Mahler and Klezmer in Santa Barbara Featuring Clarinetist David Krakauer

Santa Barbara conductor Nir Kabaretti (photo copyright David Bazemore)

It was the day before Passover and all through the lovely acoustics of the Granada Theater, nostalgia was afoot. It came in the form of a Mozart Overture, a Mahler Symphony, and some new music for clarinet, the klezmer clarinet of David Krakauer. (N.B. Klezmer is a style of playing common to the Ashkenazi Jewish communities of Eastern Europe and Russia).

Maestro Kabaretti’s thoughtfully crafted program featured the integration on non-western vernacular (folk) musics into the western classical idiom. The incorporation of an age’s popular music into the newly written concert music of that era is a time honored tradition in music history.

Today’s concert would feature Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s imitation of the exotic music (to Viennese audiences) of Turkish Janissary music in the overture to his opera, “The Abduction from the Seraglio”. The plot consists of a story that involves a Turkish Pasha who has kidnapped the lover of the leading man. (Spoiler: He rescues her).

There was a personal nostalgia in that the first opera recording I bought was the budget LP of the Josef Krips conducted performance of that opera. The overture quotes some of the music of the opera and sets the exotic locale with the imitation of Turkish music.

The relative exoticism of Turkish music was imitated by Mozart in his 5th Violin Concerto, subtitled “Turkish”, as well. Listeners may recall the imitation of Turkish martial music in the finale of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony (just after the cherub stands before God). Mozart’s inclusion of piccolo, triangle, big drum, and cymbals (rarely seen in classical era orchestras) typify the European imitation of this ethnic music.

Mozart’s overture works well as a standalone piece and Kabaretti’s Santa Barbarans stimulated at least this listener’s sense of nostalgia in a beautifully crafted reading of this music. From the familiar opening notes this overture this listener was transported to nostalgic reverie and simultaneously enthralled by the energetic reading of the work. It was a delightful balance of both nostalgia and an opportunity to somehow hear this work anew.

Clarinetist David Krakauer (c)Linus Lintner Fotografie

What followed that delightful overture brought featured performer David Krakauer to the stage for a performance of a new (2018) concerto for klezmer clarinet. But before that, we were treated to what Krakauer described as “an arrangement” of a classic klezmer wedding tune. The affably chatty Krakauer is apparently possessed of a genuine humility here because this was virtually a mini concerto for clarinet and string orchestra whose style had some resemblance to the Mahler Symphony programmed post intermission.

Krakauer is a seriously accomplished musician, composer, musicologist, and teacher. His technical and interpretive skills are of Olympian dimension and his ability to relate to fellow musicians and the audience were a joy to behold. Readers of this blog might recall an earlier review of yet another klezmer concerto also championed by Krakauer. You can read that blog entry here.

The youngest music by the youngest composer on the program was next. Wlad Marhulets (1986- ) is a Polish born and educated composer. His name had been unfamiliar to me but a quick look at his website and a few listens on YouTube revealed this man to be a marvelously skilled and creative composer. Put this man’s name on your listener’s radar.

Doubtless our soloist had some input on the performance of this concerto but Marhulets appears to have an in depth understanding of klezmer performance along with a solid grounding in western classical music and a marvelously nuanced skill at orchestration. This is a substantial concerto and a great addition to the repertory.

Like the Mahler Symphony which would follow in the second half of the concert, Mr. Marhulets demonstrated a range of compositional skills. He can evoke humor, terror, nostalgia, joy. He handles a large orchestra augmented by an electric bass guitar and a drum kit. And he has a subtle but effective sense of orchestral color. The soloist, who has a lot to do, winds in and out of passages that pit his clarinet variously against the full orchestra and in duet pairings, sometimes fleetingly, that suggest images of pub, dance hall, and street concerts. All of these the natural milieu of Klezmer music.

The concerto began loudly, raucously, and assertively. The soloist navigated the complex rhythms and subtle balances of texture as only a master musician can do. Kabaretti and his fine orchestra were clearly up to the significant challenges of this music and clearly enjoyed their labors.

The loud, declarative, opening gave way to a lovely and lyrical slow movement followed by a long and engaging cadenza, sometimes punctuated briefly at times by the orchestra. It then led into a really fun (though hardly trite) finale.

Following a richly deserved standing ovation, Krakauer and the orchestra gifted the audience with an encore. Echoes of klezmer in the many moods evoked by this afternoon’s music making left this listener reflecting on the chaos in our world here, in this beautiful hall, in this beautiful city, on the eve of Passover. I fancy that there is a gentle activism here, one in which the sharing of the beauty of a culture’s esteemed artists (composers and performers) acts as a proud display of some of the best that that culture has to offer. The quality of the music and the music making can’t fix the world’s problems but they can give us hope and joy. Great art elevates the soul. At least that’s what this reviewer felt.

The intermission was needed to replenish listeners’ emotional reserves for the second half. No doubt the musicians needed to recharge as well.

The Mahler First Symphony (1888) triggers more personal nostalgia for two reasons. One, my first Mahler purchase was the Bruno Walter reading of this and the ninth symphony. Second, I will forever associate that first movement depicting dawn in its opening. Astute listeners may recognize television and film composer Alexander Courage’s appropriation of this music in his now iconic theme for the original Star Trek series (which debuted in 1964 when your humble reviewer was 9 years old). I would encounter Mahler some years later.

It is difficult over 100 years after the symphony’s premiere to understand how radical this music seemed to players and listeners. Its Budapest premiere has been described as a disaster mediated by uncooperative musicians in the orchestra and an unsympathetic audience. After his death in 1911, Mahler’s compositional star rose to new heights when the late, great Leonard Bernstein championed his work during his long and fruitful career, even reintroducing Mahler’s music to the Vienna of its beginnings. This is the Vienna where Maestro Kabaretti was trained. And he gets this music deeply.

To be fair, this piece presents many challenges for players and conductors but, when it is well done, it thrills audiences. Maestro Kabaretti and his Santa Barbarans delivered as fine a performance of this symphony that this reviewer has heard. It was positively thrilling and, unlike the musicians who played in the disastrous premiere, the Santa Barbara Symphony clearly enjoyed their hard work and respected their leader.

This was a thrilling and invigorating concert experience. The hometown orchestra put in a world class performance and our esteemed soloist was matched in his expertise by their skills. The nearly full house was most obviously pleased as was this reviewer.

Opus 961, Violist Noémie Chemali’s Auspicious Debut: New Music Activism From Emerging Lebanese Composers

Apr16

There are many ways to debut on the world stage and there are many ways to represent political activism. Violist Noémie Chemali has chosen, as her important first impression in her recorded debut, a selection of music from young composers whose heritage includes political oppression. The albums profits are promised to MSF, also known as Doctors Without Borders. These works are not directly political, rather they are a carefully curated selection of new works produced by composers who, in varying degrees, have experiences of dealing with or having friends and family whose lives are negatively impacted by political conflicts and oppression. This is gorgeous music by emerging talents.

The good news is that these wonderfully creative artists persevere in creating great art and it is the celebration of that creative drive that lies at the heart of this fine release. While the pieces here variously reference tunings, rhythms, and melodies representative of their individual ethnic heritages, they are not confrontational. Rather the music here stands as evidence of the beauty of artistic invention which stands defiantly in contrast to the cruelty of oppression and warfare. That gentle activism casts a kinder and gentler image of people more commonly represented in the media as terrorists (actually a numerical minority) in a culture with ancient roots and a powerful artistic soul (the better descriptor of the actual majority).

Links to the composers’ web sites can be accessed by clicking the names of said composers.

The album’s contents are as follows:

Wajdi Abou Diab (1991- )

1. “The Moraba’ Dance” (2020)

This, the composer’s Opus 13C, is based on an Arabic rhythm called “Al Mouraba”. It is for solo viola and is cast in the unusual meter of 13/4, using an Arabic scale. The music imitates traditional music which ostensibly enticed horses to dance in times past.

Sami Seif (1998- )

2. “La’ib an-nard / The Dice Player” (2019)

This musical impression of a poem of the same name by Mahmoud Darwish. It is, in the composer’s description, a meditation on the random elements that affect our lives. It is scored for viola, cello, and double bass.

Layale Chaker (1990- )

3. Cadenza from “The Brown Texts”; movement one (2017-2020)

4. Cadenza from “The Brown Texts”;movement two

The term “cadenza” derives from the word “cadence” and it generally refers to the improvisations (by the soloist) in a concerto. The notion of a solo cadenza does not appear, as far as this listener’s encounters, until the mid to late twentieth century. Penderecki’s Cadenza for Viola is the only example that immediately comes to mind. Though that work is sometimes performed separate from the viola concerto from which it derives, its origin is in the classical/romantic tradition of a virtuoso work that displays the skills of the soloist. As with the previous work, this one is a musical rendition of originally poetic ideas, those of the late Nadia Tueni. And, unlike any other cadenza I’ve known, it is cast in two separate movements. The piece is a fine showcase for Ms. Chemali’s technical and interpretive skills.

Noemie Chemali:

5. “Kadishat” (2021)

Delightfully, Ms. Chemali has chosen to include one of her own compositions. She describes this as a set of variations on the ancient Aramaic Trisagion “Qadishat aloho”, a tune which has been firmly ensconced in the composer/performer’s consciousness from having heard it since her childhood. One could characterize it as one of the greatest hits of the Eastern Orthodox Church and one of its most deeply felt pieces. Chemali casts this work for violin, viola, and cello. This writer is reminded of another fine example of the incorporation of sacred hymns into the classical music tradition, that of Carolyn Shaw’s fine “In Manus Tuas” which mines that composer’s memory of hearing a sacred chant. Both works reflect the composer’s internal process of hearing and attempt to convey that spiritual experience to the listener.

Mary Kouyoumdjian (1983- ):

6. “The Revolt of the Stars” (2018/2020)

This piece, another musical expression of a literary work, namely, the Armenian fable that provides the title for this work which is cast for cello, voice, and electronics. It is presented here in a transcription for viola by the soloist. The fable deals with the strength in numbers that rise up against those in positions of power. It is a delightful work with dark implications.

Saad Haddad (1992- ):

7. “Dohree” (movements 1&2)

8. “Dohree” (movement 3)

This work, scored for viola, harp, and flute is cleverly written in three movements which, in turn, each give a solo to each of the musicians who are, in turn, accompanied by the others in the group. “Dohree” is an Arabic word which translates as “my turn”.

Six pieces over eight tracks with chamber groups ranging from solo viola to viola with electronics (in the Kouyoumdjian work) and small chamber groupings in the others. All in all a fine and engaging selection of music that bear witness to the beauty and creativity of people living with oppression. This music reflects the human experience that can get erased by merely identifying ethnicity.

In addition to Ms. Chemali this recording includes the following musicians: Shaleah Feinstein, violin; Raffi Boden, violoncello; Kebra-Seyoun Charles, double bass; Lauren Scanio, flute; Deanna Cirielli, harp. They really do honor to the spirit of this music and this album is beautifully recorded as well.

Kouyoumdjian was the only composer known to this reviewer prior to hearing this album but she is apparently in very good company here and listeners would do well to make note of these rising stars. We will doubtless hear from them again. Here’s hoping.

Noemi Chemali (from the Orchestra of St. Luke’s web page)

This is the artist’s biography as it appears on her website (linked above):

French-Lebanese-American violist Noémie Chemali received her Bachelor’s degree from McGill University’s Schulich School of Music, her Artist Diploma from the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings at Mercer University, and her Master’s Degree from The Juilliard School. Her principal teachers include Becca Albers, Hsin-Yun Huang, and Carol Rodland.

During her time at Juilliard, she made her Carnegie Weill Hall solo debut in the UN Chamber Music Society’s Arabic Language Day concert and collaborated with dancers of the New York City Ballet. During her time at the McDuffie Center for Strings, she performed alongside faculty members of the Cavani and Ehnes String Quartets. In 2019, she also performed in “A Night of Georgia Music,” a tour the American South with violinist Robert McDuffie, guitarist Mike Mills of the band R.E.M., and pianist Chuck Leavell of the Allman Brothers Band/Rolling Stones. Some performance highlights from McGill include playing a concert with clarinetist David Krakauer in a program of Klezmer music, being selected to perform a chamber work by John Rea in a concert presented by the Société de musique contemporaine du Québec (SMCQ) alongside Schulich faculty and students, and participating in the 2018 Musical Chairs Chamber Music Festival, where she collaborated with students from the Mozarteum (Austria) and the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music (Singapore).

Noemie has spent her summers at music festivals such as The Music Academy of the West, Sarasota Music Festival, Orford Musique, The Lunenburg Academy of Music Performance (LAMP), Scotia Festival of Music, Manhattan in the Mountains, and Green Mountain music festivals. While Ms. Chemali was a fellow at the Music Academy of the West, she played under the baton of esteemed conductors Larry Rachleff, Stéphane Denève, Gustavo Dudamel, and James Conlon. While at Sarasota Music Festival, she served as principal violist of the festival orchestra under the baton of Jeffrey Kahane and performed in a faculty concert as a member of a quintet with bassoonist Frank Morelli. She has, throughout the years, participated in various masterclasses with artists such as Joseph Silverstein, Ida Kavafian, Cynthia Phelps, Karen Dreyfus, Richard O’Neill, James Dunham, Jutta Puchhammer and the Pacifica String Quartet.

Passionate about diversifying musical audiences, she co-founded the Hildegard Project, which aims to bring music written by women composers to women’s shelters in the greater Montreal area and was invited to speak about her work at the Classical Evolution/Revolution Conference in Santa Barbara, CA. Most recently, she founded Music@Daybreak, an interdisciplinary performance and research project which features performances at homeless shelters in collaboration with the Sociology department at Mercer University.

Noémie is the recipient of a Juilliard Career Grant, George J. Jakob Global Enrichment Grant, Gluck Community Engagement Fellowship, Juilliard Entrepreneurship Grant, Barenboim-Said Foundation (USA) Grant, and a Lower Manhattan Cultural Council Creative Engagement Grant. In January 2024, she will be releasing Opus 961, her debut album of music written by contemporary Lebanese composers.

Her website includes some YouTube videos reflecting the artist’s fascinating choices of repertory. Along with fervent activism, she demonstrates a pretty unique take on what she chooses to play. Her biography evidences an eclectic group of collaborators and influences that will likely characterize her career.

This is quite an impressive first impression from an artist who greets us at the beginnings of what this reviewer believes will be a long and interesting career representing a new generation of musicians with a unique and (hopefully more effective) approach to the ills of our age. Great art inspires, if not action, at least hope. And we desperately need hope. Thanks for that Ms. Chemali.

