Rough Magic
Roomful of Teeth
New Amsterdam NWAM172 (roomfulofteeth.org)

One of the fiercest contemporary proponents of pushing the boundaries of the human voice, this group is beyond sole creativity; the level of skill and musicianship of the Grammy-winning vocal supergroup Roomful of Teeth demonstrates a cohesiveness only possible within a collective of beings who know each other very, very well. Rough Magic features premiere recordings of four works co-created with the group and simply explodes out of the gate.

From the very opening of William Britelle’s Psychedelics 1. Deep Blue (You Beat Me) the traditional harmonies are bursting with tones, lyrics and extended techniques that draw you into a world of vocal sound and texture that unless you are familiar with this premier contemporary vocal group you will likely have never heard before. In three movements, the piece explores what the composer notes as “an attempt…to reckon with a psychological breakdown that I experienced as a young adult, and to parallel that with the seemingly apocalyptic strains of our current collective state…” The movements Deep Blue (You Beat Me), I am the Watchtower and My Apothecary Light include cultural references thrown about which beautifully illustrate the chaos of memory and time.

For the opening of Eve Beglarian’s None More Than You, the composer asked the ensemble “to try to utter the most famous text about words in Western culture, the opening of the Gospel of John, using only consonants,” a fascinating opening that evolves to colours of crystalline traditional harmonies unbound and include pressure breathing that was felt throughout. Caroline Shaw’s five-movement work The Isle references Shakespeare’s stage direction in The Tempest, and makes beautiful use of Shaw’s trademark murmurs, audible breaths and shifting timbres imbuing recitations of text. Peter S. Shin’s Bits Torn From Words is simply stunning, a brilliant and vivid painting of the mental health condition of generalized anxiety disorder, painfully manifested with tentative, wavering, quivering and passionate lyrics. The composer includes the use of Korean tradition of p’ansori, a vocal technique which needs expert care to avoid vocal damage. The movement Reach Across Oceans was my favourite track of the album. 

The imaginative, playful photos and thoughtful artwork are an artful introduction to the group, and if you have a chance to look up the short video demos to several of the pieces (available on the group’s website via Vimeo) you will be rewarded with the most enjoyable micro-sized films that really blossom with the textures and lyrics. With this album Roomful of Teeth has broken even their own boundaries; this is truly a contemporary vocal ensemble whose ferocious attitude defies its delicate balance with dedication to excellence. Hold on to your hats and enjoy exploring this fantastic recording.

Anguille sous roche (Marais; Couperin; Rameau)
Les Voix Humaines
ATMA ACD2 2858 (atmaclassique.com/en)

Monreal-based viol de gambists Susie Napper and Margaret Little formed a partnership in 1985 naming themselves Les Voix Humaines and since that time, they have earned a formidable reputation for their performances of early music chiefly by English and French composers. Over the years, the duo has been augmented by gambists Mélisande Corriveau and Felix Deak, with violinist Jessy Dubé joining the ensemble in 2021. This newest recording on the ATMA label – humorously titled Anguille sous roche – or Something Fishy – marks a departure in personnel in that Corriveau replaces Little here in duets with Napper in a program of music by Marin Marais, François Couperin and Jean-Philippe Rameau. 

The music is drawn from several sources – Couperin’s collection Les Goûts Réunis from 1724, Rameau’s only collection of chamber music published in 1741, and from various collections of Piėces de Viole by Marais. Most of the pieces are barely four minutes in length and while many of them are dance movements, others are more fanciful in nature such as Rameau’s La Coulicam (referring to the Persian conqueror Thamas Kuli Khan) and the finale, L’Anguille (the Eel).

Throughout, Napper and Corriveau produce a wonderfully resonant sound, the phrasing keenly articulated. The German poet Goethe once described chamber musicians as “having a conversation” and this is certainly the case with the intimate and intuitive approach taken by the two performers. There is nothing at all “fishy” about this recording – attractive repertoire and solid musicianship make it a welcome addition to the Baroque chamber catalogue.

