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Classical Music Reviews
BEETHOVEN: Piano Concertos Nos. 1-5 – Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Piano/Chamber Orchestra of Europe/Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Conductor – Teldec 0927 47334-2 (3 CDs):
Nikolaus Harnoncourt’s involvement with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe has produced some controversial records over the years. Most of the complaints have come from those who feel that a chamber-sized orchestra isn’t appropriate for typically large-scale symphonic music, such as just about anything by Beethoven or Schumann, regardless of how historically informed the choice may be. Harnoncourt’s traversal of the four Schumann symphonies (currently out of print, on Teldec) is in my opinion, to die for, both in performance and recorded sound, and blows away some pretty stiff competition. This recording of the five Beethoven piano concertos is no less compelling, and deserves a serious listen.
Performance-wise, Pierre-Laurent Aimard is a stunningly virtuosic player, with an amazing technical facility. His playing never fails to delight, and consistently throughout the five concertos his phrasing and timing is impeccable. The main complaint from the traditionalists here will come during forte passages (usually in the outer movements of each concerto) when the tympani and strings just aren’t quite as powerful and impactful as in most traditional recordings. The slower, inner movements are sublime, with a much more chamber-like feel to the proceedings, and the piano never seems drowned by the orchestra. The recorded sound of the piano is astonishingly good, and has a really “woody” tone, which suits these recordings perfectly. The only real complaint I have with the overall sound is that the orchestral climaxes often seem somewhat congested and compressed, which is a shame because I’d otherwise give this one highest marks. Worth owning, if for no other reason to hear Aimard’s brilliant and lovely playing.
– Tom Gibbs
SCOTT EYERLY: The House of Seven Gables - based on the novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne - Conductor: David Gilbert, Manhattan School of Music Opera Orchestra. Clifford: James Schaffner; Hepzibah: Christianne Rushton; Phoebe: Kelly Smith; Holgrave: Bert Johnson; Jaffrey: Dominic Aquilino - Albany Records 447, (2 CDs):
Based on Hawthorne’s classic tale of a family curse, this opera which premiered at the Manhattan School of Music in 2000, is for the most part faithful to its Gothic plot and a joy to listen to. To steep himself in the story’s nineteenth-century atmosphere, Eyerly spent one blustery night alone in the actual House of Seven Gables in Salem, Massachusetts, and took notes; the results of his care are evident in the meticulously composed motifs, subtle orchestration, and ever-changing moods that hold our attention from beginning to end. The Wagnerian trick of endowing each principal character with his/her own motif and singing style adds to this work’s musical interest.
Smith’s birdlike lyric voice renders the high-spirited Phoebe wholly believable, and her wistful song in Act 1 is delightful. Rushton as Hepzibah is a full-throated mezzo-soprano whose concern over her brother, Clifford, is touching. Schaffner as the long-suffering Clifford has excellent diction and an expressive, if slightly nasal, voice. His paean to light is reminiscent of Loge’s music in Wagner’s Ring cycle. Aquilino sings the role of the overbearing villain, Jaffrey, with passion. The weak link here is Johnson (Holgrave), who sounds dull and has somewhat disappointing intonation. The conducting is accomplished, and sound is good.
-Dalia Geffen
HUMMEL & SCHUBERT: Quintets - Trio Wanderer (Vincent Coq, piano; Jean-Marc Phillips-Varjabédian, violin; Raphaël Pidoux, cello) with Christophe Gaugué, viola, and Stéphane Logerot (double bass) - Harmonia Mundi HMC 901792 (59 mins.):
A classic pairing of the two best works for the unusual combination of piano trio, viola and double bass (or, as liner note writer Andreas Friesenhagen puts it, piano, string trio and double bass), makes what may be its first joint appearance on CD.
It is a very attractive combination tonally, one that brings out the best in its performers. And as there have been many great recordings of Schubert's Trout Quintet (so called because of the theme and variations movement based on the composer's song about the silvery fish), there have also been a surprising number of fine ones of the quirky, perky and extremely seductive quintet by Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778-1837), the Hungarian born virtuoso and occasional rival of Beethoven.
The standard was set by a recording on the Oiseau-Lyre label made by the Melos Ensemble and released in 1966 (paired with Hummel's Op. 7 Septet); in fact, the vinyl still sounds magnificent, a true audiophile recording, with the kind of perceived timbral richness, depth and energy that comes only from great analog sound. The performance was dominated by the great first-movement solos of pianist Lamar Crowson and the inimitable viola playing of Cecil Aronowitz. It has not been surpassed and yet, as far as I know, it has never been reissued on CD.
