Maurice Ohana (1913 - 1992) - Synaxis (1966) I. Diaphonie [0:00] II. Tympanum [2:21] III. Sibile [5:05] IV. Tropes [7:11] V. Clameur [9:15] VI. Organum [10:33] VII. Antiphonie [12:15] VIII. Maya [16:57] Pascal Devoyon & Christian Ivaldi, piano Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg, Arturo Tamayo (2000) Synaxis is a work for two pianos, four percussionists, and large orchestra dating from 1966. The instrumentation also notably includes a third-tone zither, which Ohana developed and used in several other works. The work is in eight movements, many of whose titles refer to medieval and ancient music. Typical performances last around 20 minutes. "After completing Signes, Ohana immediately began work on Synaxis. Commissioned by the Groupe instrumentale de percussions de Strasbourg, to whom the work is dedicated, Synaxis explores the textural relationships between piano and percussion, featuring two pianos, four percussion soloists and an additional large percussion group in the body of the orchestra. Synaxis means literally 'concentration', 'meeting' or 'collection' and is described by Ohana in the preface to his score as 'the name given to a primitive liturgy of the second century. Here, it designates a set of essential aspects of sound ordered in the form of a ritual (ranges, timbres, rhythms, durations, densities, harmonic syntheses, etc.).' Synaxis contains among its movements 'Diaphonie' from the Greek 'diaphonia' meaning discord, or the refusal of two sounds to combine or unite. Its third movement, 'Sibile' (later corrected to 'Sibylle' by the composer) is a reference to he prophetic woman of classical mythology." 'Tropes' and 'Organum' come from Renaissance music terminology, and 'Maya', the final movement, refers to "the hymn sung for the 'Mayas', or May festivals, associating renewal of nature with devotion to the Virgin Mary." Synaxis demonstrates Ohana's wide range of influences, from African tribal music, which he encountered while serving in World War II, to Renaissance polyphony, which he studied at Schola Cantorum. "The 'Tympanum' movement of Synaxis includes sections where individual rhythmic layers are equal and evolve independently. The specific instruction here is for equality between the four percussion soloists: 'aucune des quatre percussions solists ne doit dominer'. Their mutual independence is enhanced by the separate tempo indications for each of the four rhythmic strands, ranging from ♩ = 66, 92, 112, to 132. While none of the parts paraphrases the role of the 'master' drum [typical in African drumming], the African principle of layering to create resultant rhythms of considerable complexity is preserved." The influence of Renaissance and Medieval music is apparent in 'Tropes': "written entirely in third-tone microinterv ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6qCoM6O4RA

Nikolai Roslavets (1881 - 1944) - String Quartet No. 1 (1913) Novosibirsk Philharmonica Quartet (1994) Nikolai Roslavets's String Quartet No. 1 is a single-movement composition typically lasting around 12 minutes. "The First String Quartet (Jalta, Autumn 1913) by Nikolai Roslavets (1881 - 1944) is one of the most significant compositions of his artistic development. The composer concentrated on a counterpoint of musical micro-units, combining brief motives with refined dynamics, rhythmic structures and articulation. While analysing these inherent possibilities he laied the foundation for a 'new rhythm' and 'new polyphony', which would be typical of his monumental composition of the 1920s. The first quartet was published in Moscow during the composer's lifetime." (source: Marina Lobanova) Original audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7APzDcaUOo ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_v-SMsGL6o