Putting Schoenberg in Context: Harvey Sachs’ “Schoenberg, Why He Matters”

Jan14

There is an aptness that accompanies the publication of my first blog of the new year. Much as we aspire to review our past year and resolve improvements for the next, this book effectively plays a similar role.

Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951) was born into tumultuous times. His life intersected with political change, social changes, two world wars, and huge changes in the way music would be written and heard. His life and the above mentioned changes in the world are the subjects of Harvey Sachs’ relatively brief review of Schoenberg’s life and career. But the relative brevity does not sacrifice the apparent aim of presenting this composer’s work in the context of the times thereby providing the reader/listener with a perspective that aids an understanding of the man, his music, and his (arguably still evolving) place in history.

“You can see it isn’t easy to get on with me. But don’t lose heart because of that.”- Arnold Schoenberg

At 272 pages this book wisely focuses on the composer’s published work and the drama of its performance along with critical and audience responses. This is not a comprehensive review of all things Schoenberg. While Sachs makes references to the composer’s earlier works, he focuses primarily on the published music and the responses of musicians, critics, and audiences. More importantly he focuses on the massive socio-political changes that paralleled the music thereby providing a useful context for future listeners and performers to better understand Schoenberg and his place in musical history.

Sachs places less emphasis on the composer’s paintings and even his writings. What the author achieves is a very readable and understandable essay that listeners (your humble reviewer included) can use to take another look/listen and to come to a new reckoning of Schoenberg and his place in the world. To, as the subtitle suggests, better understand, “Why he matters.”

I must admit that I did not understand and appreciate the music of Arnold Schoenberg immediately, and even when I ventured to read this volume, I found that my familiarity with this composer was limited primarily to “Transfigured Night”, “Pierrot Lunaire”, the “Second String Quartet”, Moses und Aron” (the Solti recording), Piano Concerto, Violin Concerto, the String Trio, and a fleeting listen or two to the piano music.

The joy of this book was in its chronological exposition of all of the composer’s major works and their historical and political contexts. As a result I found myself listening for the first time (or at least the first in many years) to the two chamber symphonies, the other string quartets, etc. It was an opportunity to reset my perceptions/misperceptions and acquire a better understanding and appreciation of his oeuvre.

As Sachs concludes:

“There are cycles in the arts. Perhaps we have reached the end of one great, centuries long cycle of individualistic European Art Music and its global offshoots. We cannot know. But, in the unlikely case that the subspecies Homo Sapiens Sapiens doesn’t destroy itself in the meantime, there is good reason to expect that sooner or later a new cycle will begin. And, for now, we have an enormous treasure of outstanding creations that continue to speak to anyone who is willing to listen to them.”

Not Just Another Black Composer Compilation: Kellen Gray Revives Neglected American Masterpieces

Dec3

For the humble listener, a musician’s technical and interpretive performance skills are one of the most compelling reasons to buy a concert ticket or a recording of said musician. But your humble reviewer has another, perhaps equally important reason for investing time and money in the work of a musician. And that skill is what I like to call “musical radar”. It is the (sometimes uncanny) ability of such gifted musicians to intelligently choose repertoire.

Conductor Kellen Gray demonstrates a keen sense of what music sounds good and also has the weight of substance. Following in the footsteps of incisive conductors like Leopold Stokowski (1882-1977), Dean Dixon (1915-1976), and Paul Freeman (1936-2015) Gray is clearly a champion for contemporary music and is now into the second volume of what this listener hopes will be many more releases of substantive music by black composers whose work has lain fallow for reasons unrelated to quality.

The first volume included early to mid twentieth century masterworks like William Levi Dawson’s 1934 “Negro Folksong Symphony”, William Grant Still’s First Symphony “Afro American” (1930), and George Walker’s “Lyric for Strings” (1946, orch 1990). These are certainly great and foundational works that deserve a place in concert programs but these works have had at least some exposure via recordings. Nonetheless they are fine foundation on which to build this series. Gray demonstrates a depth of understanding for these works and his skills as a conductor were displayed well here. But that was just the first volley in an exciting survey in progress.

In this second volume we see more deeply the acumen of this conductor’s musical radar. These are new commercial recordings of orchestral works by mid to late 20th century black composers, works of obvious substance that remain unjustly neglected. It is this “not the usual suspects” angle that finds this enterprising conductor demonstrating his personal perspective and respect for music history. And they are revelatory. Hearing these definitive performances will leave listeners wanting more as we get to hear some very exciting music that deserves at least a reckoning if not a place in the repertoire.

The four victims of the Birmingham Church bombing.

The disc begins with Margaret Bonds’ “Montgomery Variations” (1964), a classical set of variations, in this case on a gospel tune, “I want Jesus to walk with me”. But this work was “lost” and was only rediscovered in 2017. Its neglect was likely due both to the work being by a black woman, and the fact that it is a response to the 1963 Birmingham church bombing, a hate crime that killed four little girls. So, here it is, Bonds’ only surviving purely orchestral work getting a truly fine hearing. And what a great piece it is.

The work is structured in distinct sections with titles (Decision, Prayer Meeting, March, Dawn in Dixie, One Sunday in the South, Lament, Benediction). Each title is reflected in the musical mood of each section. It is an overt and powerful denunciation of a horrific hate crime. It is harrowing at times, somber and reverent at others, but Bonds’ composition is also effective in the metaphorical quality of the music itself. It is also very nearly a concerto for orchestra in its broad symphonic dimensions and clever orchestration most deftly handled in this recording.

The genre of “variations” is common throughout musical practice but only took on the guise of monolithic large orchestral works in the late 19th century. Well known examples include, Elgar’s “Enigma Variations”, Britten’s “Variations and Fugue on a theme of Henry Purcell”, Brahms’ “Haydn Variations”, etc. It’s hard to say if this work will find a place in the concert hall alongside those proven classics but Maestro Gray and the talented musicians of his Royal Scottish National Orchestra really make a strong case to do just that.

Next we are introduced to Ulysses Kay’s “Concerto for Orchestra” (1948). This work, first performed by the similarly incisive conductor, Leopold Stokowski has been sorely in need of a new recording and Maestro Gray serves up a taught and insightful performance that, like all the works on this release, stand as a challenge to performers, broadcasters, and listeners to not let this music fade into obscurity. The “Concerto for Orchestra” genre was first heard in a 1925 Hindemith work with that title and the work best known in the genre is without doubt Bartok’s 1943 “Concerto for Orchestra”. Where Kay’s work will stand in relation to other concerti for orchestra remains to be seen/heard (as with the Bonds work) but at least it now has a chance to be heard in all its glory.

It is one of Kay’s major works and it is of grand symphonic scale. This neoclassical work was written in 1948 and is cast in three movements. The work is eminently listenable but it puts challenges to the orchestra which this orchestra handles quite well.

The disc concludes with a rather brief work by a composer with whom even adventurous listeners (including myself) have limited familiarity. Coleridge Taylor-Perkinson. It is the only work here that comes from the 21st century. This 2001 Concert Overture subtitled, “Worship” reflects Perkinson’s exposure to black church music which he utilizes in this tone poem written for a sizable orchestra.

Gayle Murchison’s fine liner notes help guide the listener by providing context and by understandable descriptions of the compositional processes. This is an exciting release that builds nicely on the first volume and leaves this listener excitedly anticipating Kellen Gray’s next installment.

Unintentional Elegies, (the late) Robert Black’s Gorgeous Survey of John Luther Adams’ Compositions for Double Bass (es)

Dec2

When Bassist Robert Black (1956-2023) succumbed to colon cancer this past June, the music world lost one of its finest advocates, performers, and teachers. This posthumous release of composer John Luther Adams’ (1953- ) works for solo and multiple bassists receive definitively beautiful renditions here in this satisfying release in which Maestro Black plays all parts (two works are for solo double bass and one work is for 5 double basses). It strikes this listener as a fitting eulogy for Robert Black and his fine performance legacy.

First, let me say that the Cold Blue label has defined its own take on post minimalist experimentation, it’s one of those labels that I recommend you just buy anything they choose to release. So this chamber music by John Luther Adams fits most comfortably within the little niche that Cold Blue defines (sort of). In fact this is Adams’ 9th CD on this label. And Robert Black is perhaps the ideal musician to plumb the sonic depths of this “other John Adams”. This listener can’t imagine these works having been done better. These performances are definitive, an example of interpretation with which all subsequent performers will have to contend.

The opening work, “Those High Places” (2007) is a work in three movements, originally for solo violin, played here for the first time on a double bass. Black pretty much reimagines Adams’ piece for his instrument. This is not mere transcription. This version is virtually a new work in the soloist’s sensitive and insightful hands.

Those three movements serve, as do the last three tracks on this album, as bookends, nicely framing the centerpiece, “Darkness and Scattered Light” (2023). Unlike those bookends, this work is in one large movement and is scored for 5 double basses. This multitrack recording is an essential and very effectively produced effort that does as much justice to the composer’s intent as does the effort of the performer.

The last three tracks are, in their compositional processes, intimately linked to that first three tracks. Both rely on special tunings to produce the intended effects.

This release is also a fine example of the artistic style that characterizes the look that accompanies the sounds within. The photography, the overall design, visually pleasing, creating a metaphor for the sound of the recording, and paying respectful homage to composer and performer. This just fires on all cylinders for me. This is Cold Blue at their best.

…if it dies at all: Guy Klucevsek’s “Hope Dies Last”, New Compositions for Accordion(s) and Friends

Nov30

This is, by my count, the fifth Starkland release of Guy Klucevsek’s work. Klucevsek has happily been one of Starkland’s favorite artists. Though he officially retired from performing in 2018, he continues to compose, collaborate, and record.

“Hope Dies Last” consists of several new compositions from this (hardly retired) man. And if you don’t know his work, this is a fine place to start. Klucevsek is a unique composer/performer who has defined his brand as one of the finest accordion players in new and experimental music. Through years of composing, performing, and collaborating, Klucevsek has taken the accordion to places it never dreamed of going and still manages to do honor to the history and significance of his chosen instrument.

NB: This reviewer is biased, having had a long admiration for this artist. The “vernacular” idioms of the accordion had been very familiar to me from my childhood on with my exposure to rituals of some of my Eastern European ancestors (polka bands, Lawrence Welk, Myron Florence, etc). Because of Klucevsek I will never hear the accordion in the same way ever again.

Having, ostensibly, “retired” (at least from performing), we find his creative juices still flowing in these recent compositions. This album is largely representative of his more lyrical writing as heard in releases like, “Citrus, My Love” but Klucevsek is seldom far from parody (in an honorific sense) and both humor and pathos infuse this music in ways that sneak up on the listener. This recording stems in part from music written by Klucevsek and performed by many of his friends, but not always on accordion, on a concert in celebration of his 75th birthday.

We hear, on this album, compositional genius distilled from the composer’s broad knowledge and understanding of music in general, and of his ability to incorporate classical and vernacular idioms into his personal style. The valuable liner notes by the composer reveal how his work belies the complexity which underlies his very approachable style. There is a depth in these works that lies, tantalizingly, just below the surface.

One of the most rewarding aspects of this album is hearing all these fine collaborators play Klucevsek’s music. The dedication and enthusiasm of these performances are a fitting celebration of this unique artist who brings his 19th century folk instrument (and its milieu) very successfully into the 21st century. Participating artists include: Jenny Lin, pianos; Todd Reynolds, violins; Jeff Gauthier, violin; Margaret Parkins, cello and whistling; Will Holshouser, accordion; Alan Bern, accordion; Nathan Koci, accordion; Bachtopus Accordion Ensemble (Robert Duncan, Peter Flint, Mayumi Miyaoka, and Jeanne Velonis); Jerome Kitzke, heavy breather and toy piano schlepper; and, of course, Guy Klucevsek, accordion and piano. Starkland founder Tom Steenland’s steady producer’s hand is a guiding spirit here as well.

The last six tracks, “Industrious Angels” (2010) were written on commission by Laurie McCants for her dramatic presentation of the same name, a work inspired by the poems of Emily Dickinson. Collaborations such as this, with non-musician artists, are well represented in Klucevsek’s career. These are the oldest compositions here.

The first 13 tracks, with the exception of the 2022 transcription (of the 1988 original classic), “Flying Vegetables of the Apocalypse”, were all composed from 2015 to 2021. And they serve to characterize Klucevsek’s wide ranging musical interests whose further elucidation in the aforementioned liner notes provide valuable insights into his compositional processes. Really fascinating on that technical level as well as in the resulting sound of the compositions. This album just works well on so many levels.

In many ways, this release, with so much recently composed music, feels like an apotheosis, an artist’s very satisfying and nostalgic perspective looking back on a very successful career (I’m thinking like Wild Strawberries, maybe, but happier). It is a contemporary journey that will likely send listeners to hear more of this man’s work. And so they should.

More Klucevsek at Starkland
Starkland has previously released five other Klucevsek CDs:

Transylvanian Softwear with works by William Duckworth, Fred Frith, Klucevsek, and John Zorn.
Awarded a “Recording of Special Merit” by Stereo Review.

Free Range Accordion with works by Burt Bacharach, Lars Hollmer, Aaron Jay Kernis, Jerome Kitzke, Klucevsek, Stephen Montague, Somei Satoh, and Lois V Vierk. “A rebel with an accordion… Klucevsek combines poker-faced wit and imagination with command of his instrument, forcing you to re-think the accordion’s limitations” (Downbeat).

Polka From The Fringe A double-CD re-release presenting the most comprehensive edition of this major project conceived and shepherded by Klucevsek. Works by Mary Ellen Childs, Anthony Coleman, Dick Connette, William Duckworth, Carl Finch (of Brave Combo), Fred Frith, David Garland, Peter Garland, Phillip Johnston, Aaron Jay Kernis, John King, Mary Jane Leach, Bobby Previte, Elliott Sharp, Carl Stone, Lois V Vierk, William Obrecht, and more. “A long-overdue reissue” (John Schaefer, WNYC New Sounds). “A two-CD collection of new polkas he got from a wide range of classical new music, jazz and indie pop composers. It’s a riot, and an addictive one at that” (Los Angeles Times).

Teetering on the Verge of Normalcy with works exclusively by Klucevsek. With violinist Todd Reynolds, soprano Kamala Sankaram, and pianist Alan Bern. “This heartfelt album has an
especially elegiac quality” (Sarah Cahill).

Citrus, My Love offers two substantial works composed for dance, Citrus, My Love (1990) and Passage North (1990), separated by another piece Patience and Thyme (1991). A “strikingly
beautiful” CD (AllMusic Review) that is “generously imbued with melodic charm and grace” (The Wire).