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Sonata Tramontana
Carrie Krause; John Lenti
Black Bear Records BMM01 (baroquemusicmontana.bandcamp.com)

Sonata Tramontana, full of life and nuance, is such a refreshing take on the centuries-old repertoire it comprises. Conceived by Montana violinist Carrie Krause, it centres around intimate gestures, deep connection with nature and appreciation of life in all forms. It is the kind of music that is meant to be played in small spaces, flowery meadows or on riverbanks. Everything on this album works in synergy – from cover art and beautifully written liner notes, to the heartfelt performances.

The album features 17th-century music for violin and theorbo by Italian, Austrian and German composers Mealli, Schmelzer, Caccini, Biber, Böddecker and Castaldi, an elusive repertoire that remains relatively unknown to the wider audiences and brings vigour and bloom to what might be considered somewhat predictable in the realm of historical performances. Krause and her partner in crime, theorbo virtuoso John Lenti, are just fabulous, their performance is nothing short of beautiful. Krause has a way of bringing the most interesting, almost visceral textures out of her Baroque violin. Her ornamentations are lovely and complemented well by Lenti’s strong presence. 

Although passionate and meaningful, this music is unpretentious. Krause and Lenti tell stories, visit mountain peaks and valleys, drink from the lakes and creeks, dance in town squares, all the while balancing virtuosity and tranquility. The music glows and grows throughout the album, reaching for hidden nooks and corners, filling our ears with delight.

Mozart and the Organ
Anders Eidsten Dahl; Arvid Engegård; Atle Sponberg; Embrik Snerte
LAWO Classics (lawo.no)

When one thinks of Mozart, the mind can go many places, from opera to overture, sonata to symphony. One area of music with which Mozart is not often associated, however, is organ music. By all accounts, Mozart was a fine player who enjoyed the sounds of the instrument – going so far as to title it “The King of Instruments” – but the organ was not a vehicle for concertizing in Mozart’s time, instead used almost exclusively in church services.

What Mozart did write for organ falls into two categories: the first is the collection of 17 “Epistle” sonatas, chamber music written between 1772 and 1780 for masses in Salzburg, played between the reading of texts; the second is music that Mozart wrote for the “Flotenuhr” – a large grandfather clock containing a self-playing organ. There are two large-scale works from this latter category that are played quite frequently today, the Adagio and Allegro in F Minor K594 and the magnificently monumental Fantasia in F Minor K608.

Organist Anders Eidsten Dahl gives a tremendous overview of this music in Mozart and the Organ, which includes 14 of the 17 church sonatas and both K594 and K608. Recorded in the Swedish Church in Oslo, Norway featuring violinists Arvid Engegård and Atle Sponberg and bassoonist Embrik Snerte, each of the sonatas is a little gem containing its own delightful character and range of expression, compressed into a miniature form. The larger organ works are wonderfully paced and expertly interpreted, and Dahl makes Mozart’s challenging writing sound effortless and clear, especially in perilous passages where rapid and constant movement make great demands of the performer.

Mozart and the Organ is highly recommended to all who appreciate Mozart and organ music, whether together or separately. These works are masterpieces and well worth hearing, whether for the first time or the hundredth.

Mozart – Complete Piano Sonatas Vol.4
Orli Shaham
Canary Classics CC23 (canaryclassics.com)

Violinist Gil is not the only Shaham who is making waves wherever classical music is adored. His younger sister Orli has been showing the world that her steely, lyrical pianism is eminently suited to the performance of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. However, rather than put on a show with Mozart’s more celebrated piano music the younger Shaham is focusing her attention on Mozart’s lesser-performed sonatas en route to giving us a complete collection of the elegantly sparse works with their virtually endless supply of sparkling melodies, 

Volume 4 of the ongoing series features three of the earliest sonatas – the F Major, No.2 K280, the C Major No.1 K279 and the D Major, No.6 K284, Dürnitz. Should there be any question as to why these (early) works grace the fourth volume of Shaham’s Mozart Complete Piano Sonatas the answer lies in the simple fact that they are no less technically demanding, being as they are of great harmonic ingenuity and melodic richness, as the later sonatas.

