Del Tredici, David / Vintage Alice/Dracula
Album: Vintage Alice/Dracula   Collection:Classical
Artist:Del Tredici, David   Added:Apr 2008
Label:Innova Recordings  

A-File Activity
Add Date: 2008-11-09 Pull Date: 2009-01-11 Charts: Classical/Experimental
Week Ending: Jan 4 Dec 21 Nov 30 Nov 23 Nov 16
Airplays: 3 1 1 1 1

Recent Airplay
1. Oct 28, 2010: blood orangeasm
Dracula
4. Dec 29, 2008: Music Casserole
The Mad Hatter's Song: Verse I, Cadenza 1
2. Jul 04, 2009: Music Casserole
Cadenza Iii
5. Dec 19, 2008: Memory Select (early edition)
The Mad Hatter's Song: Verse I
3. Jan 02, 2009: Memory Select
Interlude
6. Nov 27, 2008: A2Z sub
Cadenza III/The Mad Hatter's Song: Verse II

Album Review
Craig Matsumoto
Reviewed 2008-10-31
Chamber music plus soprano vocal.

Tracks 1-13: are based on the mad tea party from Alice in Wonderland. An appropriately whimsical mood, but your ears will still recognize it as "serious" classical, in unsettling and even goofy tones. The vocalist has some fun with the wordplay and silliness (tracks 6 and 7, e.g.) "God Save the Queen" and "Twinkle Twinkle" get quoted and twisted around.

3&4, 6&7, or track 9: These make for nice scene-setter interludes during an experimental or eclectic show; would also be good late-night "WTF" fare.

1- Spoken word, from the text, female narrator.
2- "God Save the Queen" in drunken swirly tones. 24 seconds.
3- Soprano syllables, echoed by clarinet(?)
4- Track 3 continues, gets nuttier
5- Like #2, "with crude pomposity"
6- Vocal solo, gets a bit out there. Pauses before track 7, although I like the sound of both of them together
7- Teetering, a feeling of being off-balance and crazy.
8- More spoken text, then a french horn interlude
9- Busy, bustling "changing places" music; lots of text
10- Small vocal peeps
11- High peeping "Ah" sounds, a bit athletic. Then murky, off-toned music and a madwoman's "Twinkle Twinkle."
12- "GSTQ" returns
13- Fading little "twinkle," then a strong ending.


Track 14: Dramatic 21-minute piece titled "Dracula." Spoken narration and occasional singing, including the soprano reaching for deep, croaky tones representing The Count. Music starts surprisingly upbeat; even gets tuneful for passages around -17:00 and -13:00. Big crescendo around -10:30. Dig the theremin warbles at around -7:00.

Track Listing
1. Vintage Alice: Narration   8. Interlude
2. First Evocation Of The Queen   9. Changing Places
3. Cadenza 1   10. Cadenza Iii
4. The Mad Hatter's Song: Verse I   11. Quodlibet-Return
5. Second Evocation Of The Queen   12. Hymn To The Queen
6. Cadenza Iii   13. Sleeping-Coda
7. The Mad Hatter's Song: Verse Ii   14. Dracula