Wilfried Hiller • Buch der Sterne • Book of Stars 2 CDs
88 Sternbilder für die 88 Tasten des Klaviers - 88 constellations for the 88 keys of the piano"This double CD recording which comes with a pocket score is presented in an attractive box. The 88 constellations for the 88 keys of the piano were conceived to be based on the range from A2 to c5 but in the end my cycle Book Of Stars wound up to have just 72 parts. Originally, I had thought of 88 different pieces, and my notes referred to this concept throughout; however, only in the final stages of actually writing the music did I decide on the details. The Greek philosopher and astronomer Eudoxos compiled a catalogue of the 48 constellations known at his time which is still valid today. Some of these constellations, i.e. Cassopeia, Andromeda, Cepheus, Perseus and Cetus or Argo, Vela, Puppis, Carina as well as Columba, tell a coherent story which allowed me to combine them into one piece although they remain based on their respective fundamental notes. The first piece, the ouverture to my miniature operas without vocals, combines 11 constellations as observed by Nicolas Louis de Lacaille on Table Mountain: Mensa, Caelum, Circinus, Fornax, Microscopium, Norma, Octans, Pyxis, Reticulum, Telescopium and Antlia. These 11 constellations are connected through an 'ascending astral melody' from A2 to c5; in the score, their motifs are marked at their first respective appearance. I fell in love with two seemingly insignificant constellations: Columba and Lyra. And so it was that I composed these twice, from different angles. As Lepus Et Corvus and Phiuchus Et Serpens were combined, one winds up with exactly 72 pieces." Wilfried Hiller
CD 11. Mensa - Lacaille on Table Mountain
2. Eridanus - River of Tears
3. Orion - Wilhelm Herschel observes Orion
4. Aquila - The Eagle of Zeus
5. Crux - The Southern Cross
6. Aries - The Golden Fleece
7. Canis Maior - The Hellhound Cerberus
8. Centaurus - Wise Cheiron
9. Ara - The Pearl of Chrysomilea
10. Sagitia - The Arrow of Hercules
11. Pavo - The One-Hundred Eyes of Argos
12. Dorado - The Goldfish
13. Taurus - The Amorous Bull
14. Bootes - The Dance of the Ox
15. Triangulum - Delta of Venus I
16. Lepus Etcorvus - The Hare and the Raven
17. Sculptor - The Sculptor Rudolf [after a poem by Ulla Muth]
18. Horologium - Joseph Haydn's Pendulum Clock
19. Draco - The Frozen Dragon
20. Gemini - Wurrawarra, the Tasmanian Tiger
21. Ursa Maior - Alkor, the Star of Desire
22. Tucana - The Bird on the Small Magellanic Cloud
23. Crater - Drinking Song after Franz Schubert
24. Auriga - Tarot [VII]
25. The Apus - Alastair Bird of Paradise
26. Argo - The Ship Of the Argonauts
27. Cancer - Melody In mirrored Reflection
28. Vulpecula - The Little Fox and the Goose
29. Scutum - The Shattered Shield of Achilles [Fragment of Fragments]
30. Pegasus - The Winged Horse
CD 21. Perseus Etandromeda - The Petrification
2. Leo - The Sleep Of hercules in the Lion's Den
3. Hydrus - The Male Watersnake
4. Grus - The Crane's lament
5. Piscis Volans - The flying Fish
6. Canes Venatici - Bootes's Hunting Dogs
7. Columba - A] The Dove of the Argonauts during Calm
8. Columba - B] The Dove of the Argonauts in Gusty Wind
9. Pictor - The Painter Adam Elsheimer [1578- 1610]
10. Virgo - Persephone's Lament
11. Hydra - The Female watersnake
12. Lupus - The Wolf and the Pleiads
13. Monoceros - The Unicorn of Bomarzo
14. Ophiuchus Et Serpens - The Staff of Aesculap and the Serpent
15. Sextans - The Sextant
16. Ubra - The Balance [tarot VIII]
17. Corona Borealis - The Crown of Ariadne [Tarot XVII]
18. Corona Australis - The Southern Crown
19. Coma Berenices - The Hair of Berenice
20. Delphinus - The Song of Arion
21. Cygnus - The Amorous Swan
22. Scorpius - The Sentinel of Hades I
23. Indus - Melody of the Indian
24. Leo Minor - Lullaby for a Baby Lion
25. Camelopardalis - Galloping Giraffe
26. Phoenix - Phoenix
27. Sagittarius - The Sentinel of Hades II
28. Eqijuleus - The Bust of a Horse's Head
29. Lacerta - The Uzard of Chrysomilea
30. Triangulum Australe - Delta of Venus II
31. Lynx - The Lynx Eyes of Hevelius
32. Capricornus - The Shofar of En Gedi
33. Canis Minor - The Lesser Dog
34. Chamaeleon - The Chamaeleon
35. Piscis Ausirinus - The Solitary
36. Musca - The Fly or the Boomerang
37. Aquarius - The Stones of Deucalion
38. Ursa Minor - Lullaby for a Little Bear
39. Pisces - Venus and Cupid
40. Lyra - A] The Lyre of Heinrich I. F. Biber
41. Lyra - B] Scordatura in the water
42. Hercules - Hercules
Silke Avenhaus, piano
Celestial Harmonies
Doppel-CD + 188 seitige Partitur
Box leichte Lagerspuren, CD in Inneren noch versiegelt