The Allegro and (especially) the Rondeau en Polonaise: Andante movement of the Dürnitz are cases in point. The latter – in Shaham’s skilful hands – reflects a pre-eminently graceful Polish dance of Mozart’s vivid imagination. As with Volumes 1, 2 and 3 Shaham’s delicate phrasing brings out the cornucopia of Mozart’s melodic delights from end to end on this disc, but especially in the filigreed brilliance of the Dürnitz sonata.

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Mozart – Piano Concerto No.5 & Church Sonata No.17
Robert Levin; Academy of Ancient Music
AAM AAM042 (aam.co.uk)

At first glance, the music contained in this recording is somewhat perplexing: of all the incredible music Mozart composed, why choose one full piano concerto, a few juvenile transcriptions, and a church sonata that’s less than five minutes long? There is a reason, and it’s a good one.

In 1993, Robert Levin and Academy of Ancient Music founder Christopher Hogwood set out to record Mozart’s complete works for keyboard and orchestra, with the first of a planned 13 recordings released in 1994. Despite its noble intentions, the project was cancelled midway through, as the advent of downloadable digital music formats in the early 2000s changed the market quickly and drastically. Now, over 20 years later, AAM and Levin are continuing the cycle, scheduled for completion in June 2024, which will become the first-ever recording of Mozart’s complete works for keyboard and orchestra on either modern or historical instruments.

The most aurally striking aspect of this recording is that the Piano Concerto No.5 in D Major K175 doesn’t feature a piano at all, but rather an organ. This is for several reasons, including the necessity of a pedalboard to reach the lowest notes in the keyboard part, the limited upper range, and Mozart’s use of the term Clavicembalo, generic nomenclature that encompassed a range of keyboard instruments. Rather than being impractically theoretical, however, the use of the organ provides great clarity and prominence to the solo part and blends exceedingly well with the ensemble.

The other noteworthy pieces on this recording are the Three Piano Concertos after J.C. Bach K107, through which the young Mozart learned his craft and honed his skills. Far from the masterpieces of his later years, these works were joint efforts between Wolfgang and his fathe, Leopold, who would revise his son’s transcriptions and add embellishments and other instructional guidance. Juxtaposing these early works with only slightly more mature compositions, the younger Mozart clearly learned quickly.

A valuable component of a valuable project, this recording is informative and tremendously appealing, both individually and as part of its larger set.

Clara et Robert Schumann – Chamber Music for Horn
Louis-Philippe Marsolais; David Jalbert; Philip Chiu; Cameron Crozman; Stéphane Tétreault
ATMA ACD2 2874 (atmaclassique.com/en)

Somewhere, among the writings of Marcus Aurelias, Seneca or Epictetus, there is a Stoic maxim that argues that the easier something is to do, the less meaningful and fulfilling it is for one’s personhood and soul. The Stoics, it seems, liked doing hard things. And in classical music, there is perhaps no instrument more difficult to master than the French horn (simply “the horn” among the classical intelligentsia), what with its perplexing embouchure placement and quixotic fingering positions. But, just as the inverse of the aforementioned maxim would posit that the more difficult something is to do, the more satisfying and efficacious the result, it is also a truism (or perhaps just my opinion) that a well-played French horn ranks among the most breathtaking sounds in all of music. A single listen to Clara et Robert Schumann – musique pour cor, a 2023 ATMA release featuring the exquisite horn stylings of Montreal-based musician and educator Louis-Philippe Marsolais, should illuminate why this is the case.

