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Celestial Bodies: A Ballet

by Nicholas Tristan

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1.
2.
Jupiter 04:08
3.
4.
Moon 01:21
5.
Venus 06:06
6.
Ceres 04:17
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.

about

"Celestial Bodies" is a ballet score in eleven movements about the wonders, the terrors, the absurdities of our cosmos. From our own moon in orbit to fading, decaying light arriving to us from a star long dead, our universe offers us so many questions but so few answers. It is different from Holst's "The Planets" because he didn't include a movement about a dead dog.

Scored for six-nine musicians, "Celestial Bodies" is presented here in all virtual instrument form. While Covid contributed to this, I also don't know where to get someone who has both a Contra Alto Clarinet and and Eb Flute. The score features at maximum two woodwinds, one trumpet, one pianist, one organ/keyboardist, and 1-3 cellists. All cello divisi can be played as doube or triple stops, so fullness of sound and difficulty would be considerations here.

This album is, in many ways, a demo. It was written and recorded in NotePerformer, and I then in turn mastered the bounced audio files. I am hoping to make my own mix in the future. I would also be very interested in collaborating with a choreographer to stage this work in the future.

The concept for "Celestial Bodies" came to me from my wonderful boyfriend Sam, who suggested I write a piece using a similar six-piece configuration with this -- two woodwinds, one high brass, two harmonic instruments and a cello. The work began from there.

Enjoy!

credits

released November 12, 2020

Written, produced, and mastered by Nicholas Tristan

Instruments performed by the talented robots that live in my computer. Thanks gang!

Instrumentation (sorry):

Woodwind 1: doubling Clarinet in Bb (track(s) 1,8, 11), Flute (2, 5, 10), Alto Clarinet (3,6), Alto Flute (3,4,6,9), Piccolo (3,6), Bass Flute (10-11), Bass Clarinet (11), Contrabass Clarinet (11), Soprano Saxophone (11), Flute in Eb (11)

Woodwind 2: Bass Clarinet (track(s) 1,3,6,10), Clarinet in Bb (2,5.10), Soprano Saxophone (3,6), Alto Clarinet (4, 11), Contra Alto Clarinet (8), Bass Saxophone (11), Flute in Eb (11), Clarinet in A (11)

Brass: doubling Trumpet in C (track(s) 1,10-11), Piccolo Trumpet in Bb (2, 11), Cornet in Bb (3,6,8,11), Trumpet in D (3,6,8,11), Flugelhorn (4-5), Baritone Bugle in G (10-11),

Keys 1: doubling Grand Piano (track(s) 1-6, 8, 10-11), Harmonium (9,11)

Keys 2: doubling electric organ (track(s) 1, 2 w/ pedalboard, 4, 5 w/ pdl., 6, 7 w/ pdl, 11 w/pdl), Vibraphone (3, 10-11 both bowed), Celesta (3, 11), Harpsicord (8), Ondes Martenot (10-11),

1-3 Strings: doubling Cello (track(s) 1-11), Bass Viol or Viola de Rosa (11)



Cover art by Nicholas Tristan, using a painting by Joan Miro.

Special thank yous to: my beautiful boyfriend Sam, NotePerformer for making Sibelius a functional program, and of course all those...celestial bodies. Give it up for things that are in space!

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about

Nicholas Tristan Victoria, British Columbia

Nicholas Tristan is a Victoria-based composer, producer, arranger, writer, and gadfly.

Nicholas has produced or written arrangements for artists as diverse as Guided By Voices, Jully Black, We Are All, and Hilario Duran. His work has been performed at festivals and conferences from Los Angeles to Leipzig.

He is also an electronic musician and producer -- check out his work at nicofantasy.com
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