I'll Charm the Air to Give a Sound
op. 71 (1994)for piano duet, four hands
Duration: 10'
Publisher
Boosey & Hawkes
Territory
This work is available from Boosey & Hawkes
for the world.
Availability
Composer's Notes
- Enter three witches (strathspey)
2. something wicked this way comes
3. All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand
4. Fire burn and cauldron bubble
5. till Birnam forest come to Dunsinane
6. The wood began to move
My first collaboration with the Dance Theatre of Johann Kresnik was Macbeth.
Kresnik is a master in creating scenes of shocking intensity. I tried my best to match his impact, but despite all the blood & entrails poured into the orchestral pit around the lone piano – according to Gottfried Helnweins’ stage design – my two pianists looked like time travellers out of the 19th century. Yet the combination of stage & music worked miraculously well.
Not wanting to lose some of the music I formed a little suite, choosing appropriate quotations out of Shakespeare’s play as titles to compensate for the lack of scenery.
Kurt Schwertsik, 2015