Evidencing an enveloping warm, round and inviting timbre on the brass instrument, Marsolais, joined by terrific pianists Philip Chiu and David Jalbert, as well as cellists Stéphane Tétreault and Cameron Crozman, foregrounds a thoughtful selection of chamber music composed by Clara and Robert Schumann, now placed into new and engaging musical contexts. Repertoire originally composed for a variety of instruments takes on an intimate sheen, sonic patina and mellow lustre when stated here on the horn, providing both the opportunity to feature the instrument more robustly as a principal solo voice, and continue the overdue and ongoing efforts taken to appropriately write Clara Schumann more prominently into the canon of classical compositions and composers.

The Very Best of Grieg
Various Artists
Naxos 8.552123 (naxos.com/Search/KeywordSearchResults/?q=8.552123)

Some time ago in Berlin, Sir Simon Rattle organized a youth orchestra of teenage students at the Philharmonie to learn and play Grieg’s In the Hall of the Mountain King. It was fun to watch the various instruments come in one by one, adding layer upon layer to the sound, a steady crescendo and accelerando controlled superbly by Rattle culminating in a world of total mayhem and a rousing success. I suddenly realized how extraordinarily clever, intricate and difficult a piece it was. A work of genius and one of The Very Best of Grieg.

Thanks to this brilliant and comprehensive sampling from Naxos on two CDs I am totally immersed in Grieg’s music. I feel there is an unmistakable Norwegian sound world that’s immediately recognizable. Grieg is considered to be part of the struggle for national awareness and independence that swept through Europe in the second half of the 19th century. Each smaller nation had a voice, a leading composer like Liszt for Hungarians, Smetana and Dvořák for the Czechs, Enescu for the Romanians, Sibelius for the Finns etc.

Grieg was a prolific composer, but essentially a pianist, so most of his works are for solo piano, but these were often orchestrated and much colour and harmony were added to the pieces. He was a miniaturist. His strength lies in capturing immediately a simple, but incisive and beautiful melody, developing it quickly, so most of his pieces are very short, four minutes or less. He published ten books of Lyric Pieces. Some of these are very memorable, for example, The Wedding Day at Trolhaugen, Berceuse, Notturno, Butterfly, Brooklet, Cradle Song, I love but thee, To the Spring and more. Also, Songs for soprano that are devilishly difficult to sing. 

The longer works such as the Piano, Violin and Cello Sonatas and the String Quartets are represented here by just a movement. But we mustn’t miss his orchestral music: Holberg Suite, Sigurd Jorsalfar, two Peer Gynt Suites and most importantly the Piano Concerto in A Minor, one of most beautiful Romantic concertos ever written.

His contemporary, Tchaikovsky said about Grieg: “What charm, what inimitable and rich musical imagery. What interests, novelty and independence!” So true.

Lyric Pieces
Sarah M Silverman
Adhyaropa Records (sarahsilvermanmusic.com)

The adaptation of classical music within popular music in the late 20th century, such as the famous Eric Carmen homage to Rachmaninoff in All by Myself, developed into the unique genre of classical crossover made famous by Andrea Bocelli, Sarah Brightman, Josh Groban and many others. While not loved equally by all – what music is? – classical crossover toes the line between tradition and accessibility, giving symphonic sounds big ticket appeal.

Described as a “genre-defying” reimagining of Grieg’s Lyric Pieces for solo piano, a collection of 66 short piano compositions written over the span of 58 years, Sarah M Silverman’s Lyric Pieces uses 11 of these works as the foundation for her own compositions, creating arrangements and adding texts and vocal melodies to create this new collection of songs. A native of Toronto, Silverman studied classical piano at the Glenn Gould School and takes a sensitive approach to her arrangements, skillfully manipulating the components of Grieg’s compositions while adding her own unique voice. Much like the way that flavours are combined in a recipe, these songs are a combination of aural ingredients, and Silverman is clearly gifted at uncovering savoury combinations.  

