For thirty years David Martynuik has been active as a composer, conductor, clarinetist and music educator. He particularly enjoys artistic collaboration with ballet/ dance, chamber music and art song. In addition, he has written for theater, film, choir, wind band and orchestra. He currently resides near Philadelphia, PA with his wife Laurie. Further information can be found at his website
davidmartynuik.com.
Program Notes
This project could be best described as back to basics. What is more elemental than the human voice accompanied by a stringed instrument in service to relating an entertaining story? This fourth Vocalise is my attempt to answer that rhetorical question in a fanciful way. I’ve been fascinated by the legend of Hyperborea, the mythical region the Greeks considered to be
terra incognita above the Arctic Circle. Despite knowing that the climate grew ever colder as latitude increases, the old myths considered Hyperborea to be a tropical paradise. To quote one of my favorite contemporary writers, Haruki Murakami, “People don’t want the truth. They want beautiful, comforting stories.” That seems as apt today as it has ever been. I choose to imagine Hyperborea to be similar to Key West, Florida. In keeping with the vocalise tradition, there are no words, merely suggestions of suitable vowel sounds. One can easily imagine that the original “text” is either “lost” or in some language for which there is no modern equivalent.