Fandango! Diversity Within Identities

Oct10

The primary importance of this new release is, of course, the presentation of these two major works but it also an exposition of the diversity (or do you prefer, “heterogeneity”?) that can become obscured by well intended terms like, “Latino” and “Hispanic”, or even conductor Gustavo Dudamel’s “Pan American”. All are well intended but racial, nationalist, and other categories are insufficient on their own in recognizing the rich diversity inherent in their cultures. Here we go, just in time for Latin History Month.

The concise liner notes tell us that even the album’s title, “Fandango” has multiple meanings depending on cultural contexts. The fact is that no single style or genre can be said to be representative of the marvelous diversity that exists within their intended scope which attempts to represent practically the whole of the western hemisphere as is the case with this release. So, while Fandango is certainly about the musical works presented, it also touches on the issue of diversity by the choice of two major works separated chronologically by some 80 years and representing composers from Argentina on the one hand, and Mexico on the other. Two different cultures that share a language in both words and , to some extent, music.

The centerpiece of this album is, of courses, the concerto that Maestra Akiko-Meyers commissioned from Mexican composer Arturo Márquez Navarro (1950- ). I’m sad to say that I am only now learning of this composer but delighted in his mastery of the orchestra and the grand romantic gestures of a past era along with an acute and personal appreciation of the folk idioms of his culture. At first I was skeptical of a “mariachi” inspired concerto because such attempts, even the most sincere, don’t always seem to work. Well, that is certainly not the case here. This is a strong contender for regular inclusion in the current canon of widely performed violin concertos. This one is a masterpiece which poses challenges to the soloist (which give her a chance to show her virtuosity) and surround it with rich, subtly, ultimately beautiful orchestral textures that support the soloist but which demand much of the orchestra and its conductor as well.

The concerto (written in 2020) is in the traditional three movements. The first, entitled “Folia Tropical” (tropical leaves) embraces the spirit of late romantic concerti like those of Bruch and Brahms. It is an extended movement that introduces and develops many moods and themes. It is a big symphonic movement worthy of a symphony and it gives the soloist much to do and upon which to demonstrate her musical and interpretive skills all the while with a very busy orchestra accompanying her.

The second movement, “Plegaria” (prayer) is a hugely substantive chaconne, the baroque contrapuntal variation form with a repeating bass line and thematic variations over the harmonic structures supported by those notes.. At least that is my listener’s understanding. But what is not necessary to “understand” technically is the emotional impact of this movement. This is an amazing use of the form. The soloist moves into different roles, sometimes very much upstage, sometimes an adjunct to the orchestra, sometimes not there at all. There is a slow, meditative beauty in this movement which is also characteristic of the romantic idiom in which this is written.

The third movement, “Fandanguito” (little Fandango) is a somewhat lighter and very energetic finale one might expect in a movement following the previous deeply emotional ones. And the composer does not disappoint. He writes a joyous, energetic finale which nonetheless stands up as substantially as its predecessors.

The composer Arturo Marquez with Maestro Dudamel and Anne Akiko-Meyers leaving the stage after a successful performance.

The joy, to this listener, is to hear a master composer in collaboration with a fine soloist both technically and interpretively. The composer has integrated his experiences and study of his own cultural folk musics and infuses the spirit of the music into his grand romantic idiom. That is, the concerto does not, for the most part use direct quotation from folk sources but uses structural elements in his composition. Maestra Akiko Meyers discharges her soloist duties with both startling facility and a deep understanding of the music and the composer’s intent.

Gustavo Dudamel is a joyfully rising star who brings his cultural proclivities and his own lens on western orchestral music. He is an exciting and incisive conductor. I don’t know the extent of Dudamel’s study of Latin folk musics but he really gets this work and brings out the composer’s subtleties in this gorgeous and exciting concerto.

The “B side” as they used to be called is no mere filler, it is the entirety of the Alberto Ginastera (1916-1983) ballet, “Estancia” Op. 8 (1941). Here, 15 separate movements are used in a five scene scenario. The work, usually heard in its four movement suite format and, even more frequently, just the spectacular finale, the Malambo.

In addition to its large orchestra, the ballet calls for a singer/speaker soloist who acts as both narrator and as soloist with orchestra. In this performance the challenge is admirably met by baritone GUSTAVO CASTILLO, another shining light cultivated by El Sistema. He performs well in both his baritone vocal duties and his narrator task in which he speaks Spanish in an elegant and, I’d say, almost Shakespearean grasp of the beauty of the language. The man understands drama as well as music.

This ballet is clearly a masterpiece. It reminds this listener of Prokofiev if he was born in Argentina. Nothing derivative here though. This is an intensely entertaining work, as substantial as Romeo and Juliet, similarly constructed in relatively brief musical segments designed to accompany a dance whose scenario is the story of the “gaucho” or cowboy that lived and worked hard lives, lives that were romanticized into a poem by Argentinian poet José Hernández (1834-1886). (click on the word “poem” for a link to an English translation of the poem).

All that to say that this is a truly enjoyable and important release. A valuable addition to the discography of Latin classical music.

Dudamel and his LA Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl.

The Metallurgy of Sadness: Rachel Barton Pine’s “Dependent Arising”

Oct2

Rachel Barton Pine (1974- ) appears to have an incredibly wide range of musical interests and has managed to successfully integrate those into her musical career. Ranging from early, frequently little known, baroque composers to an expanded appreciation of grand romantic works, an intelligent selection of post 1900 composers (many little known) and some remarkable works commissioned by and for her, and heavy metal rock. And the single thread that seems to characterize, in this listener’s ear, her strength is the ability to choose music of substance and to then create insightful performances of those works.

Here she explores the sonic geography of angst and redemption in these two violin concertos written some . And this album embodies some of the qualities that make this violinist one that stands out distinctly in the crowd but in a way that is about identity rather than hierarchy. Her wide ranging musical interests are a part of her sonic autobiography. Here she reveals her interest and engagement with “heavy metal” music, a rock genre that began around 1970. In her liner notes she discusses this and manages to convincingly demonstrate a sort of “proto-metal” aspect in the first selection, the Shostakovich (1906-1975) First Violin Concerto of 1947-8 , a work notorious for its censure (the second of several such denunciations of the composer’s career) under the Zhdanov Doctrine. It was not premiered until 1955.

This somber masterpiece was written in the shadow of the horrors of the Second World War (ended only about three years before he completed this work) and reflects the composer’s deeply felt emotional memories. It was not remotely in compliance with the strictures enforced by the oppressive regime. tThey didn’t want to be reminded, much less honor, the atrocities and horrors of the war. Its premiere in 1955 (some two years after Josef Stalin’s death) by its dedicatee, the great David Oistrakh, saw the concerto earn a place in the respected repertoire of violin concertos. The four movement work is not what you want at a party unless you’re trying create a funereal vibe but it is quite beautiful in a modernist tinged, grand romantic idiom with all the hallmarks of the composer’s wry humor and his profound empathy.

The second selection, written some 80 years after the Shostakovich concerto, is a commission from a self described, “heavy metal” violinist named Earl Maneein. His is a name new to these ears but one clearly steeped with expertise in classical composition and heavy metal music both inflected with his spiritual practice of Buddhism.

Here is music from a composer who truly understands classical composition and his integration of “metal” elements is an expansion of classical composition, not a parody or an amateurish effort. This is a major concerto which gives the soloist an opportunity to show their technical and interpretive skills. I don’t know this musician and I’m not quite sure of the meaning of “metal music” as practiced now but I am positively enthralled by this work.

So we have another typical Rachel Barton Pine album, a fine reading of a classic (the Shostakovich one a bit under appreciated still) and a new work which strives to become a part of that repertoire and is likely to get their. Rachel’s virtuosity and interpretive skills are clearly evident as always and he journeys are effectively rethinking the canon of works for violin. Brava!

Andrew Rathbun’s “The Speed of Time”

Oct2

I rarely write about jazz, mostly because it is a genre with which I am less familiar. I confess to a lack of knowledge (though I’m working on it) of jazz, especially of the last twenty years or so. And as a result I have some reluctance to write about jazz but when I first listened to this disc I found that the music spoke to this listener’s ears immediately and directly. My desire to “understand” the music vanished in the face of this seriously entertaining and eminently listenable release.

All the music was written by Andrew Rathbun who has 18 previously released albums listed on his nicely designed website. This album seems to draw in part on bebop (think John Coltrane et al) and the band consisting of Rathbun on tenor and soprano saxophone (with a little help from multitracking), Gary Versace on piano, John Hebert on bass, and Tom Rainer on drums. though the saxophone clearly holds the lead here, Rathbun includes ample solo opportunities for each of the musicians. And they play with the coordination only accomplished by hours of practice and, I’m guessing, some personal musical familiarity.Kudos to all.

All 8 tracks succeed in their ability to engage the listener and they range from Post Bebop to a pleasant lounge jazz feel. There are many moods here nicely sequenced for a great listening experience. Though released on the Danish label Steeplechase, Rathbun is a Toronto native with a degree in performance from the New England Conservatory and a Doctorate in Jazz Studies from the Manhattan School of Music. He now teaches at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, a North American (to coin a term).

This is a highly entertaining release and has sent this listener to the composer’s website to begin to hear some of his other work which apparently includes forays into classical realms as well. This release now puts Rathbun on my listener’s radar which will alert me to pay attention to the next project from a truly fine musician/composer.

Samuel Coleridge Taylor, A Defining Survey of His Orchestral and Chamber Music

Aug29

Chineke Records (in partnership with DECCA)

Samuel Taylor Coleridge begat Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, who begat Coleridge Taylor Perkinson… Wait, that’s not right. But these three men, listed in chronological order, became intertwined, much as they were admired, by their names. Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1792-1834) is the great (white) British poet. Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912), named in honor of that poet (and the subject of this review) was a much lauded, though subsequently neglected British composer, as it happens a black British composer. Taylor Coleridge Perkinson (1932-2004), a much lauded and subsequently neglected black American composer named in honor of those predecessors. Stick with me, this comes together (for the purposes of this review) with the name of the orchestra on this recording, “Chineke”, a word taken from the African Igbo religion, meaning, “God”. Add an exclamation point and you get “Chineke!”, the orchestra which was founded in 2015 by the double bass player, Chi-chi Nwanoku CBE, to provide career opportunities for Black and ethnically diverse classical musicians in the UK and Europe.

All that to introduce listeners to this landmark of the recording industry, fulfilling in part the mission of this fine orchestra. This two CD set provides an intelligent selection of the music of Samuel Taylor-Coleridge which is nothing short of revelatory. Knowledge (at least outside of Britain) of his music, up until this release pretty much limited to his fine choral work “Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast” and perhaps a short orchestra movement. The late great Paul Freeman included an aria from that choral work and one movement (Danse Negre) from his African Suite in his defining set of recordings on Columbia/Sony, “Black Composers”. These brief pieces were the introduction for many people, this writer included, to this composer’s work.

Chineke! now presents a far more representative selection of this man’s work with a truly nice touch of alreleasing the first recording of music by Coleridge-Taylor’s daughter Gwendolyn Avril Coleridge-Taylor (1903-1998) who wrote under the pen name Peter Riley (it is hardly a secret that both black people and women suffer from lack of recognition in the world of classical music).

Coleridge-Taylor’s output was large, comprising some 82 pieces with opus numbers and unpublished works as well. That’s a lot of music from a man who died at age 37 from pneumonia. This two disc set does a very nice job of presenting music from all eras of his brief career. From the Opus 2 Nonet (1894) to the Opus 80 Violin Concerto (1912) this release provides a larger perspective on this artist (dubbed by white musicians in New York, in what today would be judged a pejorative appellation, “The Black Mahler”). My guess is that the same people who would speak condescendingly about Coleridge-Taylor were also not appreciative of that Jewish Austrian conductor/composer.

Though it appears that all these works have appeared previously in recordings (appropriately on mostly British labels) this collection does a great service in demonstrating the arc of his truncated life’s work. Only the Avril Coleridge-Taylor work, “Sussex Landscape” (1940), is a world premiere recording.

For the purposes of this review I will be discussing these works in chronological order rather than the order on the recordings. Even a short career demonstrably goes through changes over time, led by social, political, historical, and musical experiences. A photo (above) shows the order on the discs.

The Nonet Op. 2 (1894) for strings, winds, and piano was written by the 19 year old (still a student at the Royal College of Music). This unusual combination, nearly a chamber orchestra in dimension as is the grand, late romantic, Brahmsian dimension. His skill in orchestration is evident here and serves to clarify the musical lines in these four large movements. It is virtually a symphony with a virtuoso piano obbligato.

Here, emissaries of the nascent Harlem Renaissance came to England in the the form of a 1896 concert by the Fisk Jubilee Singers who presented a program of “Negro Spirituals” (Fisk is one of the so called “Historically Black Colleges and Universities” which were formed to provide educational opportunities for Black Americans who were barred from admittance to other colleges). The following year Coleridge-Taylor met the Black American poet Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1906), who had come to England on a literary tour. His parents were freed slaves in Kentucky. Both of these experiences had a profound effect on Coleridge-Taylor and his music. Coleridge-Taylor would attend the first Pan-African Conference in London in July 1900. There he would explore the ideas and philosophies of Pan-Africanism which emphasised the importance of a shared African heritage. The orchestral works “Ballade in A minor” Op. 33 and the “African Suite” Op. 35, (both 1898) reflect those influences.

The two movement Ballade is a grand romantic work with no particular program but one that demonstrates the composer’s amazing command of the orchestra. The African Suite, one of his more popular works, was directly influenced by the work of Dunbar (whose career, like Coleridge-Taylor’s, also ended prematurely).

The two movement “Romance” Op. 39 (1899) for violin and orchestra is a foreshadowing of the later Violin Concerto. It is a heavily late romantic work with a beautiful and substantial violin part.

His “Petite Suite” Op. 77 (1911) is among his most popular works and arguably served as a precursor to what would later be termed, “Light Music”. The second movement strikes deep into this writer’s memory as one of those pieces whose charm prompted me to find out what it was so I might hear it again. Very charming and immediately listener friendly music.

The first work on this set, The five movement, “Othello” Orchestral Suite Op. 79 was published in 1909 and first performed in 1911. It was conceived and written as an orchestral suite, not a suite of music drawn from another work and is complete as performed here. It is a stunning example of the composer’s skills with orchestration and with dramatic writing.

Now we come to the Op. 80 Violin Concerto of 1911-2 which is dedicated to American violinist Maud Powell, a staunch advocate for female musicians, black composers, and new music in general (an early model for the likes of Rachel Barton Pine). This work of high late romanticism echoes Brahms and Bruch in its Melodie’s, it’s harmonies, and the grand sweep of its gorgeously orchestrated three movements. It is easy to imagine this as a regular repertoire piece.