The performance by the Wanderer Trio is interpretively alert, instrumentally gorgeous and, even if it lacks the last bit of sex appeal, will likely be stunning in its impact on the first-time listener. There are three outstanding competing versions, on MDG, ASV and Praga, but this may be the best. If you're like me, you'll want to have them all.
The musical excellence continues on to an outstandingly fresh and happy performance of the Schubert, fully aware of its beauties, yet avoiding its sentimentality. The variations movement is exceptional. The recorded sound is rich and dynamic, the instruments perfectly balanced within a lovely, clean space at IRCAM in Paris. This CD is a gem.
- Laurence Vittes
The Sackbut = Music by CASTELLO, ORTIZ, FALCONIERO, MORALES, SCHEIN, SCHEIDT, SCHÜTZ, MERULA - Michel Becquet (tenor sackbut) and Les Sacqueboutiers de Toulouse (2 cornets, 2 sackbuts, theorbe, vihuela, organ and percussion) - Ambroisie AMB 9929. (56 mins.):
Everyone knows that sackbuts exist but some may be confused as to where, when and why. The sackbut (the French word is sacqueboute) was the earliest form of the slide trombone and derives from the Old French sacquer (to pull) and bouter (to push), referring to the movement of the slide. It was a popular brass instrument in Renaissance and early Baroque Europe, taking part in civic, military and religious ceremonies, played by minstrels at dances, and by more respectable musicians (perhaps) in churches and cathedrals. It was also to be found in the orchestras of theatres and opera houses. Sackbuts played roles of great emotional and dramatic range; they could roar and snap, or woo and charm.
By the early 17th century, however, sackbuts were increasingly being used as special effects instruments to create, as Bernard Fourte puts it, "the awesome mystery of the underworld, or spine chilling ages of the deep, or to accompany telluric and aquatic divinities." The instrument made a comeback in the Classical and Romantic periods as the trombone we know today, but more as an orchestral color than an equal member of the band.
You don't devote your life to the sackbut (Les Sacqueboutiers have been in business for more than twenty-five years!) without putting together a program like this with infinite care. It's like these pieces had been meant to be played together and in this order. And it's not like there are 30 or 40 tiny bits and pieces here. After the familiar martial strains of the opening bars of Scheidt's Canon La Bergamasca, it's ten cuts that add up to nearly sixty minutes of delight. Whether it's the hypnotic swing of Tarquinio Merula's Ciaconna or the majesty of Heinrich Schütz's Es steh Gott auf, which concludes the disc, this could be the brass music CD that breaks your heart with its grace and beauty.
The sound from the young French company Ambroisie is not only startling in an audiophile way, with its wonderful dynamic brass and occasional percussion and organ sounds, there is equally a delicate immediacy and sense of poetry that comes through in every bar. Excellent liner notes by Fourtet and Jean-Pierre Canihac.
- Laurence Vittes
“Ricercar” - BACH: Fugue for 6 Voices (Orchestrated by WEBERN); Cantata No. 4 “Christ lag in Todesbanden;” WEBERN: String Quartet l905 (Orchestrated by Christoph Poppen); Five Movements Op. 5 for String Orchestra - Munich Chamber Orchestra and The Hilliard Ensemble/Christoph Poppen - ECM New Series 1774:
Poppen worked with the Hilliard Ensemble in their previous ECM album Morimur. His intent in this special program is to establish a relationship between some early works of J.S. Bach and some early works of serialist Anton Webern. The works listed above actually alternate between the two composers, and are bracketed at the beginning and end by duplicate performances of Webern’s orchestration of the Bach Fugue for 6 Voices. Poppen feels that when the work is again heard at the conclusion it will sound completely different because of what has been heard in between. The Hilliards are heard in the cantata Christ in the Bonds of Death as the centerpiece of this program. A long essay titled “Shadows of Death, Signs of Life” in the note booklet explains the theory behind this program of the two composers old and new. The Bach work did sound different in its repetition, and the two Webern works sounded more normal and approachable than I had ever believed they could be. And sonic connections between the two seemingly widely-separated composers did seem to assert themselves. So perhaps the highly Germanic imposition of this unique program achieved its purpose! Sonics are of course up to the label’s normal highest standards.
