Dario Muller - Magic Boxes: Meccanismi incantati '2014

Tracks list

Tracklist

01. Die Spieldose
02. Carillon, Op. 43, No. 1
03. Music Box, Op. 69
04. Musical Box I
05. Jardin de niños, Op. 63: III. Boite à musique (Musical Box)
06. Ou l'on entend unve vieille boite a musique
07. Carillon
08. Marie Antoinette's Music Box
09. The Musical Box
10. The Music Box
11. Musical Box II
12. Cajita de musica
13. Air d'enfant
14. The Musical Snuff-Box, Op. 32
15. Boite à musique
16. 25 Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel, Op. 24: Musette
17. Carillon I
18. Petite boite à musique
19. Tobatiere à musique, Op. 69
20. Boite a musique
21. Carillon II
22. Carillon, Op. 35
23. Il carillon scordato
24. Il carillon rotto
25. Visions fugitives, Op. 22: IX. Allegretto tranquillo
26. Caixinha de musica quebrada
27. Works for Flute Clock, Hob. XIX: No. 4, —
28. Works for Flute Clock, Hob. XIX: No. 21, —
29. Allegro in C Major for Mechanical Clock, WoO 33, No. 4 (Arr. for Piano)
30. Minuet in C Major for Mechanical Clock, WoO 33, No. 5 (Arr. for Piano)
31. Spieluhr Polka (Arr. O. Schulhof for Piano)
32. The Clock and the Dresden Figure (Arr. for Piano)



The sound world that is disclosed by opening a music box has always fascinated
musicians. One wonders why so many artists have been attracted by the ethereal
appeal of these small musical mechanisms invented three-hundred years ago; the
answer, indeed, must lie in their imperceptible vibrations, their celestial
sounds communicating tenderness and serenity, and evoking the reassuring
atmosphere of childhood. Curiously, the sound of the carillon began instead to
be imitated in works that took inspiration from fairy tales and legends,
automatons, literary themes, or magical/surreal atmospheres. Various imitations
of carillons were hence created through the expressive means of the piano. Among
them there are simple motives (generally rêveries and berceuses) that are
part of didactical collections destined for children, such as those by Alexandre
Tansman, Paul Pierné, Irène Poldowski and Milo Giovanni; humorous and
grotesque carillons, like those by Vittorio Rieti, Alfredo Casella, Heitor
Villa-Lobos, Pierre Sancan, Rudolf Friml, Franco Margola and Enrico De
Angelis-Valentini; and other pieces that reproduce the various tinkling sounds
of music boxes, snuff-boxes and clocks, such as Emil Neblings Spieldose. In the
classical and Biedermeier periods, clockwork musical instruments called
Flötenuhr or Spieluhr made their appearance in central Europe. Consisting of
a spiked drum, some wooden pipes, bellows and a clock, the Flötenuhr played a
delicate and bright tune on the stroke of each hour, producing a magical
atmosphere. Some musicians composed works for these mechanisms, among them Haydn
and Beethoven. Our programme features four such pieces to exemplify this curious
production. Also the Tic-Tac Polka from Johann Strauss operetta The Bat, here
recorded in an arrangement for piano made by Otto Schulhof, is part of this
musical genre, taking us back to the time of Viennas splendour.

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