Last and most certainly not least is the world premiere recording by Coleridge-Taylor’s daughter, Gwendoline Avril Coleridge-Taylor (1903-1998), her “Sussex Landscape” Op. 27 (1940). This is just a taste of her 60+ compositions but it is compelling enough to prompt listeners (and hopefully progressive organizations such as “Chineke!”) to pursue more exploration of her oeuvre.

Chineke! Truly achieves their goal in producing this wonderful portrait of a composer whose work has, until very recently languished in relative obscurity. Even this writer, whose obsessive interest in the new and interesting, has been seriously transformed by this release. You really have to hear this release. My thanks and congratulations to everyone involved in this fine Chineke! release.

75 Years of Classical Music in Israel

Aug20

Utter the name “Israel” and probably only a handful of people will think, “classical music”. As a lifelong new music fan I’ve made many wonderful discoveries by looking at work done by composers in countries that aren’t part of the typical America, Germany, Italy, France, Russia nexus. Throw in the Nordic countries, Canada, and Australia more recently and you have perhaps 90% of what is marketed (even if not efficiently distributed) as new classical music. Israel, at 75, remains a young country but its participation with world class classical composers and musicians is among their proudest contributions to the world at large and those contributions are both extensive and interesting.

This fine release gives only the briefest taste with a curious selection of pieces that will likely lead listeners to the “more where that came from” path to discover a huge trove of music that really needs to be heard. The only problem with this release is that it’s not a 20 or 30 CD box set of representative western classical music from a comparatively new country in a very old artistic/cultural hotbed.

This fine Neuma release is actually a very nice taste whetting collection of three generations of Israeli composers. I wish I could call it “representative” but that would be a tall order. It is an intelligent selection that will hopefully inspire further exploration of Israel’s classical music artistic legacy. Israel is, in many ways, a country of challenges and this release is, similarly, an extension of this country’s challenges to the canon of western art music in its way and a gentle nudge to curious listeners.

Professor Robert Fleisher (photo: Darsha Primich, courtesy Navona Records)

This project began with a 1986 Israel residency by American composer/musicologist (now Professor Emeritus at NIU) Robert Fleisher. The culmination of this residency resulted in his marvelous book, “Twenty Israeli Composers” (1997) and all but one track on this disc from an earlier concert at NIU in 1987. which was fortunately recorded rather nicely. You can download the book for free by clicking on the title above. Fleisher wrote the very useful liner notes which are also available as a free download. Those two sources can help guide the avid listener to a wider range of music from Israel’s first 75 years.

German refugee Paul Frankenburger (1897-1984), better known as Paul Ben-Haim is doubtless the one name in this collection that listeners may have heard. He emigrated to the (then British Mandate of Palestine) in 1933 just ahead of the onslaught of the Third Reich in Germany. He Hebraicized his name when he became an Israeli citizen at that country’s inception in 1948. Truly, he was there at the beginning.

His pupils Tvi Avni, Eliahu Inbal, Henri Lazarof, Ami Maayani, Ben-Zion Orgad, and Shulamit Ran (to name just a few) all went on to make significant impacts on the musical world. Some made their careers in Israel, others established the Israeli artistic diaspora but that is another story.

The disc opens with one of Ben-Haim’s finest and best known compositions, his 1943 protominimal “Toccata” for piano. This brief piece is a virtuoso showpiece that this listener found immediately appealing having heard it played as an encore after a concerto performance. Here, a wonderful rendition by Liora Ziv-Li makes a strong case for this piece to be heard more often. This first release of this live performance is, happily, not the only recording of the work. Ben-Haim whose style is of a post romantic/nationalistic style somewhat like an Israeli Aaron Copland, creative and nationalist with just a dash of liturgical. His work is fairly well represented on recordings and on YouTube but he is far less known outside his adopted country where his pedagogy also sowed further seeds.

This second track is one of two (with Tsippi Fleischer’s “The Gown of Night”) that did not appear on the 1987 concert referenced in the intro. Bashrav (2004) by Betty Olivero (the first Israeli born composer represented on this recording) was recorded in Tel Aviv in 2020. The inclusion of this work can stand as a challenge to get listeners to hear one of the finest living composers from Israel. Olivero (1954- ) is very well known in Israel but less so elsewhere despite the fact that some major American orchestras have embraced her work. She is a lyrical and substantive composer whose work is quite appealing. Bashrav is an instrumental chamber orchestra piece based on a Turkish/Iranian musical form from which the work’s title is drawn. It was commissioned and first performed by the San Francisco Contemporary Chamber Players. This is the first commercial recording.

Now we come to another name changer. Tzvi Avni (1927- ) was born Hermann Jakob Steinke in Saarbrucken, Germany. He, like Ben-Haim (with whom he later studied) fled Germany (in 1935) for the safety of the British Mandate of Palestine and took a name reflecting his adopted national alliance. Avni is probably the second best known Israeli composer outside of Israel. His somewhat Stravinskian (to this listener’s ears) neoclassicism is another voice seriously in need of a wider hearing. His brief Capriccio (1955/1975) for piano has had several recordings and performances and the release of this live recording provides an opportunity to hear the work as well as the opportunity to hear another artist’s interpretation of the work. Avni had the foresight to tap into the emerging world of electronic and computer music and added a stint at the justly famed Columbia Princeton Electronic Music Studio to his musical training. Sadly, though he may have name recognition, his representation in recordings is nothing short of abysmal.

Ami Maayani (1936-2019) is, in this writer’s opinion, the third best known composer of those represented here outside of Israel. He was the founder of several fine Israeli music ensembles including the Israel Youth Orchestra. Like Avni, he chose to supplement his traditional music studies at the fledgling Columbia Princeton Electronic Music Center. He also counts Paul Ben-Haim among his teachers. His musical style derives from Arabic traditional music (one of the few folk musics routinely incorporating the microtonal quarter tone) as well as Ashkenazi and Sephardic folk music. In addition to training in music, he studied architecture and has written several books.

While he has written more experimental work, the majority of his available music sounds basically tonal with folk and sometimes electronic elements. Maayani was a prolific composer who, like his “best known” colleagues, suffers from a distribution problem. His architectural work is represented in several portions of Israel’s infrastructure. His three volume study in Hebrew of Richard Wagner challenged Israel’s (understandable) dislike of Wagner’s music. And now time is nigh for a fair reckoning of Maayani’s own music. This is not the first recording of his Arabesque No. 2 (1973) scored for flute and harp. His sister Ruth Maayani (1948-1921), herself an accomplished musician plays the harp in this 1987 performance. His orchestral work, “Qumran” (1970) was the first Israeli composition to be performed in Germany after World War II (even that took nearly thirty years to achieve).

Now we come to another refugee from early to mid century European fascism. Abel Ehrlich (1915-2003) was born in east Prussia and took a more circuitous route to Israel, arriving in the Palestine Mandate in 1939. Unlike some of his predecessors he made no changes to his name. He did study at the Eretz-Israel Conservatory in Jerusalem and went on to write music and teach at Israel Conservatory, the Rubin Academy of Music, Jerusalem; the Rubin Academy of Music, Tel Aviv; Bar-Ilan University and Oranim Academic College. He was of an age that didn’t create a web page but even Wikipedia has very little to say about him except that he was recognized during his lifetime with various prizes and I was able to find this laudatory 2004 concert review in Ha’aretz which reports a count of some 3500 compositions (sic)! It also makes mention of one of his best known compositions, his 1953 “Bashrav” for solo violin. This is a piece based on the Arabic musical form for which it is named. Astute listeners/readers will recognize the name from the earlier Betty Olivero work with which it shares both its name and structure. Would that a performance could have been included here but listeners can easily find several recordings of that other Bashrav on YouTube.

Abel is represented on this recording by two works, both from 1986 and both world premiere recordings from the 1987 concert that forms the core of this album. Track five documents a piano work called, “The Death of Dan Pagis”. It is a sort of lament for Pagis (1930-1986) some of whose poetry Abel set musically but was sadly never heard by the poet. Track eight gives us a hearing of Ehrlich’s “The Dream About Strange Terrors” for two flutes. Both are brief but effective works and, like much of the music here (and a lot of art) seem to be a form of sublimation, a Freudian derived term which refers to an adaptive psychological mechanism, a transformation of pain, anxiety, anger, etc. into something positive. The otherwise informative liner notes say little about these two works but given the composer’s history, both works would seem to fall into that category. Both are in a sort of mid century post romantic style that challenge the performers but speak pretty directly, in a musical sense, to the listener.

Track six introduces us to another native born Israeli composer, Tsippi Fleischer (1948- ). This one is a graphic score which is realized electronically. “The Gown of Night” (1988) is a setting of a poem. It is performed in the original Arabic. The English translation is below.

THE GOWN OF NIGHT
Muhammad Ghana’im

The gown of night
Envelops the desert
Engulfing tent and well
From the boundaries of night
The howling of jackals descends
To raise the dawn
Engulfing tent and well
Then came the dawn …

A portion of the graphic score is reproduced in both physical and digital formats of the album. It is one of the pieces that has actually been released before but those releases on small limited distribution independent labels has likely remained obscure to all but the most tenacious listeners and collectors. It is a fine example of purely electronic music and was composed using recordings of Bedouin children reciting the poem.

I was astounded and oh so pleased to learn that all of Fleischer’s recorded output (including liner notes) is available for free downloads via her website the link for which can be accessed by clicking on the composer’s name in this review. Well, brava Maestra Fleischer for striking a blow against obscurity.

Arie Shapira (1915-2013) is another substantial and prolific composer with no personal website, no government generated website, no publisher generated website, and a way too brief Wikipedia page. In fact Professor Fleisher’s book remains the “go to” resource for this man’s work. A quick look on the discogs site, not surprisingly, list only two CD releases.

He is represented in this collection by “Off Piano” (1984) written for the Michal Tal who performs it here. The 1984 premiere was broadcast by Israeli media. This all too brief work immediately suggested the pianistic fireworks of Frederic Rzewski.

Tracks nine, ten, and eleven comprise the second largest offering by time of all the composers on this album. The “Three Romances” (1986) for piano by Ari Ben-Shabetai (1954- )The works, premiered in 1986 and were written for Liora Ziv-Li whose 1987 performance are on the present disc. Ostensibly an homage to Robert Schumann’s similarly titled work are a modernist and highly virtuosic set of pieces.

Lastly we have by far the longest offering of music of all the represented composers with Oded Zehavi’s “Wire” (1986) for chamber orchestra and soprano (Zehavi plays the piano part in the ensemble). Born in 1961, he is by far the youngest composer this collection. Wire is a setting of a poem in Hebrew by Chaya Shenhav, English text given below.

Chaya Shenhav, “Strange Brightness,”
(‘Thread: Poems’), Hakibbutz Hameuchad
Publishers Ltd, 1984, p. 22; Translated by
Oded Zehavi. ©All rights reserved.

In those awful shadowless
minutes before sunset
when greenish lights rise
from the valley
When the trees on the slopes
glow with a sudden great light
but beingless, perhaps,
And the children slowly climb the path,
their faces shining with a strange brightness . . .
Call out to them quickly, “speak,” “shout,”
like the partridges screaming in the valley
scream,
You see, you know, don’t you?
that they are moving away

This release is a testament to Professor Fleisher’s musicological efforts that help raise awareness that Israel has some truly world class composers of new classical music. It is also a fine place for listeners to begin their explorations of this repertoire.

Lara Downes’ “Love at Last” Transgressions in the Name of Inclusion

Aug1

Wow, what an engaging album!

Though I have enjoyed Downes’ albums since I first heard “America Again” (2016) I found myself approaching this new release with some trepidation. 24 tracks by multiple composers, most of their names unfamiliar to me left me with few clues as to the character of this album. So I decided to take Lara on a trip with me. I had a few hours of errands to do which required a bit of driving, a fine opportunity to hear this music while strapped into the driver’s seat. This sort of passive listening would give me a first impression and I wouldn’t be tempted to any distractions (other than driving).

After the first two or three tracks I found myself inextricably drawn into Downes’ obviously very personal choices. As with all her albums (this one is her tenth by my count), she shares a diverse cornucopia of music featuring music from Bach to young contemporary composers (women and men) and styles from classical to jazz, gospel, blues, and pop. On all tracks she has ample opportunity to exert her interpretive skills and her virtuosity. These are a quirky but ultimately eye opening (or ear opening?) pieces that draw the listener in. Her choice in repertoire has always been both creative and, some might say, “transgressive” because of her lack of respect for boundaries like “classical”, “jazz”, “pop”, “folk”, “male composers”, “female composers”, etc. whereby Benny Golson stands beside Aaron Copland or Rhiannon Giddens and Judy Collins alongside Bernstein, etc. But I prefer to think of her work as “inclusive”. Music is best appreciated not by racial, political, or gender issues but on its own merits. Here she sets her sights on the elusive concept of “love”, another concept that does best when it transgresses boundaries and embraces inclusion.

Downes’ keyboard mastery and her ability to clearly articulate the inner details of this music succeeded very well in engaging this listener from the very start. After about 12 tracks I had to stop, pull over, and look at the track listings. This far ranging but ultimately cohesive selection sounding at times like a fin de siecle drawing room recital of unabashedly romantic music. Of course many of these pieces are of more recent vintage but Downes succeeds in making her choices sound inevitably related to each other. There is much to explore here and the pieces seem to fit together like a sonic jigsaw puzzle into a cohesive whole while retaining their individual detail and beauty, indeed “love at last.”

Rather than attempting to delve into the individual composers here I am choosing to review this in the context of its presentation. It is a characteristic of Ms. Downes’ releases to identify some sort of context, sometimes fairly specific, sometimes cleverly vague in which to present a carefully chosen portion of her repertoire. Here Ms. Downes gives a loving and personal gift to her fans.

Of course I will look into all the composers and music presented here over time but, for now I just want to listen and savor these gifts. You will too.

Native American Classical: The Lakota Music Project of the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra

Aug1

The first time I heard Native American Music was on a Pete Seeger album when I was in high school. Later I heard the Native American flute player R. Carlos Nakai whose artistry was being marketed in a “new age” context.

I had known for some years that American composer Charles Wakefield Cadman (1881-1946), famed for his song, based on “indian themes” which was famously conscripted for use in a beer commercial. Many on the baby boomer ranks will likely recall the melody if I provide a small portion of the lyrics, “From the land of sky blue waters…”

In fact there was a relatively short lived group of American composers known as “ Indianists” who attempted to incorporate Native American music into their work. This group flourished from roughly 1880 to about 1920 and included Cadman along with Charles Sanford Skilton, Arthur Nevin, and Arthur Farwell among a few others. This interest parallels the burgeoning interests in the incorporation of “folk music”, especially that of the land of the composers’ origin. Bela Bartok and Zoltan Kodaly famously travelled the Eastern European countryside recording and transcribing music that would later be included in their own compositions. This archeology of sound approach was also done in the United States with people like Charles Seeger and his second wife, Ruth Crawford collected and transcribed American folk music. John and Alan Lomax carried this on further in their massive sound recording projects.