- John Sunier
Some brass excursions via our next pair of CDs...
BERNSTEIN: West Side Story suite; PROKOFIEFF: Romeo and Juliet suite - Matt Tropman, Euphonium; Gail Novak, piano; Chris Rose, percussion; Eric Sabo, bass - Summit Records DCD 316:
One wouldn’t expect a Euphonium recital disc to be anything but academic stuff of interest only to students of the instrument. But a great programming concept, wonderful arrangements and recording, and a true virtuoso of the instrument make for a gem of a general interest or perhaps even a crossover CD. Since West Side Story is a re-telling of the Romeo and Juliet story, the two suites make a perfect pairing. Turns out the Euphonium has a wider range than other brass instruments, and is able to do soft and lyrical passages as well as stentorian brassy blats. Together with the piano, bass and percussion it creates a very full and rich sound that can give an almost orchestral feel in some passages. Both suites are not quite a half hour long and both are full of familiar and evocative tunes. You could do worse than to make this disc the sole Euphonium CD in your collection.
The Lyrical Trumpet - Phil Snedecor, trumpet; Paul Skevington, pipe organ - Summit Records DCD 349:
The combination of a brass instrument and pipe organ is a thrilling one. This program is unusual in that most of the transcriptions for the trumpet/organ duo are appearing here for the first time, and in addition there are four original works by trumpeter Snedecor. The theme is short works which attempt to emulate aspects of the human voice in the trumpet part. A couple of the tracks are for organ alone: Barber’s Adagio and an arrangement for organ of Bach’s A Mighty Fortress Is Our God. The recording is clean and wide-range. Other tracks (not in disc order): SNEDECOR: Toccata, Tribute, Air for Erin, Serenade; MOZART: Laudate Dominum, Queen of the Night Area fr. The Magic Flute; BERNSTEIN: Olympic Hymn; ALBINONI: Adagio, Cantabile; DONAUDY: Aria; MAHLER: Gieng heut
- John Sunier
Orchestral music from Japan and China on the next duo of CDs...
Japanese Orchestral Favourites = TOYAMA: Rhapsody for Orchestra; KONOYE: Etenraku; IFUKUBE: Japanese Rhapsody; AKUTAGAWA: Music for Symphony Orchestra; KOYAMA: Kobiki-Uta for Orchestra; YOSHIMATSU: Threnody to Toki - Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra/Ryusuke Numanjiri - Naxos 8.555071:
These Japanese orchestral works -spanning over 50 years - are well-known and often performed in Japan. I recall enjoying the Akutagawa work many years ago when I dubbed off a radio station tape from an NHK-supplied concert which featured it. Shades of Prokofieff are heard in this strangely exotic yet naive orchestral work. Konoye's re-imagining of ancient Japanese court music is another piece that may be familiar to some listeners. Ravel and Stravinsky were influences on the Koyama piece, while the closing Threnody is closer to the more contemporary music of the late composer Takemitsu. Tony Faulkner was recording engineer for this CD recorded in Tokyo. It’s a superb and bargain opportunity to become familiar with some fascinating and exotic modern symphonic music.
BRIGHT SHENG: China Dreams; Nanking!, Two Poems From The Sung Dynasty - Juliana Gondek, soprano; Zhang Qiang, pipa; Hong Kong Philharmonic Orch./Samuel Wong - Naxos 8.555866:
Sheng is one of the leading Chinese-American composers and has had commissions and performances of his music all over the world. Among his teachers were Leonard Bernstein, Mario Davidovsky and George Perle. The opening work is a very accessible four-movement suite that is a sort of travelogue of Chinese scenes. Nanking! is in the form of a Threnody for orchestra and the stringed pipa, with a very virtuoso part for the Chinese classical instrument. It commemorates the brutal attack on the city by the Japanese army in l937. Lyrics are in the note booklet for the two short songs for soprano and orchestra.
