Berio: Sequenzas III & VII, Différences & Chamber Music - Newton Classics CD

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• UPC: 8718247710409
• Product Type: Audio CD
• Brand Name: Newton Classics
• MPN: 8802040
• Genre: Classical
• Style: Avant-garde / Modern / Electronic
• Composer: Luciano Berio (1925–2003)
• Artists: Cathy Berberian (Soprano), Heinz Holliger (Oboe), Members of the Juilliard Ensemble
• Release Year: 2011 (Original recording 1969)

Product Features

• Format: 1 Compact Disc (CD)
• Recording Mode: ADD Stereo
• Total Timing: 42'26
• Recording Date: April 1969
• Packaging: Jewel Case
• Manufactured in: The Netherlands

Overview

This Newton Classics collection captures the innovative spirit of Luciano Berio, one of the 20th century’s most influential avant-garde composers. The album features definitive interpretations of his works, including the iconic Sequenza III for female voice, performed by his legendary collaborator and former wife, Cathy Berberian. It also showcases the virtuosity of oboist Heinz Holliger in Sequenza VII and the experimental fusion of live performance and magnetic tape in Différences. These 1969 recordings remain touchstones of modern classical music, highlighting Berio’s mastery of extended techniques and theatrical expression.

Interesting Facts

• The Artist and Muse: Cathy Berberian was Berio's wife from 1950 to 1964; though they divorced, they maintained a fruitful professional relationship, and Sequenza III was written specifically to exploit her unique vocal versatility.
• Vocal Theater: Sequenza III is described as a "musical theatre" piece, requiring the singer to perform 15 different vocal techniques, including "salvoes of laughter," coughing, and humming, to portray a chaotic stream of human thought.
• Technological Pioneer: Différences (1958–59) was one of the first successful attempts to combine live acoustic instruments with pre-recorded electronic tape.
• The "B" Natural Drone: Sequenza VII for oboe is built entirely around an ever-present B natural drone, which must sound throughout the piece from an offstage source, such as an oscillator or another instrument.
• The Juilliard Connection: These tracks were recorded while Berio was teaching at the Juilliard School, featuring the Juilliard Ensemble, a group he founded to specialize in contemporary music.

Track Listing

1. Différences for 5 instruments and magnetic tape — 14'51
2. Sequenza III for female voice — 6'58
3. Sequenza VII for oboe — 8'22

Due pezzi for violin and piano

1. I. Calmo — 4'16
2. II. Quasi allegro alla marcia — 2'06

Chamber Music for female voice, clarinet, cello, and harp

1. Strings in the Earth and Air — 4'16
2. Monotone — 2'06
3. Winds of May — 2'06

Publishers

• Label: Newton Classics B.V.
• Copyright: ℗ 1970 Universal International Music B.V. / © 2011 Newton Classics B.V.
• Art Direction: Jan Martin Wilschut BNO

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