Florence Tsianina Evans (1882-1985), known as Tsianina Redfeather, a member of the Creek/Muskogee Nation, was a s classically trained singer, activist and educator who toured with Charles Wakefield Cadman singing his “Indianist” compositions including an opera “Shanewis” (produced at the Met) in which she collaborated on the libretto and sang the title role.

As far as I can determine, the majority of music collected by these people paid most attention to music whose origins come from three distinct sources, first are the colonialists who brought their folk traditions with them, second are the music of the forcibly relocated slave populations, and third, Native American music. Interest in “American” folk music and the parallel folk traditions of slaves drove much of the folk revival of the 1950s and 60s as well as driving the folk nationalism of American classical composers. Much less attention was given to actual indigenous musics.

To be fair, many native Americans seem to have a different relationship to music but that’s the realm of cultural anthropologists. I’m just glad to see/hear indigenous composers getting some exposure. It’s beautiful and it’s now a part of the whole of “American music”, a part that deserves to be better known. And, of course, mention must be made that Raven Chacon, a Navajo composer, was the first Native American to win a Pulitzer Prize in music for 2022.

So the recording being reviewed here can be seen as a reckoning of sorts. It presents classical music written by indigenous artists and incorporating indigenous music. Therein lies the importance of this release. The Lakota Music Project is a lovingly produced album giving voice to five Native American composers who work largely in the western classical idiom but composers whose work reveals distinct creative voices worthy of a wider audience.

Delta David Gier , conductor (photo from Wikipedia)

Credit must be given to innovative conductor Delta David Gier who appears to be one of those visionary musicians poised to make change and open minds as well as ears. This writer fondly hopes that this release will be the first of many by the South Dakota Symphony and by musicians in general exploring these uniquely American voices.

This disc, the first commercial recording by the South Dakota Symphony, features five commissioned compositions by four Native American composers:

Brent Michael Davids (photo courtesy composer)

1. Black Hills Olowan by Brent Michael Davids (13:25) The album opens with this hybrid orchestral/choral work that embraces the western classical tradition as well as the indigenous music of Native Americans. David’s works as a film composer and this seems evident in the rich sound painting in his work.

2.Wind on Clear Lake by Jeffery Paul II is one of two works by this composer/performer who also happens to be the principal oboe of the South Dakota Symphony. This work incorporates a Lakota song.

Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate–Photo by Shevaun Williams

3. Waktégli olówaŋ (Victory Songs) by Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate. Perhaps the most familiar name in this list of composers, Tate is known as a composer, conductor, and pianist of Chickasaw heritage. His entry here is the largest work on the album, a major song cycle. Tate was composer in residence with the South Dakota Symphony in 2017.

4. Desert Wind by by Jeffrey Paul II is the second entry on the disc by Mr. Paul. It is a sort of mini concerto for cedar flute and orchestra.

Theodore Wiprud (from composer’s website)

5. Amazing Grace (Arr. T. Wiprud for Orchestra) is an interesting set of variations on the familiar hymn. Wiprud is a fantastically busy musician which he documents nicely on his website. He is the successor to Tate as composer in residence.The choice of this song and this arrangement make for a rather spectacular finale to this forward looking collections of new music by Native American composers. The song, an old tune, was given new lyrics by a slave trader after he had the personally devastating revelation of the evils of his pursuits. It was incorporated into civil rights efforts and is arguably one of the most familiar hymn tunes. It’s use here can be read as a sort of attempt at reconciliation for the colonial atrocities that have plagued the United States since it’s “discovery” by Christopher Columbus in 1492.

Much work needs to be done investigating and celebrating the plurality of music subsumed under the term, “Native American Music” and this album takes a significant step in promoting the living composers, singers, dancers, and musicians who’s work was the whole of “American Music”.

Rachel Barton, Uncovering Valuable Legacy

Apr23

This album, largely a re-release of Barton’s groundbreaking recording of 1987 without the Violin Concerto No. 4 in D Major by CHEVALIER J.J.O. DE MEUDE-MONPAS (FL. C. 1786) but with the wonderful addition of Florence Price’s Second Violin Concerto of 1952. That alone is worth the price of this disc.

Rachel Barton Pine who made her debut at age 10 with the Chicago Symphony is a world renowned violinist and activist. With this, her 22nd release for Cedille she is clearly a darling of that fabulous hometown label. Her wide range of repertoire reflect a unique sensibility and a revelatory exploration of the work of black composers.

Cedille records has a pretty amazing history of paying attention to black composers. Four of their releases featured the late great black conductor Paul Freeman (1936-2015) whose groundbreaking survey of black composers for Columbia records remain indisputable evidence of their inexcusable neglect as artists. The Cedille recordings mentioned are an extension of Freeman’s original survey.

So let’s take a look at this new release.

JOSEPH BOLOGNE, CHEVALIER DE SAINT-GEORGES (1745-1799)
Violin Concerto in A major, Op. 5, No. 2 (1775) (23:44)
1 Allegro moderato (10:22)
2 Largo (8:35)
3 Rondeau (4:35)

The new lavish biopic will happily reignite interest in this composer. The late conductor Paul Freeman (1936-2015) is the person who really first rescued this man’s work from oblivion. In the first volume of his landmark Black Composers series released March 8th, 1974. He devoted an entire disc to four works by this composer, a contemporary of Mozart and every bit the Austrian’s equal both as composer and performer. Freeman released recordings of his first (of two) symphonies, the first (of some 18) string quartets, one of the few surviving arias from his first opera, “Ernestine”, and the last of his eight symphonies concertante. Barton’s beautiful reading of the A major violin concerto of 1775 (he wrote 14) is her entry into this much needed and ongoing revival. Her reading is warm and very much up to the challenge of the virtuosity of the writing.

JOSÉ WHITE LAFITTE (1835–1918)
Violin Concerto in F-sharp minor (21:32)
4 Allegro (11:39)
5 Adagio ma non troppo (4:50)
6 Allegro moderato (4:58)

This composer, also first brought to light by Maestro Freeman in its premiere recording in volume 7 of the Black Composers series released in June, 1975. The wonderful Aaron Rosand played the violin. Barton’s, released in 1997 is only the second recording of this little known Afro-Cuban composer. The concerto fits with her passion for the high romantic era where virtuosity was (nearly) all.

SAMUEL COLERIDGE-TAYLOR (1875–1912)
Romance in G major for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 39
(12:32)
Encore Chamber Orchestra
Daniel Hege, conductor

This brief Romance for violin and orchestra mirrors similar works by Beethoven and Dvorak. Again her facility with high romanticism serves her well in one of this black English composer’s best known works.

FLORENCE PRICE (1887-1953)
Violin Concerto No. 2 (1952) (14:42)
Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Jonathon Heyward, conductor

This, along with Price’s first concerto, fourth symphony we’re found in 2009 in a now abandoned house that once belonged to Price. The second concerto is presented in its second recording (both concerti were released on Albany Records in 2018. I haven’t heard that one but after hearing this performance from 2022 it’s hard to imagine it being done better.

Tim Brady’s Canadian Classical Invasion

Apr22

This is Tim Brady’s fourth Starkland release, a distinction shared by only two other composers, the late Tod Dockstader and (the delightfully very much living) Guy Klucevsek. And given the impressive track record of the Starkland label’s ability to find and promote innovative composers and performers who later achieve much wider recognition, this is an event that demands serious attention.

ST-232, released in 2019 contained works by Brady along with several associates from his “Instruments of Happiness” ensemble (and others) and is essentially a Brady album which features his “Instruments of Happiness” guitar quartet playing works by various Canadian composers.

STS-230, also a 2019 release contained Brady’s Concerto for Electric Guitar and Chamber Ensemble along with Brady’s “Eight Songs for: Symphony No. 7”

STS-224, a 2016 release, the recording premiere of this live performance guitar quartet, contained, along with a couple of shorter works by fellow Canadians, two versions of Brady’s Symphony 5.0, one for ensemble and a second version for solo guitar with electronics (arguably Brady’s first solo guitar symphony but the original version is for this guitar quartet).

With a catalog presently numbering some 39 plus CDs and a CV that boasts 4 operas and a massive catalog of compositions for ensembles ranging from solo to large orchestra, this proudly Canadian composer has mounted (metaphorically, of course) an invasion from the United State’s northern border of his distinctive artistic vision prompting this reviewer to suggest a comparison to the pop “invasion” of the Beatles in the early 60s.

My admittedly tongue in cheek Beatles comparison is not meant to eclipse the incredible artistry of this obviously very industrious artist. My previous reviews compared his work to electric guitar giants like Rhys Chatham and the late Glenn Branca. But this only serves to illuminate a fraction of this man’s work. I invite listeners to peruse his well organized website to get a perspective.

But let me get back to this release. It is undoubtedly a bold move to use the term “symphony” to describe a work for a solo artist. Charles Valentine Alkan (1813-1888) wrote a symphony for solo piano (opus 39 nos. 4-10 from 1857) Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji (1892-1988) referred to his third piano sonata (1922) as a symphony and later wrote six more symphonies for solo piano between 1938 and 1976. And more recently the late Glenn Branca (1948-2018) wrote several works for various configurations of guitars he called symphonies. But this is the first symphony written expressly for solo guitar as far as I can determine.

“Symphony in 18 Parts for solo electric guitar (2021) – 50 minutes
For solo electric guitar, FX pedals and looper, in 18 movements” as it is listed on the composer’s website is (if I counted correctly) his 8th Symphony. Brady apparently numbers his symphonies in order of composition without reference to instrumentation. While several of his symphonies involve one or more electric guitars, this is the first solo guitar work to which he gives the weighty title of “Symphony” (unless, as noted above, you count the solo version of Symphony No. 5).

The term “symphony” carries with it connotations, at least, of grandeur, painstaking structure, and serious music making. And this work is very serious and meticulously constructed. It is, of course, reflective of a mid career composer who has written a great deal and has learned from that experience. It has as much a right to be called a “symphony” as any similarly large and painstakingly written piece of music.

First, let me say that, other than a tendency to use one (or a lot more than one) electric guitar in his music, Brady’s music has relatively little in common with Glenn Branca and Rhys Chatham. In fact, Brady seems to have more in common with Steve Reich and Elliott Sharp. But while Chatham and Branca emerged from a music scene dominated by punk in all its iterations, Brady seems more connected to the Beatles and Les Paul.

The work is divided into 18 sections, each running a modest 1.5 to just under 5 minutes. It is a structure similar in this listeners mind to American composer Alan Hovhaness (1911-2008), whose Symphony No. 9 (1949-50) “St. Vartan”, a similarly epic masterpiece in no fewer than 24 short movements. It is the interrelatedness of those movements that make them a part of the whole symphony. And so it is with Brady’s Symphony. David Lang (Pulitzer Prize Winner and founding Bang on a Can” member) says essentially this in his segment of the liner notes that come with the recording. Tim Brady acknowledges much the same in his segment of the liner notes.

The cover art by fellow adventuring guitarist and composer Elliott Sharp is functionally an homage to Brady and his work. The recording by Tim Brady and Morris Apelbaum, mastered by Brady, Apelbaum, and John Klepko is lucid (and great on headphones especially when Brady pans the sounds across the stereo field).

The 18 movements all have titles which are metaphorically related to the music therein. David Lang aptly describes these varied and intense movements as sort of biographical statements about what the composer can do with his instrument. Each movement has both form and development much as one would expect of a symphonic movement.

On the one hand, this symphony is not easy listening. On the other hand it is likely catnip to electric guitarists as well as to new music enthusiasts including your humble reviewer. Brady’s Canadian invasion, far from a takeover, is simply a musician sharing his substantial art from across the northern border and presenting his latest efforts. Like the Beatles, Brady deserves to be welcomed. This prolific composer/performer/teacher/innovator has interesting things to say.

At first I attempted to write something about each of the 18 movements but I don’t think that would have added anything useful for prospective listeners. This piece taken as a whole most aptly deserves the descriptor “tour de force” as each movement seems to have its own character deriving from the composer’s use of various (apparently deeply studied and judiciously chosen) techniques and ideas which sometimes threaten to overwhelm the listener, sometimes with sheer volume, sometimes with dazzling virtuosity, sometimes with softness, sometimes with silence, and always with interesting ideas.

In some ways this is a collections of ideas and techniques the composer has amassed over some 50 + years of playing. Each movement seems to be a more or less self contained exposition of playing techniques and the composers own approach to harmony and invention. That sounds potentially very dull but this is not a collection of etudes didactically accounting for and crystallizing his ideas. It is the organic appropriation of personal achievements in developing his compositional style. And it is an homage to electric guitarists that preceded him. Not a textbook as much as perhaps a signpost defining his present stage of development even as he moves forward with other projects.

I suppose one could challenge the notion of calling this a work for solo guitar given the effects pedals, looping systems, etc. but the use of electronics and looping techniques as a compositional aid or method is so ubiquitous that point is moot. Call it what you like but just listen. Let the music flow over your ears. At the very least this is a defining milestone in Brady’s long and productive career. It’s hard to to imagine what he might do next but I’m sure he’ll think of something.

Catalyzing Blackness, Volume Three: The Catalyst Quartet plays 20th Century music by Black Americans

Apr21

This is the third volume in the Catalyst Quartet’s wonderful and insightful survey of neglected works by black composers. The first focused on music by the black English composer Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1875-1912), the second on music of late nineteenth to mid-twentieth century American composer Florence Price (1887-1953). The present disc focuses on the works of three men whose musical careers were entirely in the twentieth century: William Grant Still (1895-1978), George Walker (1922-2018), and Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson (1932-2004).

William Grant Still is roughly contemporary with Aaron Copland (1900-1990). Copland has often been called the “Dean of American Composers” and Still has been called the “Dean of Afro-American Composers”. Such honorifics, while well intended, do nothing to describe the true depth and significance of either of these composers.

Similarly their best known works, Copland’s “Appalachian Spring” (1944), and Still’s “Afro-American Symphony” (1930) are fine pieces of music but cannot represent the whole of their respective authors’ outputs. Both produced quite a bit of music and went through stylistic changes as their artistic sensibilities evolved. Copland’s oeuvre is pretty well documented, allowing listeners to grasp its entirety while Still’s work has not enjoyed the same distinction. That is changing, slowly, and that is reason to celebrate.