- John Sunier
Heritage & Legacy 2 = ELGAR, his forebears and successors (ELGAR: In the South Overture. MacCUNN: The Land of the Mountain and the Flood Overture. FREDERIC AUSTIN (1872-1952): Symphony in E Major. BLISS: Pyanepsion - Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Douglas Bostock - RLPO Live in association with Classico (Olufsen Records) RLCD501 (70 mins.) (distr. by Qualiton):
This is a release of major importance from the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic's own label, a unique compilation leading off with performances of two well-known concert overtures both of which equal or surpass the previous standard setters (Constantin Silvestri in the Elgar and Alexander Gibson in the MacCunn, both for EMI). The RLPO is simply stunning in the Elgar with Bostock's lithe interpretation leading them to illuminating, musically intoxicating insights into how the music is put together. The strings get it together as no recorded performance has, the other-worldly viola and horn solos in the slow middle section are exquisitely set up and played, and the succession of bass thumps in the brass that precede them are as cataclysmic as any I have ever heard.
The world premiere recording of Frederic Austin's 30-minute long Symphony from 1913 introduces a composer from the circle around the composer and patron Balfour Gardiner in the early 1900s that included Vaughan Williams, Holst and Bax. The score disappeared shortly after the first performances and has only come recently to light. In four amorphous movements, the music has a diffuse sense of beauty streaming from distant places, as if it were accompanying an alchemist creating gold.
The sound by Michael Ogonovsky and David A. Pigott is magnificent, the perspective is towards the back of the hall (with no overhang), the clarity and detail are breathtaking without becoming antiseptic, and the huge dynamic range simply eats up volume - the more you can drive this recording the more stupendous it will sound. There's probably no holding back multichannel sound, but this is a great reminder of the focused power and beauty two-channel sound produces at its absolute best.
Adding a final touch, the elegantly printed program notes by that great champion of British music, Lewis Foreman, are so authoritative, so informative and so beautifully written that they deserve an award of their own. (The extensive notes on Frederic Austin and his long forgotten Symphony are by his grandson, Martin Lee-Browne.)
Of the conclusion of Bliss's Pyanepsion, a reworked version of the original last movement of the Colour Symphony, Foreman writes, "Two timpanists, on six drums, insistently hammer out the rhythm of the second fugue subject - final fanfaring gives way to the brilliant closing chord which has the force of a burst of light." Heady stuff, gloriously realized by Bostock and his Liverpool forces. An amazing recording which in every way a CD can be, is an exhilarating experience.
- Laurence Vittes
SCHUMANN: The Four Symphonies, Overture to Manfred, Violin Concerto, and Andante and Variations, WoO 10; & Five Songs by Clara Schumann - The Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Wolfgang Sawallisch with violinist Leonidos Kavakos, pianist Rudolf Buchbinder, baritone Thomas Hampson and members of the Orchestra - Philadelphia Orchestra POA2033 (3 CDs, 3 hours, 25 mins.):
These live recordings, made in Verizon Hall and Perelman Theater at the Orchestra's new home, The Kimmel Center for the Performing arts, document remarkable performances of Robert Schumann's magical symphonies by outgoing music director Wolfgang Sawallisch.
From the first bar of the Spring Symphony, these inspired performances capture both the greatness of the Orchestra and the effectiveness of Schumann's supposed clumsy orchestration. By giving full value to the instrumentation, and allowing the music to unfold at moderate speeds, Sawallisch accommodates Schumann's breadth of thought and sense of beauty. And while these performances may lack the driven intensity of a Szell or the cosmic vision of a Furtwängler, they seem to come closer to Schumann's unique personality than any other, for they stop to listen to Schumann the poet and respond with all they have from deep within their collective heart.
Although this is no longer the show band of Stokowski nor the sleek animal of Ormandy, the Orchestra has never sounded so glorious-the winds and brass are spectacular-and the panoramic view of the music they give is unparalleled on disc. It is like hearing an American version of the Vienna Philharmonic, steeped in tradition and committed to the highest standards of music making. Compared to the symphonies however, the music and the performances on the third disc - the Manfred overture and the Violin Concertos, and the songs and Andante and Variations - are ordinary.
Throughout, George Blood's sound has a wonderful strength and richness that signals a new chapter in the Orchestra's recording history, not audiophile in the strict sense perhaps, but eager to sound magnificent at whatever volume is practical. Christopher Gibbs's program notes discuss the music with generic authority, but say regrettably little about the recordings themselves or the Orchestra's recording history with Schumann.
There is a competition to this set from Szell, Bernstein, Masur, Solti and even Sawallisch himself (with the Dresden Staatskapelle) but nothing really like it in terms of musical glory. It is a reminder of what American orchestras can be at their best and why their future, despite a host of adversaries, remains so bright.
