Format: CD
Barcode: 5060212590176
Releasedate: 01-04-11
"I have no doubt that these 24 Preludes and Fugues are one of the finest piano works of our time..." - David Matthews
Novakʼs music is intensely spiritual, and is truly modern in that it adds something completely new to what has existed before. At the same time it is not overtly radical; it does not seek to destroy the existing order and replace it with something new. Novak retains strong links with tonality, but his tonality, with its frequent use of triads, sounds uniquely his.
The 24 Preludes and Fugues were written for the pianist William Howard over a 17-year period, and consequently reflect the evolution of Novakʼs musical language during this time. Many of them were premiered at the Dartington International Summer School.
This 75-minute work is divided into four ʻbooksʼ, the first two based on the Old Testament and the second two on the New Testament. Whereas the pieces in the first two books are distinct and individual, the cycle strives increasingly towards a unity of form as it develops, while at the same time revealing Novakʼs growing interest in unison and a consonance in his compositional language.
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1Book One (Old Testament):Prelude One. The Creation of Heaven and Earth02:17
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2Book One (Old Testament):Fugue One, The Creation of Man01:52
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3Book One (Old Testament):Prelude Two. The Age of the Patriarchs01:37
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4Book One (Old Testament):Fugue Two. Noah01:41
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5Book One (Old Testament):Prelude Three. The Flood01:22
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6Book One (Old Testament):Fugue Three. Noah's Ark02:14
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7Book One (Old Testament):Prelude Four. The Departure of Abraham00:57
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8Book One (Old Testament):Fugue Four. Abraham and Isaac00:47
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9Book One (Old Testament):Prelude Five. The Burning Bush03:02
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10Book One (Old Testament):Fugue Five. Moses01:04
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11Book One (Old Testament):Prelude Six. Saul and David01:47
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12Book One (Old Testament):Fugue Six. King David02:59
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13Book Two (Old Testament):Prelude Seven. Job00:43
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14Book Two (Old Testament):Fugue Seven. The Book of Proverbs01:09
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15Book Two (Old Testament):Prelude Eight. The Little Book of Psalms02:41
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16Book Two (Old Testament):Fugue Eight. The Little Book of Psalms03:59
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17Book Two (Old Testament):Prelude Nine. Ecclesiasticus02:37
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18Book Two (Old Testament):Fugue Nine. The Song of Songs01:01
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19Book Two (Old Testament):Prelude Ten. Elijah04:04
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20Book Two (Old Testament):Fugue Ten. Elisha02:39
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21Book Two (Old Testament):Prelude Eleven. The Lamentations of Jeremiah01:21
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22Book Two (Old Testament):Fugue Eleven. Jeremiah01:03
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23Book Two (Old Testament):Prelude Twelve. Isaiah01:57
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24Book Two (Old Testament):Fugue Twelve. Isaiah02:36
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25Book Three (New Testament) -'The Word became flesh and dwelt among us': Prelude Thirteen01:46
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26Book Three (New Testament) -'The Word became flesh and dwelt among us': Fugue Thirteen01:19
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27Book Three (New Testament) -'The Word became flesh and dwelt among us': Prelude Fourteen02:14
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28Book Three (New Testament) -'The Word became flesh and dwelt among us': Fugue Fourteen01:11
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29Book Three (New Testament) -'The Word became flesh and dwelt among us': Prelude Fifteen01:15
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30Book Three (New Testament) -'The Word became flesh and dwelt among us': Fugue Fifteen01:33
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31Book Three (New Testament) -'The Word became flesh and dwelt among us': Prelude Sixteen01:54
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32Book Three (New Testament) -'The Word became flesh and dwelt among us': Fugue Sixteen00:30
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33Book Three (New Testament) -'The Word became flesh and dwelt among us': Prelude Seventeen00:56
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34Book Three (New Testament) -'The Word became flesh and dwelt among us': Fugue Seventeen02:07
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35Book Three (New Testament) -'The Word became flesh and dwelt among us': Prelude Eighteen. Aria, The Seven Last Words of Jesus Christ on the Cross02:19
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36Book Three (New Testament) -'The Word became flesh and dwelt among us': Fugue Eighteen00:42
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37Book Four (New Testament) -Landscapes of the Lamb: Fugue Nineteen00:52
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38Book Four (New Testament) -Landscapes of the Lamb: Postlude Nineteen00:40
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39Book Four (New Testament) -Landscapes of the Lamb: Fugue Twenty00:50
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40Book Four (New Testament) -Landscapes of the Lamb: Postlude Twenty00:44
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41Book Four (New Testament) -Landscapes of the Lamb: Fugue Twenty One00:50
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42Book Four (New Testament) -Landscapes of the Lamb: Postlude Twenty One00:40
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43Book Four (New Testament) -Landscapes of the Lamb: Fugue Twenty Two00:55
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44Book Four (New Testament) -Landscapes of the Lamb: Postlude Twenty Two00:31
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45Book Four (New Testament) -Landscapes of the Lamb: Fugue Twenty Three00:27
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46Book Four (New Testament) -Landscapes of the Lamb: Postlude Twenty Three00:28
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47Book Four (New Testament) -Landscapes of the Lamb: Parellel Fugue and Postlude Twenty Four04:05