The Catalyst Quartet (Karla Donehew Perez, violin; Abi Fayette, violin; Paul Laraia, viola; and Karlos Rodriguez, cello) from their website

Still is represented here by his “Lyric Quartette” (published in 1960 but likely written 1939-1945). These three movements for string quartet are intended to represent a plantation, the mountains of Peru, and a pioneer settlement, respectively. This appears to be the first commercial recording of the work, a set of vignettes (Still never wrote a string quartet as such) seemingly published as an afterthought after looking back over his files. That’s not to denigrate the music. It is finely crafted and reflects a composer closer to the folk eclecticism of his contemporaries William L. Dawson (1899-1980) whose use of folk idioms resembles that of Aaron Copland (1900-1990) and Virgil Thomson (1896-1989), two white contemporaries (rather than his later more post romantic style). These composers’ use of folk idioms and the comforting tonal harmonies, very much in vogue when the music was first written, sound rather old fashioned in their year of the Lyric Quartette’s publication. Nonetheless, it is a vital work in understanding Still and his development as a composer. This would make for a great encore or second selection following a Haydn or Mozart Quartet.

George Walker was a sought after concert pianist and he forever holds the distinction of being the first Black American to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize in music (for his 1996 “Lilacs” for voice and orchestra). I learned from one of my personal favorite Chicago broadcasters that he, Bruce Duffie (WNIB host 1975-2001) played Walker’s “Lyric for Strings” (1946, orch. 1990) as the final sign off music at the closing of the beloved independent station (reportedly very satisfying to that terminal audience). The link provided is to a transcript of his subsequent conversation he had with Walker in 2001, worth your time to read.

So what does all this have to do with this release? Well, that, “Lyric for strings” is actually Walker’s orchestration for string orchestra of the second movement, “molto adagio“ of his three movement String Quartet No.1 (1946) “Lyric”. Samuel Barber garnered a great audience with his “Adagio for Strings” from the molto adagio of his String Quartet (1935-36).

The outer movements (1 and 3) of Walker’s quartet (carefully conceived and thoughtfully developed at length) frame the beautiful adagio with a passionate elaborately developed allegro and a high energy, virtuosic finale (much as in the Barber work). The quartet’s title, derived from the slow movement which was originally titled “lament” is dedicated to Walker’s grandmother, a former slave. A very different perspective of America, for sure, but a truly spectacular example of string quartet writing.

I wrote my review in chronological order to clarify my narrative but the actual track order is:

String Quartet No. 1 “Calvary” Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson (1932-2004)

Allegro
Adagio
Allegro vivace
Lyric Quartet William Grant Still (1895-1978)
The Sentimental One
The Quiet One
The Jovial One
String Quartet No. 1 “Lyric” George Walker (1922-2018)
Allegro
Molto adagio
Allegro con fuoco

So String Quartet No. 1 “Calvary” (1956) by Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson is leaving the most recent for last. This work, shares with the other two it’s having been written fairly early in the composer’s career (he was about 24 when he wrote this piece, Still was in his 40s and Walker about 24 when they wrote their respective quartets). So Catalyst adheres to these important but early utterances from these three important artists. And for clarity the name permutations we encounter here comprise: Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) is the English poet, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912) is the black English composer honorifically named after that poet, and Coleridge Taylor Perkinson (1932-2004) the black American composer honorifically named in honor of said English composer.

This is another outstanding but neglected American composer who happens to be black. This fine string quartet is defined by its serious tone and elaborate development in a passionate romantic tonal idiom. Of course the composer shares his prominent jazz (Perkins was nothing if not eclectic) influences in rhythms and harmonic structure. Based loosely on the hymn, “Calvary” from which it takes its name, it was actually premiered in Carnegie Hall as part of a memorial for composer and baritone Harry T. Burleigh (1866-1949). The opening allegro is a searching and unsettling matter followed by a calming slow movement characterized by an incessant pizzicato repeating figure. The finale, a touch more hopeful sounds almost improvisatory at times much in the manner of some jazz forms. Truly another outstanding example of good string quartet writing. This is powerful music!

These recordings are both beautifully done and, arguably, definitive in their interpretation of these delightful and essential additions to the quartet literature. The Catalyst does a fine and honorable job in their ongoing mission to reclaim forgotten gems such as these for present and future listeners. Thank you for that. Please keep working on this body of work lest it be lost to history.

The Young Person’s Guide to Ben Johnston

Mar24

I’m guessing that my title has its origins in the Benjamin Britten piece, “The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra”. That phrasing has been used by the likes of Phill Niblock and King Crimson to title retrospective compilation discs. While the disc under consideration here is not, strictly speaking, a retrospective it is a fine representation of the chamber music of the late great Ben Johnston (1926-2019).

Johnston, a former associate of Harry Partch (Johnston played in Partch’s ensemble) was a composer in his own right. His ten string quartets are a landmark of the genre. Two of those quartets are featured here played by the Lyris Quartet (Nos. 4 and 9) along with what is apparently his last composition, “Ashokan Farewell” (1999) scored for an octet in which the Lyris is augmented with flute, clarinet, bassoon, and double bass.

Like so many composers before him, Johnston was fond of incorporating folk tunes into his compositions. The composer’s fourth quartet (included here) from 1973, which incorporates “Amazing Grace”, is likely his best known work. Despite its incredible complexity (nicely summarized in Kyle Gann’s lucid liner notes) this set of variations keeps that familiar tune near the surface and effectively make for music that is friendly to the audience, easy on the ears. It’s single movement clocks in at just under 12 minutes, the piece ends long before listeners have time to worry about that complexity.

Not all of the quartets incorporate familiar tunes but they explore various aspects of just intonation tunings. The ninth quartet (1987) is about twice the length of the fourth and is set in the familiar four movements that characterize the majority of the classical string quartet literature. The use of the classical format along with Johnston’s masterful writing also make this slightly odd sounding work just familiar enough that few listeners will find unpleasant. In fact the work is a joy to experience though very difficult to play.

Listeners may want to seek out Mr. Gann’s very readable work on microtonal tuning systems, “The Arithmetic of Listening” available. Your humble reviewer is working through this text and finding it useful in understanding microtonality.

The final work (both the last on the disc and the last in the composer’s ouevre) is a delightful set of variations on a tune called “Ashokan Farewell”, a pretty folk like melody that pervades the Ken Burns Civil War documentary. I say “folk like” because the time was written by Jay Ungar and Molly Mason. Johnston mistakenly believed it to be a folk song in the public domain and, seeing its possibilities for his compositional aspirations, simply used it. Like the fourth quartet it is a set of variations in a single movement of similar length. This is the world premiere recording.

Musicians include Alyssa Park, violin; Shalini Vijayan, violin; Luke Maurer, viola; Timothy Loo, cello; Sara Andon, flute; James Sullivan, clarinet; Scott Worthington, double bass.

In researching this review I discovered that the tune actually has lyrics (also under copyright) and they are presented below:

The sun is sinking low in the sky above Ashokan
The pines and the willows know soon we will part
There’s a whisper in the wind of promises unspoken
And a love that will always remain in my heart

My thoughts will return to the sound of your laughter
The magic of moving as one
And a time we’ll remember long ever after
The moonlight and music and dancing are done

Will we climb the hills once more?
Will we walk the woods together?
Will I feel you holding me close once again?
Will every song we’ve sung stay with us forever?
Will you dance in my dreams or my arms until then?

Under the moon the mountains lie sleeping
Over the lake the stars shine
They wonder if you and I will be keeping
The magic and music, or leave them behind.

Those lyrics make for a fond farewell to a true musical genius who gave us both magic and music. Grab this lovely disc and honor his memory.

Evan Ziporyn: Bang on a Pop

Mar22

Attempts to meld pop, jazz, and classical music are abundant but many, like some of the poorly done string quartet transcriptions (there are a few good ones but most are guaranteed to offend pop and classical audiences alike). But this set of chamber group incorporations of essentially “pop” music is among the most engaging and convincing.

Here the truly fabulous Reed player, composer, conductor, and Bang on a Can member Evan Ziporyn takes listeners on a journey which, to this listener, are a modern equivalent of Aaron Copland’s “Old American Songs” and, for that matter, Luciano Berio’s “Folksongs”. It is a personal selection with (sometimes) quirky but ultimately convincing transcriptions which rise to the level of full blown compositions that function as an homage to the chosen songs.

Actually these “chamber transcriptions” are for multiple clarinets, all played by Maestro Ziporyn. Doubtless many will hear echoes of Steve Reich’s multitracked instrument pieces in his “counterpoint” series. In that sense this is also a set of pieces that does homage to Reich’s work as well.

Tracks
01 UNCLE ALBERT/ADMIRAL HALSEY (5:05)
(Wings) Paul & Linda McCartney
02 RIDE CAPTAIN RIDE (5:07)
(Blues Image) Mike Pinera, Frank Konte
03 WOODSTOCK (5:32)
(Joni Mitchell) Joni Mitchell
04 ALONG COMES MARY (3:00)
(The Association) Tandyn Almer
05 WOODSTOCK IMPROVISATION/VILLANOVA JUNCTION (6:42) 06 SHINING STAR (2:17)
(Earth Wind & Fire) P. Bailey, L. Dunn, V. White, M. White, S. Burke
07 THAT’S THE WAY OF THE WORLD (5:56)
(Earth Wind & Fire) C.Stepney, V. White, M. White
08 PORTRAIT OF TRACY (2:23)
(Jaco Pastorius) Jaco Pastorius
09 I LIVE ABOVE THE HOBBY SHOP (3:43)
(McFabulous) Benjamin McFadden
10 DEADBEAT CLUB (4:12)
(B-52s) C. Wilson, F. Schneider, K. Strickland, K. Pierson
11 STRAWBERRY LETTER #23 (5:24)
(Brothers Johnson) Shuggie Otis
12 YOUR GOLD TEETH II (4:03)
(Steely Dan) Walter Becker & Donald Fagen

Ziporyn, born in 1959, played in Reich’s ensemble and that sound world is a surprisingly effective one for Ziporyn to share the pop music of his era. Certainly this music can benefit from musicological analysis but it speaks clearly and entertainingly as well to the casual listener. It is helpful but not absolutely necessary that listeners know the music upon which these pieces are based but this may have significant nostalgia for those who do.

Mr. Ziporyn’s familiarity with a wide variety of music ranging from avant garde classical to jazz and pop along with his composer’s acumen of form combine to make this one of, at least for this writer, most convincing and satisfying efforts to appropriate (or perhaps more like simply incorporate) some familiar pop standards. This is a marvelously entertaining album.

Igor Levit: Defining Tristan

Mar18

Igor Levit is a man of vision and of multiple talents. His pianistic skills and his vast knowledge of repertoire are pretty much unquestioned at this point. His vision is evidenced by his very personal choices in choosing what he will play and record. In my first encounter with this artist, his three disc survey of large keyboard variation works spanning three centuries including Frederic Rzewski’s “The People United…” suggested that this piece represent the 20 century with the Beethoven “Diabelli Variations” representing the 19th century, and Bach’s “Goldberg Variations” the 18th, and virtually the origin of the form.

Levit’s 3 disc survey of large variation sets

I have not heard all of Levit’s albums but those I have seem a similar pattern in his choices of what to record. They seem to serve his vision of choosing works for which he makes the case that they be included in the common concert hall repertoire. His inclusion of Ronald Stevenson’s monumental “Variations on DSCH” alongside the Shostakovich Preludes and Fugues effectively issued a challenge to his fellow artists to consider including those masterworks in the canon of music commonly played in concert halls.

Levit’s album of the Shostakovich Preludes and the Stevenson DSCH Variations

The two disc set considered here seems to follow that same pattern. In “Tristan”, Levit makes provocative and unusual but ultimately intelligent choices of what to play.

Here, Levit makes a charming choice of performing the late, great Hungarian pianist, composer, and conductor Zoltan Kocsis whose transcription of Wagner’s “Tristan Prelude” (1857-9) for piano is basically the seed from which this quasi-concept album grows. And finally, in another brilliant move, he includes Ronald Stevenson’s piano transcription of the gorgeous, angst ridden Adagio of Mahler’s unfinished Tenth Symphony 1910-11), making at least the suggestion of a connection between the 19th century of Wagner’s landmark opera and, via Mahler’s post romanticism to Henze’s 20th century Tristan whose inspiration was garnered from that same medieval epic poem.

The centerpiece here is obviously Hans Werner Henze’s “Tristan Preludes” (1974) for piano, orchestra, and tape (a rare but effective choice by this composer). He pairs this large work with curiously connected pieces such as Liszt’s very familiar “Liebestraum No. 3“ (1850), and the less familiar Transcendental Etude, “Harmonies du soir” (1851). Liszt, a contemporary and supporter of Wagner, was the virtuosic showman, the “Liberace” of his day. This helps provide the listener a historical context as well as a contrast to the severe intensity and harmonic rebellion of Wagner’s “Tristan”.

Surprisingly, as far as I can tell, this is only the second recording of this major Henze work (wonderfully conducted by the fine Franz Welser-Möst) and likely the first recording of the Kocsis and Stevenson transcriptions. I have no doubt the Liszt selections have received much attention but they are critical here to Levit’s appropriately lofty (and very much romantic) vision, that of garnering a deserved place for all of this music to be kept alive both in recordings and the concert hall.

Levit’s playing is slow paced, full of romantic angst, and full of nuance. His pacing and his use of a wide dynamic range create an atmosphere that is both dark, and meditative. This album has the deep substance of Levit’s personal vision, a glory to behold. The gauntlet has been laid down.

Next Gen Electroacoustic: Kotoka Suzuki

Mar15

Starkland S-236

Every Starkland release is an event and this one is no different. This is a composer new to this writer and likely new to most of the new music community. But fear not of the unknown. Advance praise from the likes of John Chowning (one of the reigning bright lights of electronic music) of Stanford certainly add a heady air of anticipation as we are now privileged to hear what is definitely leading edge and the future of electroacoustic composition. And Starkland releases always feature carefully chosen repertoire which is not infrequently a harbinger of success for the chosen artist. This young Japanese composer reveals a distinctive voice that heralds her as a rising star in the field of what is called by some “electroacoustic” music.

The only problem for listeners or reviewers is the fact that this is a new composer. And though she is clearly a rising star we know very little about her and her work so a bit of background is necessary.

Suzuki was born in Japan. She studied at the estimable Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University where she earned a B.A. in music. She followed this with a D.M.A.. from Stanford University where she was mentored by the late great Jonathan Harvey (1939-2012). Another stellar antecedent and influence, John Chowning, the composer and sound engineer whose work has virtually defined electronic music synthesis as we now know it. He provides appreciative and insightful liner notes on this former student.