- Laurence Vittes
LIGETI: The Ligeti Project IV - Jacques Zoon, Marie Luise Neunecker; Schoenberg Ensemble/ Reinbert de Leeuw, Berlin Philharmonic/Jonathan Nott. Teldec 8573-88263-2:
More Ligeti! With this volume, Ligeti gets spookier. From the first notes of the Hamburg Concerto for Horn and Chamber Orchestra, he induces Adagio unease, which he punctuates with disruptive Allegro brass figures. This Praeludium is ominously off-key, but doesn’t prepare the listener for the wry rhythmic complexities of Signale, Tanz, Choral. Another one-minute movement of disquiet, then a frenetic Intermezzo on high-register woodwinds and percussion. Ligeti structures his movements like a knock-em-dead borsch-belt comedian, bolts of inspiration coming out of nowhere--except he’s not always funny.
His Double Concerto begins “calmly, with tenderness,” but not the tenderness of a lover’s caress: more like the tenderness of a partially-cooked artichoke. With its fluttering mounting strings, you keep expecting swift discordant arrows to rain down, but they don’t. Ligeti just sustains his odd mixture of anticipation and stunning wit, his piccolo notes sounding like a kinetic Paul Klee painting. The mysteriously titled Ramifications acts like a party attendee whom you suspect about to spring a prank at any moment; but that moment is exquisitely prolonged. It’s an eight minute tease, a technique Ligeti expands to near perfection in his Requiem, the finest entry on the disc. Like the best of twentieth century sacred music—Messiaen, Gubaidulina, Penderecki—this Requiem is hysterical to the core. (Ligeti admits this himself.) The chorus mutters menacingly in the Introitus and launches into celestial fits of terror in the Kyrie. All hell breaks lose in The Day of Judgement (wondrously scary singing by soprano Caroline Stein). Finally the Lacrimosa, instead of offering consolation, makes your hair stand up on the back of your neck.
--Peter Bates
Two highly individual vocalists up next...
B.J. Ward - Syrinx, Voice of the Songbird (Music of OFFENBACH, BACH, FAURE, BIZET, VILLA-LOBOS, HUMPERDINCK, STRAVINSKY, DEBUSSY & Others) - accomp. By piano/guitar/flute - Summit Records DCD 1020:
Ward came to fame as the Girl in the Broadway musical The Fantasticks. She has worked as an actress and with many popular composers as well as doing commercials and voice-over. Her current stage presentation is a one-woman humorous approach to opera appreciation - Stand-Up Opera. The subtitle of this CD is “A Fresh Look at the Classics” and Ward is doing a similar thing to the opera program but for non-operatic music. In fact, for a number of the 13 tracks that are known as instrumental music, such as the title tune, Debussy’s Syrinx. Her choices of lovely melodies that will resonate with a wide range of audiences are clear - items like Faure’s Pavane, Bizet’s Habanera and Villa-Lobos haunting aria from the Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5 (which even Joan Baez sang). Just before the concluding Syrinx - which she does vocalise style - she inserts Nature Boy. I generally prefer instrumental to vocal music but found this pleasing program right up my alley.
Ute Lemper - but one day... (Songs by PIAZZOLLA, BREL, WEILL, EISLER, LEMPER, HEYMANN) with orchestra arranged and led by Peter Scherer - Decca 470 279-2:
A category really doesn’t exist for this CD, as is occurring with more and more album roughly in the “crossover” bailiwick. Being on a classical label is no guide. Let’s just say these are terrific songs, perfectly suited to the amazing talents of the Berlin-born chanteuse. They run to the edgy and highly emotional, but often to heartfelt human connections. Her own songs are in a similar style, and on one in this collection she even has New Music icon Laurie Anderson assisting her. She adapted two Piazzolla tangos with English lyrics because of her attraction to the universe of tango. She excuses herself for not singing them in Spanish because she hasn’t yet spent time with (or found) a hot Argentine lover. Any singer doing entire albums of Kurt Weill songs would naturally have to move into Hans Eisler - he replaced Weill working with Brecht after Weill left Germany. The heart-on-sleeve songs of Jacques Brel are also a good fit for Lemper’s talents. There is also a DVD video of this concert, and considering Lemper’s Deitrich-like stage appeal it’s sure to be well worth watching.
