CONCERTO FOR ORCHESTRA
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CHASMS-OMENS-SHARDS-SPELLS is a ten piece suite, weaving from several contrasting imagery centered around themes and scenarios of individualization and quest for liberty, conquering the wild mystery of nature, and thus taking uncharted steps in diverse narratives ranging from the distant past times and up to the distant future.
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CHASMS-OMENS-SHARDS-SPELLS is performed by some of the best orchestras in the world and spreads over multiple continents including : Americas, Europe, Asia & the Middle-East”
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CHASMS-OMENS-SHARDS-SPELLS is roaming between folk, jazz, contemporary improvisation, the Avant-Guard and establishes Alon Nechushtan as a ‘talent to hear, with a surfeit of ideas, and an unbridled spirit with bold, two fisted sense of architecture”
Michael .F. Jackson – DownBeat Magazine
1. SECRET SECT 13min
Commissioned by Tel Aviv Soloist Orchestra,
Conducted by Barak Tal
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2.ANCIENT LANDSCAPES 8min
Commissioned by Tel Aviv Soloist Orchestra,
Conducted by Barak Tal
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3.TRISMEGISTUS 9min
Commissioned by the Phillipine-Philharmonic-Orchestra
Conducted by Chino Toledo
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4.CLOUD PILLAR 14:min
Commissioned by the New England Conservatory Orchestra
Conducted by Marcin Bela
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5.GARDEN OF FORKING PATH 10min
Commissioned by Jerusalem Academy Orchestra
Conducted by Avner Biron
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6.FROST AND FIRE 7min
Commissioned by M.I.T Festival Orchestra
Conducted by Fredrick Harris
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7.CYCLONE 4min
Commissioned by SLEE SYNFONIETTA
Conducted by Matt Chamberlain
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8.STORM KING 5min
Commissioned by SLEE SYNFONIETTA
Conducted by Matt Chamberlain
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9.INDIAN TRAIL 4min
Commissioned by SLEE SYNFONIETTA
Conducted by Matt Chamberlain
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10. LOOSE WINDS 12min
Commissioned by Manhattan Wind Ensemble
Conducted by Sarah Fernandez
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CHASMS-OMENS-SHARDS-SPELLS is a through-composed in its core, framework and individual structures, yet each of these movements explores the expressive array of improvisation to some extent (whether utilizing chordal harmony, aleatoric choices , sonoric effects and many other devices) – ensuring that every performance is a unique event, and that every collaborating force has its own contribution and unique say.
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CHASMS-OMENS-SHARDS-SPELLS is performed by live, with no multi takes, by the best forces around.
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Secret Sect is written for string orchestra and a soloistic string quartet starts out like a subsonic burst of murmurs and appearances, but soon develops into conflict of interests between the protagonist and the group, who lures him into battle. It was inspired by a short story by the Argentine writer and philosopher Jorge Luis Borges and deals with the complications of maintaining a secret cult.
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Ancient Landscape” is shaped as a pastoral and written for a protagonist embodied here by a flute and a pair of horns, who gradually sweeps the orchestra, into a grand Cana’anite dance, whose mood and spirit hints to the location: the ancient Middle East.
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Trismegistus” is written for a clarinet and orchestra based on the mythological figure of Trismegistus : a hybrid of Christian faith with mystical Jewish and Arab mysticism. The story centers on the struggle between the protagonist and his surroundings, eluding the authorities that hunt him and outlaw him because of his mystical influence.
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Cloud-Pillar ” written for chamber orchestra and steps back into biblical time and portrays a day’s journey in the life of an Israelite individuals through several ecstatic and mystical occurances such as hunting, rejoicing, dancing, praying. The percussion section here is a dominant element and manifest the mystical spirits. The texture of the compositions augments and diminishes graphically much like a cloud formation. *
The Garden of Forking Paths ” is written for a cello solo and a string orchestra and closes a circle with the first episode, also draws its inspiration from the writer Jorge Luis Borges and tells the story of a spy jailed inside a maze which draws him across our world to a strange, limitless outwordly-zone that defies the flow of time.
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Frost and Fire” is orchestrated for a Big-Band, our protagonist here is born in a futuristic, cold planet where all human beings have only one week of life. It is based on the story of science fiction author Ray Bradbury. The rhythmic pulses provided by the orchestral marks the time running backwards and the improvised sections mark the resourcefulness and creativity of our protagonist who races againt a stopwatch moving to an anavoidable, gloomy zero point.
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Cyclone, Indian Trail, Storm King is an inner suite which pays a hommage to Charles Ives’ three places in New England. Each of these meditations pays a tribute to a New York Staple landscape; whether Urban or rural. While ‘Cyclone’ emulates the raucous hustle of the new comers to the Coney Island amusement park at night, ‘Storm-King’ remains stoic, mysterious and quite at times revealing a vast meadow of open breathtaking nature, animals and traveling folks, ‘Indian Trail’- pays a historic tribute to the Native American land, with its Aqueduct trail that connect the upper Hudson and beyond.
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“Loose Winds” is orchestrated for a unique two orchestras: A Wind Ensemble and an Andalus Ensemble (a Unique Middle-Eastern group of Solo instruments specializing in performance of music of the Andalus Period) containing the Nei, Daf ,Riq, Darbuka, Qanun, Oud, Arabic Fiddle, Accordion, Bass, and vocal) and is based on music inspired three hot Summer Middle-Eastern winds: the ‘Hamseen’ ( hot steaming wind), the Simoom (A desert wind of sand and dust), and the Sharqi (A typhoon-like storm that comes and goes to different regions of the Arab Peninsula).
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“Each of the ten pieces here express a different vibe or sonic scene. I had a variety of images passing through my eyelid movies as each piece unfolds. Even with seven different ensembles involved, the sound throughout this disc is consistent, engaging and thoughtful. Let’s give a hand to Alon Nechushtan, a fine composer in his own right. ” – Bruce Lee Gallanter, Down Town Music Gallery, September 15th 2023 NewsLetter.
“Overall, this is a major piece of contemporary Orchestral Classical Music, rich and complex, full of wonderful compositional skills and highly imaginative mind behind it. As such, I can only recommend it wholeheartedly, hoping that many music lovers will discover this music and learn to love it, as I did.” – Adam Baruch, Jazzis
“Alon Nechushtan‘s symphony Chasms-Omens-Shards-Spells, which draws upon ancient religions and includes tracks inspired by Borges, Bradbury and Ives (Naxos, September). Richard Allen, A closer Listen