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The Pearl Octet: 12 Instrumental Scenes for an Imagined Theater
The Pearl Octet is a chamber piece in two parts inspired by John Steinbeck’s novella, The Pearl. Each movement’s title suggests a particular moment in the novella that inspired the movement; and each movement is essentially a “song without words,” structured in some variant of two- or three-part song form. The music in Part One is more folk-based in tone and character; while Part II steadily darkens as its musical material, textures and structures becoming increasingly complex – mirroring the story itself – until the Lullaby-Closing.

PART I
1. OPENING · WE MUST GO (3’26)
2. SEA SONG OF THE FISHING PEOPLE (2’33)
3. DIVING (2’32)
4. IT BEGINS (2’08)
5. THE PEARL (3’47)
6. MEDITATION ON THE UNCERTAINTY OF LEAVING (2’40)

PART II
7. THE MORNING OF THE DAY (2’55)
8. NO SALE (1’25)
9. HOW VAST THE SKY (2’48)
10. INFERNO (2’21)
11. FLIGHT (4’35)
12. LULLABY · CLOSING (2’39)
DURATION: 34 MINUTES

INSTRUMENTATION and PLAYERS for THE PEARL OCTET:
• Flute/Alto Flute/Piccolo: SUSAN ROTHOLZ
• Clarinet/Bass Clarinet/Alto & Tenor Saxophones: ANDREW STERMAN
• Trumpet: TIMOTHY SCHADT (Tracks 1, 2, 4, 5, 11); TONY KADLECK (Tracks 3, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12)
• Vibraphone/Percussion: ANDY BLANCO
• Piano: JOSEPH THALKEN
• Violin: MAXIM MOSTON
• Cello: ANJA WOOD
• Double Bass: PETE DONOVAN
• Conductor: LOUIS ROSEN
 

Riversongs Nonet
As a native of Illinois, I’ve long had affection for Edgar Lee Masters’ book of free verse poems, Spoon River Anthology – groundbreaking in its time — and have even visited the Petersburg, Illinois cemetery that served as the work’s inspiration. The first poem in Spoon River is The Hill, a portrait of the cemetery itself. Each poem that follows is an autobiographical epitaph of a dead citizen – essentially a self-portrait – delivered by the dead themselves, all of whom now reside on The Hill. Riversongs Nonet takes its inspiration directly from Masters’ poetry. Each of its four movements, though not in any literal sense “program music,” is an instrumental portrait inspired by the place or character for whom the movement is named. Riversongs Nonet is also a thorough reimagining of an early work of mine for chorus and orchestra that dates back to 1980, not quite my compositional adolescence, but you can see it from there. Reimagining this music today as a four-movement nonet meant balancing the desire to, on one hand, revisit this material and create a new work from it – specifically an instrumental version – while at the same time resisting the impulse to smooth out all of its rough edges or artificially hide some early influences that remain affectionately on display.

13. Mvt. I - THE HILL (7’15)
14. Mvt. II - JONATHAN HOUGHTON (5’07)
15. Mvt. III - EDITH CONANT (5’27)
16. Mvt. IV - LUCINDA MATLOCK (6’48)
DURATION: 25 MINUTES

A few brief structural notes:
The Hill is made in a variant of classical Sonata Form. The 1st Theme material is presented in the opening slow section; the 2nd Theme emerges when the music turns fast, rhythmic and aggressive; the Development juxtaposes variations on both themes, eventually leading to the return of the slow tempo and a restatement of the 1st Theme material. Jonathan Houghton utilizes a variant of an arch form, e.g. A B C D B’ C’ B’’ A’ Coda, while also following a broad tempo template of slow–fast–slow. Edith Conant is a chorale-like slow movement with three themes structured in a Rondo format: A B A C A. Lucinda Matlock also offers three clear themes in a Rondo format: Intro. A B A’ C B’ A’’ Coda, but with many tempo shifts and a fair amount of thematic development.
— LR, June 18, 2024

INSTRUMENTATION and PLAYERS for RIVERSONGS NONET:
• Flute/Alto Flute/Piccolo: SUSAN ROTHOLZ
• Clarinet/Bass Clarinet: ANDREW STERMAN
• French Horn: ZOHAR SCHONDORF
• Trumpet: SAM JONES
• Piano: CHARITY WICKS
• Violin: MAXIM MOSTON
• Viola: ALISSA SMITH
• Cello: ANJA WOOD
• Double Bass: PETE DONOVAN
• Conductor: LOUIS ROSEN

CREDITS
Produced by LOUIS ROSEN and SCOTT LEHRER
Recording and Mixing Engineer: SCOTT LEHRER
Mastering Engineer: OSCAR ZAMBRANO
Art Direction & Design: DEREK BISHOP
 

I’d like to thank the players, many of whom are long-standing colleagues, for their exceptionally fine work in bringing these pieces to life. A special thanks goes to Scott Lehrer for 35 years of splendid collaboration and friendship; to Oscar and Derek for their terrific work and our ongoing collaborations and friendships; and last, but hardly least, a heartfelt thanks to my former teacher, the late composer, William Ferris, to whom the 1st movement, The Hill, is dedicated.
 

This album is lovingly dedicated to the memory of my remarkably generous and dear friend, Joan McKay.
 

THE PEARL OCTET and RIVERSONGS NONET © 2023 by Louis Rosen/Lullwater Music, ASCAP. All Rights Reserved.
DT–265 ℗ & © by Louis Rosen. Distributed by Di-tone Records. www.louisrosen.com