- John Sunier
Next are two different Slavic composers who will be unfamiliar to most listeners but well worth hearing...
BORTKIEWICZ: Symphonies Nos. 1 in D & 2 in E Flat - BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra/Martyn Brabbins - Hyperion CDA67338:
Hyperion has been doing a bang-up job searching out obscure but worthwhile works for up-to-date recordings, similar to the Marco Polo label and a couple others. (Their continuing Romantic Piano Concerto series is a gem.) Sergei Bortkiewicz - who died in 1952 - was a compatriot of Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev and Liapunov. The Ukraine was his homeland but he was exiled in Constantinople and later Vienna. He had studied in Leipzig and Berlin and was enamored with all things Germanic.
His music, however, was imbued with Russian folklore as well as Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff and early Scriabin, with a leaning toward Chopin and Liszt. The final movement of his strongly Slavonic and upbeat First Symphony of 1934 quotes the Czar’s National Anthem. It is also a flamboyant picture of a carnival or fair, remembering happier days gone by. Symphony No. 2 is a darker work, reflecting Bortkiewicz’ thoughts as he saw from his base in Berlin the expansion of the Nazis over Europe. Its Scherzo has a sense of sorrow and the third movement is a tragic lament. Glasgow’s City Hall - the site of many fine recordings - was the venue and sonics are up to Hyperion’s usual high standards. While neither symphony breaks any new ground, they do have a unique sound that is superior to most of the symphonists of the 30s who worked under Soviet control.
ANDREI PETROV: The Shore of Hope ballet suite; Creation of the World ballet suite No. 3; The Songs of Our Days (A Symphonic Cycle) - St. Petersburg Philharmonic/Eduard Serov; except in Songs of Our Days = Leningrad Orchestra of Early and Modern Music/Arvid Jansons - Boheme CDBMR 012198:
Whoops, these are 1978 recordings and should be in our Reissues Section, but the fact that I didn’t notice any dated sonics during my auditioning testifies to the great job the remastering engineer in Moscow did on these old Soviet masters. Plus the works - from the label’s “Two Centuries of Russian Music” series merits more attention from listeners in the West, and the composer is still with us. The works date from 1959 thru 1964 and show an engaging eclecticism that can encompass jazz, Bach, musique concrete, the Russian folk song tradition - and what the liner-note writer refers to as “a potent Californian faculty for the romantic and melodramatic.” His style has been likened to the UK’s George Lloyd and John Ireland. The opening Shore of Hope might be the selection which moved the note writer to make the California comparisons. It could easily be the soundtrack of a 1940s Hollywood romance movie. But the closing Creation of the World ballet really attracted me since both Milhaud’s and John Lewis’ efforts on that subject are among my favorite works and just as both of them did, Petrov used jazz elements in his ballet. Plus other styles ranging from Baroque to chance music to children’s songs. What a kick- it’s only four short movements and I wanted it to go on longer.
- John Sunier
ANDREW VIOLETTE; Piano Sonatas1 & 7 - Violette, p. - Innova 587 (3 CD set):
My first thought before even putting the initial disc of this massive three-hour-long sonata (No. 7) into my player was of Sorabji’s huge Opus Clavicembalisticum. A tour de force of pianism, the primary question that seems to be posed by Violette can be stated thus: Are ultimate depths plumbed in music by dissonance or by consonance? His materials of construction are diatonic and white-note heavy but what he builds with them over the course of the three hours is quite remarkably involving. It has 26 sections - some as short as 42 seconds length - and Violette appears to be trying to defeat the expression of time at all, as well as musical development in the usual sense. The note booklet writer opines that the sonata may be psychedelic in the original sense of that word, and that it should be experienced as a musical stream of consciousness.
Most of the sounds are attractively consonant but Violette finds unique ways to achieve dissonant effects within his diatonic strictures. The basic percussive nature of the piano is of course central to some of this. Many of the sections are dance rhythms, sort of like the instrumental music of the Baroque period which used dance forms of the time. Some of them are reprised several times, with II, III etc. after the original titles. To say Violette plays the entire piano goes way beyond others to which that statement has been applied, such as Errol Garner.