I do feel the need to express a disclaimer here regarding the musical genre known as “electroacoustic”. This has been, for me personally, an entertainment minefield. Attempts to join electronics with acoustic instruments go back at least to Edgar Variese (1883-1965) who used electronic interpolations (produced on magnetic tape) between the orchestral sections of his work Deserts (1950-54). This parallel construction strategy (electronic segments performed/played separate from acoustic instrument sections) seems to have had an echo in the so called “Third Stream” music promoted by Gunther Schuller. Third Stream compositions sometimes similarly segregated the jazz combo with the orchestral sections of a given work. This strategy, now seldom used, was innovative in its time but sounds very dated in this new millennium, There are, however, shining examples of more successful integration of electronic and acoustic media such as Mario Davidovsky’s (1937-2019) ten “Synchronisms”and some of Milton Babbit’s (1916-2011) works. There are others of course but that discussion is beyond the scope of this review.

Suffice it to say that many attempts at combining electronics with acoustic instruments have failed to tickle this listener’s fancy and made me skeptical of this genre though that is changing the more I listen (so its not clear if my perceptions are due to better composition techniques or my learning curve). But be not afraid.

This album, no doubt due to the many successful antecedents of works by the likes of Mr. Harvey and Mr. Chowning, is successful enough in its construction as to suggest it may be a landmark in the evolution of said genre. It certainly works for this listener and explains my title for this review. In fact this album is a new statement, tantamount to a manifesto on “electroacoustic” music. In addition to clearly having mastered the electronics (including judicious use of technology), Suzuki also writes for acoustic instruments from her native Japan. She even uses paper instruments. And in music that deals with elegy, evanescence, and impermanence her choices are most apt.

This is the first disc devoted entirely to Suzuki’s work and no label, save for Starkland, Innova, and the newly revived Neuma can be said to be more notable in their attention to electronic and electroacoustic work. Works do appear on other labels of course but Starkland Innova, and Neuma seem to have a more efficient curatorial radar with this genre. I certainly feel confident that we will hear much more from this hard working, emerging artist.

There is a theme of darkness, homage, mystery, and sadness that pervades this album. It is about night, darkness, loss, and cherished memories. But darkness does not here translate to sadness, rather it seems to be about what follows sadness and honoring those memories.

There are 7 compositions represented on 7 tracks:

Epiphyllum Oxypetalum (Queen of the Night) (2009) takes its title from the Latin taxonomic name of the above pictured Dutchman’s Pipe or, more elegantly, Queen of the Night cactus. It is a nocturnal blooming species, a perfect choice for this non-narrative tone poem about the composer’s dreams. These aural images stand in for the visuals that only the dreamer can fully recall but can hopefully elicit in the listener.

Inspired by a 1933 essay, “In Praise of Shadows” (2015), is a eulogy about evanescence. It is simultaneously about the visual importance of shadow in eastern visual art and the relative loss or obscuring of those images as they are impacted by modern technology. We lose the shadows when we light them but lose their impact as they succumb to it. In a marvelously clever parallel metaphor the composer makes use of paper instruments as a part of the sonic fabric. Their impermanence is also their value here.

Minyo (1997), the earliest composition here incorporates Japanese folk songs commonly sung by workers and incorporates some of the acoustic instruments which commonly accompany these songs. Here the use of electronics is fairly subtle, sometimes imitative augment the acoustic string quartet. Doubtless the songs used would be more familiar to native Japanese but this hardly detracts from the beauty of this work, an homage of sorts to the Melodie’s and instruments of the composer’s native land.

Automata (Mechanical Garden) is an homage to the late Folkmar Hein, former director of the Electronic Music Studio at TU Berlin. The piece uses mechanical sounds of increasing complexity, mechanical devices evolving in complexity to become automatic, perhaps a mechanical analogue of a golem not (at least not yet) out of control as the golem of legend.

Reservoir (2013) is a 24 channel work for voice and electronics. It was inspired by an anonymous post on a “suicide blog” (I didn’t know such things existed). The text of the anonymous poster, the replies, and presumably the poster have all disappeared. This, perhaps the most complex and ambitious piece featured here, is a remarkably powerful work and, appropriately, the texts are provided in English.

Sagisō (2012) is a miniature representing this fringed orchid species native to Japan. It is said by some to represent a White Egret in flight.

Shimmer, Tree (In Memoriam Jonathan Harvey) (2014) is a two movement work in honor of one of Suzuki’s cherished mentors who died in 2012. It is a sort of mini concerto for piano and electronics. This is the longest and, to this listener’s ears, the most forward looking and substantial work on the disc. Harvey would have been proud.

The Spektral Quartet (in Minyo), tenor/countertenor Javier Hagen (in Reservoir), and pianist Cristina Valdes discharge their duties admirably. The album is mixed and produced by the composer and mastered by the inimitable Silas Brown.

This listener looks forward with eager anticipation to more from this fine composer.

DISCLAIMER: Though I received this album well before it’s 2022 release date, I was unable to complete my review in a timely manner. I did, however, include this release in my “best of” for 2022.

Binaural Beats in the Tudor Rainforest

Jan29

On the back of the CD case, in the right upper hand corner, like a warning on the back of a medicine bottle, an entreaty:

“Binaural Recording: Please use headphones.”

Even those of you who think they know this masterpiece of experimental electronics by David Tudor (1926-1996) will find here a unique and important collaboration in this production initiated by Pauline Oliveros, then director of the Center for Music Experiment (CME) at UCSD. She invited a group called CIE (Composers Inside Electronics). And the resulting product of that collaboration documented here advances the understanding of this music and will henceforth be an influence on all future performances.

Unfortunately for this writer’s timing, the wealth of information gathered in the course of researching this review, the sheer volume of possibilities in performance and the wider scope of historical and technical elements embraced by this work required a deeper reading and contemplation on my part. In short, it has taken some time for this reviewer to get a grasp of how to express the significance of the deeply substantive work at hand. I simply didn’t know enough about the history of electronic music and the work of this seminal musician.

So now, after some serious study, this is my perspective on this landmark composition and, in particular, the deeper significance of this performance. In short, there will likely be many more performances of this work but this one will always be a standout. Not the ultimate version perhaps, but one of the most memorable.

David Tudor was a pianist who championed contemporary piano music and then began a career as a composer. But he was no ordinary composer. Taking inspiration from the composers whose work he championed, Tudor developed musical ideas with structures that contain indeterminate elements within a larger structure. Such is the case with Rainforest which was first developed in 1968 against a cultural backdrop of the height of the psychedelic sixties and the political “days of rage”, a time of artistic innovation like Allen Kaprow’s “happenings” which expanded the concepts of what constituted art, a time of wild experimentation. His work crossed paths with the San Francisco Tape Music Center (which later became the Mills College New Music Center). Tudor traversed some of the same territory as Donald Buchla, Pauline Oliveros, Maggie Payne, Morton Subotnick, Ramon Sender, as well as many others.

The first iteration of Tudor’s innovative and experimental “Rainforest” was in 1968. It is a testament to Tudor’s creativity to have created a structure that contains the indeterminate sonic events called for in the score (not a formal score but a set of performance instructions) in such a way that the piece evolves with each iteration, each performance. That, rather than the varying sonic content, is the heart of this major work of contemporary sonic art.

First, this is a binaural recording, meaning that it was recorded with a technology intended to deliver the sound directly to headphones of the listener hopefully producing an experience much as would have been experienced by sitting in the audience. Earlier versions of this technology involved, basically, microphones embedded in the ear canals of an anthropomorphic head which is placed in front of the performance as a listener would sit in their seat. However, the present recording recording involved another generation of this technology which is particularly well suited to this music. Here the microphones are worn in the ears of the recordist(s) as they meander through the space in which the piece is being performed. The result is the listener being able to (almost literally) get inside the head of the person wandering within the space and listening to the sounds created, sometimes at a distance, sometimes more closely.

Despite the entreaty that the listener wear headphones when listening to this recording (you really should try that at least once), one can play this recording as one would any other musical recording. It can also be appreciated by playing it on speakers in any space as a sort of sound installation. This piece challenges conventional concepts of music and its audience.

Sarah Cahill’s “The Future is Female” Volume 2: The Dance

Nov5

The fanciful subtitle of this release, “The Dance” is a follow up to the first volume titled, “In Nature” (a third volume titled, “At Play” is due out in March, 2023). These vague titles are fanciful and more connotative than specific. They seem to reflect the nature of the project and the nature of Sarah Cahill‘s style of conceptualizing what must be an overwhelming undertaking, Beginning with the simple concept of female composers (the term “neglected” would be redundant here) Cahill has produced a sweeping survey ranging from the baroque era (the earliest piece so far in this anthology is from 1687) to the present and her survey seems to know few geographical boundaries in this representative survey of keyboard music. Of course we are talking about basically the paradigm of western classical music but non-western influences are of course included via the composers’ individual talents. Many of these works were presented in Cahill’s fine YouTube series which can give listeners further clues to the pianist’s varied interests.

The cover art (which I had described as “drab” in the first review) now seems to aptly reflect the struggle for equality and now nicely represents this project in an iconic way with the same monochrome cover photo on each of the three volumes and a primary color panel with the disc title. Green for Volume I, Yellow for Volume II (I’m guessing “red” for Vol III?). This survey is shaping up to be an influential as well as hugely entertaining anthology.

What struck this listener is Cahill’s facility with both technique and interpretation of a mighty diverse set of pieces. Known primarily for her work with music written after 1950, she demonstrates in these recordings an impressive command of baroque, classical, romantic, and modern idioms. I have never heard her play Bach but I wouldn’t miss an opportunity to hear her do the Goldberg Variations.

This was particularly striking in her reading of the keyboard suite that opens this release. This is apparently not the first recording of Elisabeth JACQUET DE LA GUERRE‘s (1665-1729) Suite no. 1 in d minor (the complete suites for harpsichord were recorded by harpsichordist Carol Cerasi in 1998) but Cahill seems to channel the spirits of the pioneering efforts of Wanda Landowska and Rosalyn Tureck whose abilities to play harpsichord music effectively on the modern piano helped set the standard for this practice in the twentieth century and beyond. This late French baroque suite is a thoroughly engaging way to draw the listener in. With echoes of Bach and Couperin this virtually unknown composer is seriously engaging and substantive. This recording includes five (of nine) movements of the suite. One hopes to hear more of this woman’s music and Cahill is very much up to the task of providing a definitive performance.

With the next track we hear the music of Clara SCHUMANN (1819-1896), better known as the wife of Robert Schumann (1810-1856). Clara was in fact a highly accomplished virtuoso and composer whose works are only now getting the recognition they deserve. The piece chosen here is her Variations on a Theme of Robert Schumann Op. 20. These seven variations were a gift for her husband on his 43rd birthday in 1853. Sadly it was to be the last birthday he would celebrate with his family. Robert Schumann was infamously institutionalized in 1854 and died in 1856. The work has all the splendor of high romanticism with the virtuosity associated with the great composer/pianists (Brahms, Schumann, Liszt, Rubinstein, et al). And, as with the previous piece, Cahill seems very at home in her reading of this wonderful set of variations.

Germaine TAILLEFERE (1892-1983) is next up with her three movement partita of 1957. The title “Partita” suggests a connection with the baroque suite which opens this collection. The connection is one of form, not harmony or melody. The three movements here are “Perpetuum Mobile”, “Notturno”, and “Allegramente”. Taillefere, who is perhaps best known for her lively Harp Concertino of 1927, was the only female member of France’s celebrated “Les Six” (the other members were, Louis Durey, Georges Auric, Arthur Honneger, Darius Milhaud, and Francis Poulenc). This largely neoclassical group of composers developed their styles in the shadow of Debussy and Ravel. Cahill’s first album was a fine reading of Ravel’s piano music and she is very much in her element with this delightful three movement work which echoes Ravel to some degree,

Zenobia POWELL PERRY (1908-2004) is the first composer in this collection to be born in the twentieth century. She was a black composer/conductor/pianist and teacher. Her work appeared before in this blog in coverage of her opera “Tarawa House” which was given a revival in Modesto, CA in 2014. Her “Rhapsody” (1960) is in a sort of Neo-romantic style with some challenging virtuosity required. This is a fine introduction to her work which deserves serious reassessment and more performances. Musicologist Jeannie Gayle Pool continues to publish, preserve, and advocate for this neglected American artist. Pool maintains the website for this composer and is a useful, informative site,

Madeleine DRING (1923-1977), a British composer/pianist, a new name to this writer, is characterized by her use of popular and jazz idioms. Cahill here plays two (of five) movements of her “Color Suite” (1963). This whets the listener’s appetite for more of this interesting composer whose work was well known during her career but whose star has dimmed since her passing. Dring is one of many women composers of that era whose work, though influential, has not been incorporated into the repertory of contemporary classical musicians.

Betsy JOLAS (1926- ), a French born American composer whose career has included work as a composer, pianist, and teacher. No stranger to the Bay Area, Jolas taught at UC Berkeley and Mills College as well as Harvard and Yale. The listener accessible nature of her music belies the innovation and complexities it contains. Though she has been recognized throughout her career her work is due for a new reckoning. Her brief “Tango Si” (1984) is entertaining and sufficiently compelling to spark interest in her work going forward.

Elena KATS-CHERNIN (1957- ) hails from Uzbekistan and migrated to Australia where she studied at the New South Wales Conservatorium and subsequently with Helmut Lachenmann in Germany. Kats-Chernin has been a prolific composer and is now perhaps mid-career and, happily, pretty well known. “Peggy’s Rag” (1996) is one of a set of several rags written between 1995 and 1999. This work is dedicated to Australian composer Peggy Glanville-Hicks (1912-1990), another artist, another female composer deserving of a revival.

Meredith MONK (1942- ) has long been one of this reviewer’s favorite “downtown” composers whose initial musical ventures were first heard in her New York SOHO loft. She, along with other rising stars, including Philip Glass, Steve Reich, Phill Klein, Rhys Chatham, etc., are now the historically recognized mavericks who’s creative ideas formed in contrast to the power elite of the “uptown” composers heard commonly at Lincoln Center.

Monk was initially trained as a dancer and that has been evident in most of her output. But she is perhaps best known for her exploration of extended vocal techniques (which she also teaches). It is fitting that her “St. Petersburg Waltz” (1997) is included in this dance themed installment of music by women composers. Despite being an “east coast” composer initially, Monk has achieved international recognition and has a particularly large following in the Bay Area. No surprise then that our pianist guide in this journey has a long standing familiarity with Monk’s work. Cahill demonstrates her grasp of Monk’s minimalist inflected style most admirably and, as in the preceding tracks, leaves the listener wanting more.

