Henning's Headquarters

[Karl Henning]

:-)

In the book, the Second Night is, in essence, the two characters (Nastenka, and the narrator, never named, so since he calls himself a Dreamer, that will serve) sit and talk, telling one another about themselves.  At first glance, entirely non-dramatic.

So I've parceled out the Act (Night the Second) thus:

= The Dreamer waits for Nastenka to arrive, unsure that she will: Scene 4 (the present, two dancers)

== As Nastenka never knew him before their chance meeting the night before, she demands to know "everything about" him: Scene 5 (story, corps de ballet and The Dreamer)

= Nastenka responds with "timid sympathy" (The Dreamer is probably a bit overbearing): Scene 6 (the present, two dancers)

== Nastenka tells of her home life with her Granny, and history, of their taking a Lodger into their home: Scene 7 (story, Nastenka, Granny and The Lodger)

=== The Lodger takes them to the opera: Scene 8 (story-within-a-story, Nastenka, Granny, The Lodger, corps de ballet)

== Nastenka tells of her falling for The Lodger (a development in our story which conflicts The Dreamer, since he has hopes), and the ensuing crisis: Scene 9 (Nastenka, The Lodger and Granny)

= The Dreamer is touched, and assures Nastenka of his help, agreeing to deliver a letter: Scene 10, concluding the Act (the present, two dancers)

Scene 5 itself is in three large parts, in sequence (though not in proportion) reflecting the book:

The first (mm. 1 – 103) is The Dreamer speaking of himself (a little self-disparagingly, though even so, probably with a touching honesty, rather than 'artful' social modesty) as an unfocused eccentric;  part of the music, then, is a variant on the tune at the beginning of Scene 4 which represents The Dreamer, solus, awaiting Nastenka's arrival.

The second (mm. 104 – 327) is a series of vignettes and characteristic dances.  From the standpoint of the ballet tradition, the idea is a nod to (e.g.) the Grand divertissement in Act II of The Nutcracker.  The "justification" from the text is, The Dreamer's discursive talk of himself includes at one point a Whitman-esque list of literary and social allusion . . . so practically from the first time I read the novella, I have recalled Cleopatra e i suoi amanti (which, it turns out, refers to a verse fable by Pushkin), so I knew I wanted to write an Egyptian Dance.  And again, when first I read it, I noted mention of The Little House at Kolomna, which even at the time I knew was Pushkin, knowing it for the source of Stravinsky's one-act opera, Mavra . . . which drove the decision to include Parasha's Aria from Mavra (itself too brief to come even close to counterweighting the Egyptian Dance, hence my "padding" the Aria with my own varied Tropes).  (The ostinato chord accompaniment is my own device, I did not simply steal from Stravinsky.  Not that there would have been anything wrong with that . . . .)  That's enough to mention for now, except that (whether I had this in mind nine years ago, I do not know) in preparing this fresh 'edition' of the Scene, I realized how the 6/4 material of the Debussy Nuages allusion (also a nod to his adapting Musorgsky, and my passage there uses both Musorgsky's harmonic noodling, and Debussy's, by turns) recalls to me the Promenade ritornello in Pictures at an Exhibition (I mean functionally, though, again, there is the neat Musorgsky tie-in).

The final section (mm. 328 – 438) is The Dreamer being himself, we might say, unable to hide his feelings from Nastenka, and full of the sense that God has sent her, "my good angel."

[kishnevi]

Having found the Wikipedia summary of the original story,  may I ask why you did not follow up on the Barber of Seville used in the story.
(For others: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Nights_(short_story) )

[Karl Henning]

An excellent question!  In short, I've not got there yet.

Per the back-of-the-envelope outline above:

= The Dreamer waits for Nastenka to arrive, unsure that she will: Scene 4 (the present, two dancers)

== As Nastenka never knew him before their chance meeting the night before, she demands to know "everything about" him: Scene 5 (story, corps de ballet and The Dreamer)

= Nastenka responds with "timid sympathy" (The Dreamer is probably a bit overbearing): Scene 6 (the present, two dancers)

== Nastenka tells of her home life with her Granny, and history, of their taking a Lodger into their home: Scene 7 (story, Nastenka, Granny and The Lodger)

=== The Lodger takes them to the opera: Scene 8 (story-within-a-story, Nastenka, Granny, The Lodger, corps de ballet)

== Nastenka tells of her falling for The Lodger (a development in our story which conflicts The Dreamer, since he has hopes), and the ensuing crisis: Scene 9 (Nastenka, The Lodger and Granny)

= The Dreamer is touched, and assures Nastenka of his help, agreeing to deliver a letter: Scene 10, concluding the Act (the present, two dancers)

I've italicized the Scenes presently readied.  Literal use of Rossini I have reserved for the actual night at the opera (Scene 8).  I composed a perky original Spanish Dance for the end of Scene 7, to indicate Nastenka's and her Granny's delight at the prospect of going to see Il barbiere di Seviglia.

