A Garland for Dr. K.

A Garland for Dr. K. is a set of eleven short compositions created in 1969 for the celebration of the eightieth birthday of Dr Alfred Kalmus, the director of the London branch of Universal Edition. It is also the title of an album containing these eleven pieces of music, recorded in 1976. History The Garland was initiated in January 1969 by the London office of Universal Edition, who invited eleven composers with close ties to their director, Dr. Alfred Kalmus, to write short pieces of music to celebrate his 80th birthday. All of the pieces were to be scored for performance by members of the Pierrot Players. The works were premiered as a group by the Pierrot Players on 22 April 1969, at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in the Southbank Centre, London, in a programme that also included the world premieres of Eight Songs for a Mad King by Peter Maxwell Davies, and Linoi II by Harrison Birtwistle. Seven years later, a recording of the entire Garland was made by a Spanish ensemble directed by Cristóbal Halffter for an LP produced by Universal Edition. Constituent parts The eleven composers and their contributions are: David Bedford: Garland for Dr. K, for flute (+ piccolo, alto flute), clarinet (+ bass clarinet), violin (+ viola), cello, and piano (+ harpsichord) Hugh Wood: Garland for Dr. K, for flute, clarinet, violin, cello and piano Pierre Boulez: Improvisé—pour le Dr.