One section that keeps reappearing and brings out plenty of fireworks is Rocket Dance. It closes out Disc 2 and just before it is a section titled Stride Piano. So I wasn’t completely baffled when Disc 3 - supposed to be the section Descending Into the Abyss - turned out to be a rocking hillbilly gospel shouter! Trouble was the gospel numbers continued unabated without any piano, and I soon realized that the pressing plant had made a boo-boo. Innova quickly supplied a correct third CD so I could continue my audition. The short closing Sonata 1 is a minimalist work that pales in comparison to the towering No. 7. CD sonics are fully up to the wide dynamics of his very muscular playing style. A tantalizing hint of what Violette is about are the photos on the front of the boxed set of the front page of his score torn on the ground with a damaged music stand on top of it, and the other of the composer/performer on the booklet with a whip in his hand. If you have trouble locating this, try: www.innova.mu
- John Sunier
VALENTIN SILVESTROV: Metamusik (Symphony for piano and orchestra); Postludium (Symphonic poem for piano and orchestra) - Alexei Lubimov, piano/Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra/Dennis Russell Davies - ECM New Series 1790:
There are many photos of the recording session in the note booklet of this single boxed disc, but what makes it too thick to fit inside the jewel box are the three short articles on the music in several different languages. (Nice to have some notes rather than only the photos provided on some of the ECM jazz CDs.) Silvestrov is another Ukrainian composer, now age 66, who early on distanced himself from the main trends in modern music, saying “the most important lesson of the avantgarde was to be free of all preconceived ideas - particularly those of the avantgarde.” His thinking led eventually to what he calls “meta-music,” of which both of these works are examples.
Eschewing other post-modern approaches such as electronic and musique concrete, Silvestrov views metamusic as a “semantic overtone above music.” In his Metamusik Symphony he follows his feeling that everything we wish to say in this post-modern “postlude” had already been said at some time. Therefore he uses quotations from some of his earlier works - both atonal and tonal - becoming a sort of musical biography off the composer. He compares the use of the piano in both pieces to the more integrated style of Scriabin in his Prometheus rather than to a standard piano concerto. Most of the quotes come from his solo piano music, so less needs to be changed. He also describes both works as “a beautiful ruin.” Postludium is viewed as a prototype for Metamusik but is closer to the Liszt or Schumann-style piano concerto. It has a quite beautiful tonal and long-lined melody. These are works of great density and detail, and in-depth attentive listening on good gear is required to resonate with them. Fortunately both Davies’ skilled interpretation and ECM’s first-rate sound make that effort much less of a struggle.
- John Sunier
Sunny music of Spain’s Catalonia area next - both familiar and un...
GRANADOS: Spanish Dances (Orchestrated by Rafael Ferrer) - Barcelona Symphony and Catalonia National Orchestra/Salvador Brotons - Naxos Spanish Classics 8.555956:
Granados claimed he wrote his Danzas espanolas for the piano when only 16, and he won international attention for them. They are among his most nationalist works, but the themes are not actual Spanish folk tunes but originals in that style. Several musicians have transcribed them for orchestra. Since the composer originally premiered them himself in his home town of Barcelona it is more than fitting that this latest recording of the symphonic versions was recorded there. The elegant rhythmic feeling of the dozen dances is beautifully presented by the local musicians, who seem to have a built-in expertise in it. You’ll quickly recognize many of the catchy melodies.
JOAQUIM SERRA: Puigsoliu (Symphonic Poem); Rural Impressions; Variations for Orchestra and Piano; Romantica; Two Symphonic Sketches - Emili Brugalla, piano/El Vallès Symphony Orchestra/Salvador Brotons - Naxos Spanish Classics 8.555871:
Serra was one of the famous composers of the Catalan region of northeast Spain, though not widely known elsewhere. These are premiere recordings of his orchestral works and hopefully will aid in remedying that. Serra’s music is highly lyrical and a fresh Catalan flavor that moves to local dance rhythms. He wrote few symphonic compositions but did create 52 cobla for the 11-member Catalan bands with the loud reed instruments which accompany folk dances such as the sardana. The nearly eight-minute symphonic poem Puigsoliu was orchestrated by conductor Brotons from one of the last cobla composed by Serra prior to his death in l957. Rural Impressions is a suite inspired by childhood memories, including those of local festivals. The major work here (and the one I expect to come back to often) is the Variations, which follows more standard European compositional style and has five virtuosic variations on the theme for the pianist. This orchestra is also based in Barcelona and was recorded in the same hall as the above disc; orchestras seem to be proliferating in Barcelona.
- John Sunier