[Brahmsian]

Listening to:

White Nights, Op. 75 No. 9  Scene 6 'Nastenka's Timid Sympathy'.

Terrific Karl, this is a lovely piece!    I love the bassoon and harp interplay!

[Karl Henning]

Thank you!  Happy Friday, Ray!

[Brahmsian]

Thank you!  Happy Friday, Ray!

And to you, Karl! 

[TheGSMoeller]

Double posting alert...

Sitting in one of my top coffee spots listening to new music from Karl Henning. A great way to start a beautiful day off. Two splendid new works, Nastenka's Timid Sympathy and The Dreamer Explains Himself. Had to replay the section at around 4:00 from The Dreamer when the percussion kicks in, a little funky, a little sinister, very invigorating!
Thanks for the morning music, Karl! 

[kishnevi]

Listening to:

White Nights, Op. 75 No. 9  Scene 6 'Nastenka's Timid Sympathy'.

Terrific Karl, this is a lovely piece!    I love the bassoon and harp interplay!

+1

[Karl Henning]

Thanks, all!

And now, the start I've made (last night and this morning) on Scene 7.

Again, this is music I composed some 7-8 years ago, and for which I am preparing "definitive" (i.e., performable) scores in Sibelius, in preparation of setting to work of the ballet's genuine completion.

[Karl Henning]

If it be no gross immodesty, let me say I am getting a charge out of revisiting this music, some of which (quite a bit of it, really) I had clean forgot over the years.  I am mighty proud of the horn tune at [ F ] . . . gives me chills, really.

[Brahmsian]

If it be no gross immodesty, let me say I am getting a charge out of revisiting this music, some of which (quite a bit of it, really) I had clean forgot over the years.  I am mighty proud of the horn tune at [ F ] . . . gives me chills, really.

Keep at it, mon ami.  I'm looking forward to listening to White Nights in its completion!! 

[Karl Henning]

Thanks, Ray!

[Mirror Image]

Keep at it, mon ami.  I'm looking forward to listening to White Nights in its completion!! 

+1 Ballet music may be my favorite genre of classical and hearing White Nights in it's completed form finally will be a thrill.

[Karl Henning]

Working on it.  Starting by getting fresh, ready-to-perform editions of all the "old" material done.

Should get Scene 7 done this afternoon!

[Karl Henning]

Whew.  I consider myself provisionally done with Scene 7.  Too pooped to work on it any more (I did "finish," we're at the final double-bar);  mulling a place or two.

[Karl Henning]

I'm not sure there's aught 'wrong' with it;  and if so, I am sure it needn't be 'fixed' this week.  I'm going to let it cure . . . .

[Brahmsian]

Listening to:

White Nights, Op. 75 No. 10, Scene 7 'Nastenka's Story Begun'

It is gorgeous, Karl.  Sumptuous!   

[Cato]

Listening to:

White Nights, Op. 75 No. 10, Scene 7 'Nastenka's Story Begun'

It is gorgeous, Karl.  Sumptuous!   

Amen!   0:)  I commented earlier that one easily senses that the music tells a complex story with many layers.  And an impression of possible choreography also comes through easily (well, at least in my mind!  0:)  ).

We are hoping to see the finished score of this section and of the entire work!

[Karl Henning]

Thanks, gents!

[Karl Henning]

Some of the musical things going on in that scene:  The next scene will be the Opera (the "Rossiniana"), as the Lodger takes Nastenka and her Granny to Il barbiere di Seviglia.  Hence the Spanish Dance at the end of the present Scene, for the girlish delight of Nastenka and Granny at the prospect.  For dramatic impact, then, I reserved the use of the higher woodwinds for the Spanish Dance.  There is a curious resonance with listening to the Shostakovich Fourteenth at about this time, since the backbone of Scene 7 is the strings (for much of the number, divided into eight parts, a true novelty for me) and percussion.