Release Date: 15 April 2013
Label: Babel
Packaging Type: Digipak
No of Units: 1
Barcode: 5028159000295
Genres: Jazz Avant-garde
Description
Pianist and arranger, Bruno Heinen was knee-deep in Stockhausen from an early age. The luminous presence of wind-up music boxes from his childhood are at the heart of his exquisite arrangements of Tierkreis.
Both Bruno's parents, cellist Ulrich Heinen and violinist Jacqueline Ross, had worked with the composer & electronic music innovator Karlheinz Stockhausen in the 70's in Germany when he composed Tierkreis (1974-5) for 12 music boxes. Bruno's father had acquired 4 of the music boxes, and Bruno's fascination with the piece began in the family home. A 5th was recently presented to Bruno for his birthday in late December - appropriately the Aquarius box - and he returned to the studio in January this year to lay it into this recording.
Tierkreis (meaning "the signs of the Zodiac") has 12 melodies based on tone rows, one for each star sign.Heinen has adhered to Stockhausen's brief instructions for the popular work, allowing for any combination of instruments, but that the performance should begin with the melody falling under the star sign of the selected date, and end with a repeat of the opening melody.
Heinen's recording in April, begins and ends with Aires, and on which the music box has a particularly vivid presence. Heinen brings his classical training and jazz sensibility, with traces of funk, west coast flavour and Blue Note
inflexions, to his substantial reworking of the composer's ideas. Certain movements include improvising with the melodies and music boxes, while others involve re-harmonising. His sextet of distinctive players bring their diverse experience to their readings and improvisations.
Tracklisting
Glockenspiel
Barbacana
Black Top
Black Top
Black Top
Christine Tobin
Christine Tobin
Billy Jenkins
Matthew Bourne
Various Artists
The Residents
The Residents
Sun Ra
Elton Dean
Soft Head
Mike Osborne Trio