The songs on Lyric Pieces are not intended to be heard as the conversion of Grieg’s piano music into art song, with the existing piano solo merely reduced to an accompaniment. Rather, this music takes on an entirely different form, exploring the unique and interesting relationship between composer and artist with a result that is well worth listening to, not only for its musical beauty, but also for the way in which it pushes upon the limits of our preconceptions regarding genre and the concept of crossover.

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Mahler – Symphony No.5
Orchestre symphonique de Montréal; Rafael Payare
Pentatone PTC 5187 067 (pentatonemusic.com)

I was quite intrigued to receive this album, as Mahler and Montréal are two names not normally associated in my mind, though it’s true that hometown boy Yannick Nézet-Séguin’s enthusiasm for this repertoire has been amply demonstrated in Philadelphia and elsewhere. Nevertheless, Peter Fülop’s comprehensive discography at the Mahler Foundation site currently lists some 1,168 Mahler recordings issued from 1924 to the present day; the OSM’s presence is represented with two lonely recordings, by Mehta (1963) and Nagano (2009). Charles Dutoit ruled the roost from 1977 to 2002 favouring a heavy dose of French repertoire, memorably commemorated in a well-received series of recordings on the Decca label. Sadly, these recording opportunities ceased in the late 1990s. Now however, it seems that Mahler’s time has come at last in Montréal thanks to the recent appointment of the gifted Venezuelan conductor Rafael Payere to head the OSM. 

Payere brings with him a recording contract with the Pentatone label and a mission to launch a complete cycle of Mahler’s symphonies, starting (as is often the case) with the Fifth Symphony in a truly stunning rendition. The orchestra is on fire under his direction, precise and impassioned by turns. The Pentatone recording team have conjured a luxurious, natural ambience to the production in which every instrument is beautifully balanced. 

Payere has an uncanny ability to render the episodic structure of the work into a seamless whole, creating flowing waves of sound that build organically and inexorably to their sublime summits. Special kudos go to Paul Merkelo’s superb trumpet solos in the opening funeral march and to Catherine Turner for her opulent obligato horn part in the Scherzo. An altogether thrilling performance that promises great things to come!

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Rachmaninov – Complete Symphonies; Isle of the Dead; Symphonic Dances; Vocalise
Detroit Symphony Orchestra; Leonard Slatkin
Naxos 8.503278 (naxos.com/CatalogueDetail/?id=8.503278)

As I am writing this, the wistful opening motto theme of the Third Symphony is reverberating in my mind and I am marvelling at how beautifully Rachmaninov establishes an atmosphere and the symphony a world of its own, so different from anything he wrote before. I have never heard it in a concert hall either, mainly because apart from the piano concertos, his orchestral works are rarely performed. So this highly acclaimed new issue by Naxos is very welcome.

Leonard Slatkin, who has over the years became a conductor of stature with a worldwide reputation, is thoroughly inside the music with an authoritative grip on the score and this reflects on the musicians of the Detroit Symphony who seem to be in love with the music. And in HD orchestral sound they sound better than ever.

The 3CD set contains the Three Symphonies and the Symphonic Dances plus the symphonic poem Isle of the Dead and Vocalise, a short orchestral piece. It should be noted that the First Symphony failed disastrously at its premiere and its score was lost until miraculously the orchestral parts were found many years later. It is a youthful work with intense passion but it bears no comparison to what he would produce later. Isle of the Dead is interesting; inspired by a Romantic Russian painting, it describes Charon on the River Styx rowing the dead across to the other shore. We can hear the sinister undulating motion of the oars in very dark hued music. Its 5/8 rhythm must be a challenge for the conductor, but it comes off very well under Slatkin.

The Second Symphony is arguably the best and the most popular and has always been my favourite. It’s a glorious work with lavish orchestration and it “has a sustained vitality, rich in lyrical invention and a glowing eloquence capable of rising to extraordinary power” as described very aptly by British musicologist Robin Hill. It had a tremendous success and this recording, being a live performance, has a spontaneous enthusiastic outburst of applause. I wholly concur and it’s worth buying the set for this alone.

