety'.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut what is impressive and fascinating is this: despite the nod to his hero in his themes that touch upon scenes in 'West Side Story, such as 'Mambo' and 'The Rumble', it is Kverndokk through and through, and not Bernstein.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen all is said and done, I would like to quote Stephen Sondheim, who also wrote the lyrics to 'West Side Story', and the protagonist of his musical, 'Sunday in the Park with George': Finishing the hat, mapping out the sky! That is always what it's about.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe work was written during the pandemic, but it would be inappropriate to associate it with this period, for the dramatic scope of the work is larger than what the lockdown of the country gave us.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe contemplative theme, which is introduced after barely four minutes and which also contains an echo of 'Maria' and 'Tonight', is a melodic passage you can spend all day with, play over and over, drink wine to, letting your thoughts wander. Linger there, for soon desperation will really cut loose, before fading away and ending with an open question: will the world ever be the same again?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHow does an idea originate? In Kverndokk's universe two lines from a poem can give rise to an entire work:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eToday is that day, the day that carried\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA desperate light that since has died ... \u003cstrong\u003ePablo Neruda\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGisle Kverndokk: Three Pictures Rue Lafayette\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNight in St. Cloud\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAt the roulette table in Monte Carlo\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSymphonic Suite from 'Around the World in 80 Days' London: 'Phileas Fogg starts his journey around the world'\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eParis: 'Violetta's seduction'\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRome: 'Tosca's death'\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSuez: 'Salome's dance'\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBeijing: 'Phileas Fogg heroically escapes the claws of Turandot'\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRomance in The Pacific Ocean\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFinale: 'Phileas Fogg's victorious return to London'\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA Desperate Light\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Chalkys.com","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54419367297409,"sku":"2496021","price":17.48,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0056\/8043\/1219\/files\/7090020183312.jpg?v=1750535850","url":"https:\/\/chalkys.com\/products\/2496021","provider":"Chalkys.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}