Battalia Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber / Arr. Joel Blahnik

Vergriffen (Restexemplare bei uns noch lieferbar!) / Permanently out of Print (we still sell our remaining stock)

ECK20930

Battalia, written in 1673, is one of the most ingenious and unusual compositions of the Baroque era. A grand thesis, with social, historical and musical ramifications, may be made of this work. As a "battle piece" dedicated to Bacchus, it appears to deride the Baroque disdain for war; yet, through the glittering but transparent curtain of sound effects and musical games, Biber's severe censure of the values and mores of the aristocracy of the period, which hired armies and treated war as a royal sport, is apparent. The eight folksongs in the second movement simultaneously sounding in seven keys (D, C, d, F, A, G, e) with two meters in nine voices, represent the various ethnic groups forming those armies. It becomes evident that this din implies the cancellation of identity in the chaos of war and unveils the grim reality of bloodshed and the destruction of individuality and property. The resulting meaninglessness is a gem of philosophical imagery grafted in the art of music.

This edition is based upon the original set of parts (no score having been found) present in the archives of the summer residence of the Prince-Bishop Kastelkorn, the castle of Kromeriz, Czechoslovakia. The original instrumentation was for three violins, 4 violas da gamba, 2 violons and cembalo.

-Program Note by Joel Blahnik