Another wonderful highlight is Vocalise which to me is the best thing Rachmaninov ever wrote. It’s a short (less than ten-minute) work for small orchestra with such an underlying sustained melancholy I’ve seen conductors literally in a hypnotic trance conducting with closed eyes.

Rachmaninov could be regarded as a connecting tissue between Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich (or Prokofiev) but he preferred to look forward rather than backward, so he moved away from lush Romantic orchestration towards lighter and cleaner textures, a tighter, more economical orchestration. This is manifest in his Symphony No.3 in A Minor. It is in three movements but don’t let this fool you. The composer cleverly encloses a Scherzo inside the second movement, so we are not shortchanged. I find that the wealth of diverse musical ideas and their adventurous handling puts this symphony ahead of the second and it’s a shame it’s hardly ever played. In a similar vein, Symphonic Dances (1940) is a most enjoyable lighthearted piece with emphasis on dance rhythms (e.g., the second movement is a decadent waltz the Russians are quite good at) that concludes this remarkable set.

Fauré: Nocturnes & Barcarolles
Marc André Hamelin
Hyperion CDA68331/2 (hyperion-records.co.uk/a.asp?a=A49)

Solo piano music comprises a significant part of Gabriel Fauré’s output spanning a 60-year period from his very earliest Romances sans Paroles Op,17 written while still in his teens, to the final 13th Nocturne Op.119 from 1921. Among the most highly regarded of his piano works are the Nocturnes and Barcarolles, and these are presented in their entirety on this Hyperion release by the Montreal-born and Boston-based pianist Marc-André Hamelin. While Hamelin is no stranger to French repertoire, it has never been a big part of his extensive discography, so this recording is a welcome addition.

Fauré’s Nocturnes are very much in the Romantic tradition, the earliest ones showing some influence of John Field and Chopin. Yet they were never languorous, nocturnal essays; instead, they were conceived as lyrical pieces evoking a myriad of emotions. Hamelin’s playing is elegant and refined, with the inherent technical challenges handled with ease.    

Like the Nocturnes, the Barcarolles were written over the entire span of Fauré’s career and similarly show a progressive development in style. While most are written in the standard 6/8, 9/8 or 6/4 time signatures, many don’t adhere to the familiar notion of a lilting Italian boat song. Again, Hamelin demonstrates an appealing fluidity of execution where his impressive technique is never an end unto itself, but simply a means towards a fine interpretation.

An added bonus is the charming piano duet Dolly Suite, written for the young daughter of the singer Emma Bardac. It is performed here with Hamelin’s wife Kathy Fuller, bringing the program to a most satisfying conclusion.

An American Rhapsody
Calefax
Pentatone PTC 5187 046 (calefax.nl/shop)

One of the side perks of this business is how much one can learn from liner notes. The dishy release from the Netherlandic reed quintet Calefax spreads their love for the New World all over the place. New York (New Amsterdam?) is the focus of this collection of arrangements that plays like the most excellent school concert imaginable. No disrespect to the players, they kick it in a way that reminds me of an earlier band, the Netherlands Winds, continuing the low countries’ exceptionally high standard of woodwind playing.

But it’s weird to listen to their Rhapsody in Blue, effectively scored down to the five voices in saxophonist Raaf Hekkema’s arrangement. I won’t make arguments about style, but I hear almost a practiced accent in the impeccably spoken lines of this fun little play. The liner notes remind us that this was Gershwin stepping out onto the concert stage from the show pit, and I think while the playing is excellent, there’s some kind of reserve or modesty in the performance suiting New Amsterdam more than Midtown. 

Samuel Barber’s Excursions, Op.20, originally for piano, are more folk than Broadway. They really sparkle in this excellent performance. Florence Price’s Piano Sonata in E Minor receives a gently Romantic treatment. Harry Burleigh’s Southland Sketches was based in gospel music. One learns, again in the very readable liner notes, that Burleigh was a mature student at the National Conservatory of Music (founded expressly to foster equity in musical training, regardless of sex or race or disability), where he studied with Antonín Dvořák.

