Sonata for violin and piano (2000)
duration: 24’
GRT • 071
CDs available
Mercurial
Marianne Rothschild (violin), Glenn
Riddle (piano)
Reed Music
Infinite
Heartbeat
Duo Sol: Miki Tsunoda (violin), Caroline Almonte (piano)
ABC Classics
audio sample
3: The Infinite Heartbeat
score
available from
Australian Music
Centre
program note
This violin
sonata is programmatic in a very general sense, following a
journey (in four movements) into space and back to Earth.
It does not attempt to portray any one particular mission.
The following note has been assembled from various sources
to give some idea of what I had in mind when I was writing
the music. The actual music can be listened to simply in
its own right, though the notes may hopefully add another
dimension.
1: Escape
Velocity
In order to escape the Earth’s gravity, a rocket must reach
a speed of around 40,000 kmh - otherwise known as ‘escape
velocity’. Many rockets have exploded on the launch pad. In
1986, NASA’s Challenger 5 exploded 73 seconds after liftoff
and claimed the lives of the 7 crew members. Astronauts put
their lives in the hands of the best technology available.
James Irwin wrote before a successful mission, “As we drove
out (to the launch pad), there was plenty of time to
reflect on your life: Did you have your life in order;
where are you going today or where are you hoping to go
today?”
2: Alone in Space
“After eighteen days of a space mission I was convinced
that all visible space - the black emptiness, the white,
unblinking stars and planets - was lifeless. The thought
that life and humankind might be unique in the endless
universe depressed me and brought melancholy upon me, and
yet at the same time compelled me to evaluate everything
differently.” - Yuri Glazkov
3: The Infinite
Heartbeat
“What struck me most was the silence. It was a great
silence, unlike any I have encountered on Earth, so vast
and deep that I began to hear my own body: my heart
beating…” - Aleksei Leonov
4: Return to
Earth
The return to Earth poses a mixture of apprehension due to
the hazards involved in re-entry, but also wonder at
stepping back onto firm ground at normal gravity and seeing
people again. NASA does not generally advertise the
problems astronauts have even standing as their muscles do
not quickly cope with the return of gravity. In 1962,
America’s first astronaut in space, John Glenn, had
problems during the return to Earth in Friendship 7 (as
noted in a NASA mission log): “…would the straps on the
retropack keep the heatshield in place long enough during
re-entry? And even if they did, was the thermal protection
designed and developed into the Mercury spacecraft truly
adequate? Would this, America’s first manned orbital
flight, end in the incineration of the astronaut? The whole
Mercury team felt itself on trial and awaited its verdict.”
article
available on resources
page
reviews
“In
The Infinite
Heartbeat,
Greenbaum’s use of gentle minimalism is restfully
attractive.”
recordsinternational.com, September 2003
“Duo Sol — local girls Miki
Tsunoda on violin and Caroline Almonte on piano — has built
up quite a reputation as a chamber ensemble. According to
the notes this CD (Infinite Heartbeat) is their celebration
of "the love affair between the violin and the piano and
the shared heartbeat of chamber music collaborations". It
is an impressive collection of mostly early to mid-20th
century music that charts diverse national contributions.
The pieces tend toward the lush and romantic, but the album
is not without its more challenging modernist moments.
These two aspects come together in the beautiful title
piece by Stuart Greenbaum. Here and with the best of the
other pieces we are given more than simply bewitching
melodies — the heartbeat of the music transports to new and
particular worlds.”
Marcus O'Donnell, Sydney Star Observer, January
2004
“This
CD, Mercurial, devoted entirely to the music of Stuart
Greenbaum is a treat for lovers of Australian classical
music. There are two sonatas, for saxophone and for violin,
solo pieces for violin, saxophone, and piano and two sets
of songs. The effect is direct, warm and affectionate all
at once. The repertoire on the CD is beautifully performed
and recorded. The violin sonata is my favourite piece of
the other works, characterised by gypsy wildness and
sometimes a folksy warmth that I think is one of the truly
special aspects of Greenbaum’s music. His music draws in
the listener (and performer) making them feel welcome and
special. This is quite a talent. I highly recommend this
CD.”
James Nightingale, Australian Clarinet & Saxophone Vol
8-4, December 2005
“Equally beautiful in its
simplicity was the musical performance of violinist
Courtney Keeper and pianist Bernardo Scarambone (Greenbaum,
The Infinite Heartbeat). Setting the tone for ‘Poetry
Arrived’, the duo’s soft melodies carried throughout the
auditorium.”
Leticia Vasquez, UH News Today, April 2004