Aziraphal - The Little Match Girl

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The Website dedicated to original music of Aziraphal; composer and producer of Progressive Symphonic Ambient - electronic music with classical and romantic influences, author of various media soundtracks, classical pianist and a programmer specializing in Java.

Order the latest album - or enjoy the FREE MP3 songs on the Song List! Now with Website Radio!

What's New?

2008/01/22: "In Search of the Harmony Horizon": Free Download
The 1999 instrumental album is available as a free download, all 10 tracks in high quality! [more...] Also, links to 3 YouTube Videos in Soundtracks and Classical sections.

2008/01/03: Added Past Contest Entries
Various songs and experiments in different genres [more...]

Old news...

The Little Match Girl

Cover design by Visage
The main work of the new album is an electrosypmhonic poem in three movements "The Little Match Girl", based on the famous stirring and tragic tale by H. C. Andersen. It should be experienced as a musical soundtrack to a silent film or animation of the story. The first two movements faithfully paint the original tale; however, the third movement brings the unique approach to the story. Because the composition tells uf of the events as seen through the eyes of the little matchseller, we can follow her story further as she joins her Grandmother. For better understanding of the first two movements you can read the whole story that can be found on the Internet: (Link 1): The original story (Link 2): A slightly adapted version of the story Part 1: The Street The imaginary camera that the listener should experience in his/her mind pans over the rooftops of a small town; It is already dark, the Eve of the New Year. A town square comes in the view, delightfully illuminated by a thousand decorative lights. The snow falls gently as the last remaining people, with loads of presents ion their arms, hurry to their homes to celebrate New Year with their families. The sound of falling snowflakes suddenly changes; no longer gentle and romantic, it becomes harsh and dissonant, for it brings only suffering to the little girl whose story is now told by the composition. The cold, her fear and loneliness are interrupted only by the sounds of laughter and party from the open windows that she passes on her way to find buyers for her packets of matches. As she sinks to the ground, unable to move another step, the end of first movement sees her torn between the desire to warm herself by lighting a single match and the fear of the hard and avaricious father, who has only harsh words and beatings for the child; and what he calls love is even worse, for it leaves her in pain, embarrased and bleeding. Part 2: The Visions Finally summoning the courage to light a match, the girl experiences the visions of a warm stove, the table laden with food where the roast chicken and cuttlery seems to jump up and dance, and the marvellously decorated Christmas tree. Each of the visions gradually fades back in the harsh atonality of the freezing street. Seeing a shooting star after the third vision the girl is reminded of her kind late Grandmother. Striking the remaining matches she prays to see her again and to leave this world to be with her once again. Here the original story ends, but the final scene of the people finding her frozen body the next morning is not present in this work - for we still follow the story through the girl's eyes, and as the blinding light of the matches disappears she finds her magically transported in Grandmother's house. Part 3: Grandmother's House Awaking in the Grandmother's humble cottage the girl sees her cooking the dinner for New Years Eve. At first unable to believe that the suffering has come to an end; then notices the Grandmother's stove, the chicken and the Christmas tree - they are of course smaller and not as splendid as in her visions, but as they are Grandmother's own work they are all the lovelier for it. (Note, for instance, the sound-image of the tree's candles and decorations performed on a piano, as opposed to the synth arpeggiators of the tree from the second movement - that one, although bigger, impressive and machine-perfect, was nevertheless an impersonal product, designed for the masses on the town square!) The joy of the Grandmother and Grand-daughter seems to grow beyond all boundaries as they are united forever. The sorrows of the first movement are forgotten, and only with the final chord of the song we are returned to the terrible reality of the next morning.

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