The latter half of the disc celebrates jazz, pop and street music. Two Ellington tunes are beautifully rendered by Hekkema and Oliver Boekhoorn (the aptly named Oboe/English hornist), and Hekkema also made a fantastic tribute to both Billy Holiday and Eric Dolphy based on Dolphy’s bass clarinet treatment of God Bless the Child.

Solo, Alone and More
Jonas Frøland
Our Recordings 6.220681 (ourrecordings.com)

Reading the notes to Solo Alone and More, a clarinet collection played by young hotshot Jonas Frøland, one remembers the value of a good editor. I got some smiles reading the overlong and quirky paragraphs accompanying this demonstration of instrumental excellence. 

Three works are excerpts: the first cadenza from Carl Nielsen’s Clarinet Concerto (1928) opens the collection, announcing Frøland’s range and musicality; the follow-up suggests to me he hasn’t considered the dramatic range of Stravinsky’s Three Pieces for Clarinet Solo (1919). Stravinsky wrote these as a gift to the patron who backed L’Histoire du Soldat, and I always imagine them staged. He plays the first piece more as a rhythmic aria than a static, atmospheric tableau. The middle section of the second movement is, to my mind, a limping Soldier’s March; instead, Frøland treats the eighth-note pulse differently in the inner and outer sections, fundamentally changing the pulse between them. I’d love a chance to talk it over with him, because I don’t think that’s what Igor had in mind. 

Frøland’s dynamic control and technical fluidity amaze in Messiaen’s Abîme des Oiseaux (1940) (the second excerpt of the collection, from the Quatuor Pour la Fin du Temps) and Bent Sørensen’s beautiful Lontanamente Fragments of a Waltz (2012). Both feature that most desirable clarinet trait: pianississississimo. Mette Nielsen’s Alone for Basset Clarinet (2021) was commissioned by Frøland. It’s an unsettling exploration of microtones that left me chilled. Fully half an hour of this 70-minute program is taken up with Gunnar Berg’s Pour Clarinette Seul (1957) and Simon Steene-Andersen’s De Profundis, (2000/rev2019). Substantial works both. And the third excerpt? Tossed in is a rewrite of the cor anglais solo from Act III of Tristan und Isolde.  

Shadow & Light – Canadian Double Concertos
Marc Djokic; Christiana Petrowska Quilico; Sinfonia Toronto; Nurhan Arman
Centrediscs CMCCD 31823 (cmccanada.org/product-category/recordings/centrediscs)

Originating in the early 1700s, during the later portion of the Baroque era, the concerto presented composers of the time with an instrumental compositional structure (a formula if you will) perfectly suited to feature an instrumental soloist. A double concerto, therefore, shines the spotlight equally on two soloists, accompanied by different aggregations, providing composers with another voice of possibility to help realize their creative intentions. How nice then, in our time of near constant and rapid change, that this formula is still meaningful and relevant, particularly so in the capable compositional hands of Alice Ping Yee Ho, Christos Hatzis and Larysa Kuzmenko. 

Writing for the pairing of violin and piano (the dependably terrific Christina Petrowska Quilico and violinist Marc Djokic backed capably by Sinfonia Toronto under the direction of conductor Nurhan Arman), the aforementioned compositional triumvirate bring Shadow & Light to life with influences ranging from Felix Mendelssohn and Johannes Brahms, to Hitchcock foil Bernard Herrmann and the author Jules Verne. If the range of this description sounds expansive and beyond categorization, that’s because it is! The result, released on Centrediscs and supported by any number of Canadian arts-based granting agencies, is a truly post-modern affair that plays in the margins that lie between the binary of the traditional double-concerto form and a set of influences that escape categorization. Whatever the conceit, the result is a satisfying and extremely fine recording that expands the canon of both Canadian composition and the rare double-concerto pairing of violin and piano for future repertoire consideration.

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