Gabriela ORTIZ (1964) is a Mexican composer. Born in Mexico, trained in England, and now teaching in Mexico. Her light shines brightly even in the glare of the heavily politicized immigration issues that dominate the media and is another in a long line of world class composers from that underrated country. Ortiz, in addition to her academic appointments, has produced a large number of works in multiple formats from piano and chamber music, to orchestral, dance, and opera. Her work draws in part on the folk music traditions she absorbed in her childhood and she has amassed a significant number of international commissions and recordings.

Ortiz is also an accomplished pianist and the work chosen here is “Preludio y Estudio No. 3″(2011), one of four two part compositions. Cahill’s brief but useful notes provide the listener with her personal insights to the underlying complexities that drive this music. The incorporation of folk and non-classical elements has been embraced by composers for hundreds of years and Ortiz succeeds in incorporating such elements into her personal style,. As with all of these works, Cahill produces interpretations that, if not absolutely definitive (there are always detractors) stand as a challenge to subsequent interpreters, a necessary element in such a grand project.

This volume ends with the most recently composed work by the youngest composer of the lot, Theresa WONG (1976- ). Wong, a graduate of Mills College, is cherished performer in the Bay Area and beyond, As both composer and performer she has maintained an active schedule and has produced a great deal of music documented in a large and growing discography. Her collaborations have included many of the established Bay Area artistic royalty (including Ms. Cahill, of course).

“She Dances Naked Under the Palm Trees” (2019) is a composition for which the backstory (provided in Cahill’s notes) is particularly useful for the listener. It is the incorporation of extramusical ideas and musical. quotation that drive the drama here to some extent.. The music certainly stands on its own but the addition of the technical insights will send the listener back for repeated hearings and the music will guide the listener to seek more of the work of this wonderful artist whose star continues to rise.

The last disc in this landmark anthology (due next year) will ultimately contain only a portion of the approximately 70 pieces which Cahill has chosen. Like her previous anthology (of politically influenced music) “A Sweeter Music” released in 2013, the limitations of time and money prevent a more complete vision of said anthologist but there is more than enough to provoke further interest by listeners and artists and isn’t that the point?

Avant L’Orage: Trios Between the Wars

Oct21

I recall reading a comment from Aaron Copland to the effect that he believed that there was undiscovered gems written in those years between the world wars 1 and 2 (roughly 1918 to 1939). And this release certainly confirms that assertion. The 7 pieces here (of which three are receiving their world premiere recordings) represent the years 1926 to 1939, the end of the period following the “War to End All Wars”. The French term “Avant L’Orage” is generally translated as “The Calm Before the Storm”. It is an apt metaphor for the time.

The string trio form, though common, does not seem to have produced the grand stature of some of the music for the more commonly heard ensemble, the string quartet. The trio of Violin, Viola, Cello can arguably be said to not have truly com of age until the twentieth century which would see major works by Schoenberg (1946), Krenek (1949), Wourinen (1968), and Schnittke (1985) to name a few highlights. But these charming little works on this 2 CD set can be thought of as stepping stones in the evolution of the form.

Now I know a lot of pretty obscure repertoire so I was a tad surprised to find that I had only heard of four of the composers represented here: Henri Tomasi (1901-1971), Jean Francaix (1912-1997), Robert Casadesus (1899-1972), and Gabriel Pierné (1863-1937). The other three: Jean Cras (1879-1932), Émile Goué (1904-1946), and Gustave Samazeuilh (1877-1967) were new to me.

Tomasi’s “Trio en forme de divertissement” (1938) is a four movement work with a lighthearted feel. It is structured in classical form. Largely neoclassical in sound. It opens with a Prelude followed by a gentle Nocturne, a pithy Scherzo, and a playful Final. This, surprisingly, is one of the world premieres on this collection. It reveals a composer who deserves a new reckoning and hopefully this recording will help launch it. It is the first of the three world premiere recordings in this set.

The Jean Cras trio of 1926 also follows the four movement format. Cras is one of the names heretofore unknown to this writer.

This work, also in four movements as the previous piece, reveals a more deeply contemplative work Its harmonies are certainly post classical era but essentially familiar. The first movement strikes a serious tone and is followed by a beautiful and contemplative slow movement. The third movement is a playful scherzo like movement followed by a riotously playful and virtuosic finale. It is virtually a symphony for three instruments.

Émile Goué is represented by a three movement work. This is also an unfamiliar name to this reviewer. Again we hear familiar romantic harmonies in a relatively brief (about 15 minutes) piece.

The classical forms of the first tow movements are followed by a scherzo like playful finale. Surprisingly this work as been recorded before.

Jean René Désiré Françaix will be a familiar name to many. His four movement string trio which concludes the first disc is pretty characteristic of his style. He is the youngest of the composers featured here but he crossed paths with most of the prominent French composers of the twentieth century. Harmonically and melodically his work embodies much of the same sound as his older contemporaries. With the exception of the beautiful slow movement these rather hyperactive episodes hold much in common with his previous and subsequent work. Coming in at about 13 minutes this satisfying work whose complexities are subsumed into a friendly, appealing work.

Robert Casadesus was the patriarch of one of the great piano dynasties of the twentieth century. along with his wife Gaby (1901–1999) and son Jean (1927–1972). Robert was also a prolific composer whose output includes seven symphonies and multiple works for piano and orchestra. His trio is a three movement work which opens the second disc on this epic anthology.

This work is among the world premiere recordings on this set. Its brevity relative to the composer’s larger works suggest that this might be a minor occasional piece but this is in fact a compact and deeply serious work. From the opening Allegro con brio we hear a substantive composition. The slow movement contains a playful scherzo like section in the middle before it returns to the more somber tone of its opening. The finale marked “allegro aperto” is, at first a playful finale as one would expect from a classical era symphony but it goes through various moods before it returns to reassert that playful opening. This one makes a case for the further exploration of this composer’s work.

The “Suite en Trio” (1937) is the outlier here, cast in no fewer than 6 movements. The composer, better known as a music critic, was admittedly heavily influenced by one of his mentors, Claude Debussy.

“Trois pieces en trio” (1937 ) concludes this fascinating survey of the string trio format as composed during the interwar period. This three movement work certainly reflects that influence but this is not mere imitation. This is a truly substantive work, the third of the three world premiere recordings here. Each of the relatively brief movements demonstrate a truly gifted composer. Once again the listener will be curious to hear more from this man’s work. We can only hope.

Last and certainly not least is the trio by Gabriel Pierne. He studied with Jules Massenet and was a contemporary of Claude Debussy. As both composer and conductor his profile loomed large on the French music scene. He is the oldest composer represented here and this is among the last of his works.

This trio is in three movements and, like the Casadeseus trio which opens the second disc of this fine collection, it is a weighty, slow moving, serious work. Once again the listener is given to wonder what other treasures ay undiscovered from this curious era of history when the world was awaiting the growing conflicts that resulted in the second world war.

The Black Oak Ensemble consists of Desirée Ruhstrat, violin; Aurélien Fort Pederzoli, viola; and David Cunliffe, cello.

The truly excellent liner notes are contributed by Dr. Elinor Olin, professor of music at Northern Illinois University. The recording by Bill Maylone is up to the usual high standards we have come to expect from producer James Ginsburg’s wonderful Cedille label. And the graphic design by Madeleine Richter echoes the era that gave birth to this great music. This is an epic anthology which fills a great gap in the history of recorded sound. I suppose one must acknowledge the irony of our present moment in history, hoping against hope that history will not repeat itself. Meanwhile much solace can be taken from this lovely collection. This one is a must have.

The Agony and the Ecstasy of “Bang on a Can”, a Socioeconomic History of Major New Music Innovators

Oct21

William Robin is a musicologist whose credentials (nicely enumerated on his web site) are more than adequate to the task at hand. This is a socioeconomic and political perspective on the seminal Bang on a Can organization. At its core, Bang on a Can is the foundational work of three people now recognized as major American composers: Julia Wolfe, David Lang, and Michael Gordon, all of whom met as students at Yale University.

**Julia Wolfe, image from composer’s web site**

This is the (much needed) first book on the history of the collaboration of these composers and how their work helped transform and move ahead the new music scene. First in New York, then nationally, and now internationally these individuals experimented and embraced innovative ideas while navigating the labyrinth of of social, political and economic hurdles involved in the production and promotion of non-pop new music. Therein lies the “agony” referenced in my title. This essential background information makes for some slow going reading but also serves to demonstrate how daunting their task has been.

**David Lang, image from composer’s web site**

The book documents the early efforts both to define their concepts and to learn the politics of the new music economy. But, painful as they are, these efforts are ultimately instructive for anyone involved in the production of new music. This reader comes away with a new found respect for those who wrangle with the varied and complex elements behind the production of concerts in general, and new music in particular. It is “how the sausage is made” so to speak. And it is a useful perspective for the average listener to better understand the incredible complexity of new music production and promotion.

**Michael Gordon, image from the composer’s web site**

The book is divided into 7 chapters and an epilogue which focuses not just on the trials and tribulations of the gestation of Bang on a Can but also its context among several other new music initiatives that preceded BOC. Meet the Composer, New Music America, and the New York Philharmonic’s New Horizons Festival loomed large in their time and the “downtown” loft scene which nurtured the likes of Philip Glass, Meredith Monk, Rhys Chatham, etc. contributed to the promotion of new music during their respective eras.

Robin identifies the innovative efforts by BOC in their use of marathon open air concerts to showcase their innovative programming which effectively blurred the lines of genres like jazz, free jazz, classical, pop, rock, etc. But their challenges were essentially the some, the politics of concert production, funding, advertising, etc. They characterized their efforts in contrast to the economically dominant Lincoln Center. The evolution of BOC from its beginnings through the establishment of the Bang on a Can All Stars touring ensemble, the establishment of a record label (Cantaloupe) and their later performances at Lincoln Center, the stodgy institution against which they railed dubbing their music as “downtown” as an alternative to the “uptown” mainstream. There is the beginnings of a history of new music in recordings that remains to be written but the point here is context and the socioeconomic and political motivations involved.

Author William Robin does his work well in this academic tome which is richly annotated and referenced with a bibliography to take the interested reader to a wealth of information on new music and its production. And while this is more about “how the sausage is made” so to speak, it is a necessary exposition which provides both history and context, something to think about the next time you buy a ticket to hear new music. Admittedly its not a pretty picture but it certainly illuminates the side of new music virtually unknown to the average listener.

While this reader had hoped for more information on the music performed (which deserves a book unto itself) this book takes its place alongside Tom Johnson”s “The Voice of New Music”, Kyle Gann’s “Downtown Music”, Renee Levine Packer’s wonderful history of the Buffalo New Music scene, “This Life of Sounds”, Benjamin Piekut’s “Experimentalism Otherwise”, George Lewis’ “A Power Stronger than Itself”, Luciano Chessa’s “Luigi Russolo, Futurist”, and David Bernstein’s “The San Francisco Tape Music Center” (to name a few) as an essential history of new music.

The Lincoln Trio Plays Contemporary Piano Trios from Chicago

Aug27

This is another entry in an ongoing series of music for piano trio by the tried and true Lincoln Trio. In this fine release they play a delightful collection of five works (three are world premiere recordings) by living composers. This is their eighth Cedille release by my count. It is the second recording of piano trios from Chicago based composers, a follow up to their previous survey of early to mid-twentieth century piano trios, Trios from the City of Big Shoulders.

The five works presented here are but a sampling of the available repertoire from Chicago based composers. That said it is a fine sampling of the current state of the art and one would do well to explore more of the music of all these composers.

The first selection is the three movement, “city beautiful” (2021) by the American composer of Nigerian/American Heritage, Shawn E. Okpebholo (1981- ), a world premiere recording. The title is taken from that of the 19th century initiative that helped build the now familiar skyline which had been ravaged by the 1871 Chicago Fire.

Okpebholo is no stranger to this blog. His fine album of spiritual arrangements Steal Away (2016), and his contributions to Will Liverman’s album, “Dreams of a New Day” (2021) revealed his interest in and expertise with spirituals and art song. “city beautiful” by contrast is essentially three tone poems inspired by Chicago architecture, perhaps one of the city’s finest distinctions. The three movements, aqua, prairie, and burnham are effectively homages to architects Jeanne Gang (whose Aqua Tower is a most recent major addition to the famous skyline), Frank Lloyd Wright (whose Robie House is a classic example of the “prairie school” design), and Daniel Burnham (whose 19th century designs define the famously beautiful lakefront and the iconic Union Station).

Opkebholo’s idiom is basically tonal and could be characterized as post romantic. But regardless of how you categorize it the music is eminently listener friendly and a fine vehicle for the estimable Lincoln Trio. This is the work of a rapidly emerging composer with both substance and style. Keep his name on your radar. I expect to hear much more from this talented and prolific composer who currently holds a professorship at Wheaton College in that western suburb of Chicago.

Next is a two movement work by Augusta Read Thomas (1964- ) entitled, “…a circle around the sun” (2021). This work was a commission by the Children’s Memorial Foundation for the Amelia Piano Trio in honor of George D. Kennedy. Thomas has long been a fixture in Chicago’s music life where she was a composer in residence with the Chicago Symphony from 1997-2006. She is currently professor of music at the University of Chicago and a former professor at Northwestern University. Her work also tends toward the tonal idiom and this rather brief two movement work is a fine example of her writing for chamber ensemble.

“Soliloquy” (2003) by the truly fine, if still too little known, Shulamit Ran (1949- ), an Israeli born American composer. She was a student of the esteemed Ralph Shapey (1921-2002) to whom she dedicated her Pulitzer Prize winning Symphony (1990). The composer states in her liner notes that the origins of this work come from her opera “Dybbuk”. It is a pleasant piece perhaps less complex and more lyrical in sound than some of her larger works. Ran was professor of music at the University of Chicago from 1973 to her retirement in 2015.

Mischa Zupko (1971- ) contributes the briefest work to this collection. Clocking in at just under three minutes, “Fanfare 80” (2010) was written in celebration of the 80th anniversary of the Music Institute of Chicago. The brevity here belies the complexities within this ear catching piece.

The album concludes with a substantial two movement work (just over 23 minutes), “Sanctuary” by Stacy Garrop (1969- ) is the work of another prolific composer whose work is, happily, getting much deserved recognition. The 2016 recording of her wonderful orchestral work was reviewed in these pages. Garrop’s work is invariably kinetic and deeply felt with a dramatic flair. Garrop was on the composition faculty of Roosevelt University in Chicago from 2000 to 2016 and is now a freelance composer.

The usual audiophile production (Bill Maylone, engineer) which characterizes Cedille releases is evident here. This is a fine sampling of music which is roughly representative of the musical riches producer James Ginsburg has mined from the “city beautiful”.

New Music Buff

Random perspectives from an informed new music fan.

Category Archives: classical music

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The Lincoln Trio Plays Contemporary Piano Trios from Chicago

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