Beethoven – Piano Sonatas Opp.22; 31/3; 101
Angela Hewitt
Hyperion CDA67974

It’s no surprise that accomplished musicians develop such acute discernment of their composers’ muses. One simply comes to expect that ongoing intimacy with the creative utterances of someone like Beethoven will produce a deep and evolving understanding of how the music must be played. It transcends academic debate and argument about historical authenticity. It’s a conviction that doesn’t waver. It’s just “right.”

Hewitt plays three sonatas which offer a historical progression clearly marked by Beethoven’s evolving compositional form and musical language over 17 years. The unmistakable echoes of Haydn and Mozart, the classical turns of phrase and stylistic ornaments place the Op.22 solidly at the end of the 18th century. But by the time we hear the Op.101 there are serious rumblings in the depths and a hint of recklessness that we have come to recognize as the Beethoven of the fifth and ninth symphonies.

It must, however, be tempting to take the classical bait of the early work and play it as though we need to be reminded that Haydn and Mozart are standing behind us. Hewitt in fact does the opposite. With appropriate recognition of the classical architecture, Hewitt unleashes the spirit of the young Beethoven and shows us how the composer at mid-life has already seen his destiny. There is no mistaking the volcanic potential of this pen when it meets manuscript. Major keys and scherzos notwithstanding, this young composer is already shaking his fist at the universe.

Concert Note: Angela Hewitt is featured in Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto with the Toronto Symphony on March 20 and 22 at Roy Thomson Hall.

Saverio Mercadante – Flute Concertos Nos.1, 2 & 4
Patrick Gallois; Sinfonia Finlandia Jyväskylä
Naxos 8.572731

Saverio Mercadante (1795-1870), well-known and respected in his time as the composer of many operas, has since been overshadowed by his contemporaries Rossini, Donizetti and Bellini. Insofar as he is remembered today, despite occasional revivals of his operas, it is because of his flute concertos, which were rediscovered by Jean-Pierre Rampal about 50 years ago.

As one might expect of music of Mercadante’s time, these concertos are cornucopias of melodic invention, sometimes spirited, sometimes lyrical, coupled with passages of stunning virtuosity. The long orchestral passage at the beginning of the first movement of the concerto in E minor, for example, sounds as if it could be from the overture to a comic opera; it would take little to make a case for these concertos having been the inspiration for the opera fantasies composed by Taffanel, Borne and Fürstenau some 60 years later.

As for Patrick Gallois, you could almost think it was his teacher, Rampal, playing. You hear the same effortless articulation and movement between registers, the same absence of mannerisms and the same purity of sound. What I didn’t hear was Rampal’s exquisitely refined phrasing and an indefinable quality in the sound, which mysteriously conveys what might be called the meaning of the music. The performance by Gallois’ collaborators, Sinfonia Finlandia Jyväskylä, is precise and sensitive to every nuance of the soloist. These are engaging and beautifully produced performances of a significant byway of the flute repertoire.

Liszt at the Opera
Louis Lortie
Chandos CHAN10793

Louis Lortie and Chandos records have put together a wonderful Juno-nominated CD of Liszt’s opera transcriptions. Lortie dazzles us with smooth, elegant virtuosity in O du mein holder abendstern (Tannhauser) and Spinnerlied aus dem Fliegenden Hollander. His scales, arpeggios and trills shimmer and sparkle with a light, feathery touch. The speed and flourish of his technique leave us breathless. The beautiful melodic lines are also performed with warm tone and sensitivity. His phrasing is sublime and his fingers sing out the arias.

What I really liked was the freedom with which he teased us with carefree cascades of orchestral sound. In the Valse de L’opera Faust de Gounod Lortie flirted with the music and the rhythms danced with devilish intricacy. His spectacular finger dexterity allows Lortie to play cleanly but with resonance. There is a natural flow that never overshadows the music but enhances it. He has immaculate control of dynamics and can perform pianissimos as gentle whispers and fortes like a full orchestra. His tone can be warm and gentle. The only minor moments of harsher tone were in two of the Wagner transcriptions. The Overture to Tannhauser and the Prelude and Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde are the only pieces in which I missed an actual orchestra. However, Louis Lortie is an extraordinary Liszt interpreter who definitely deserves that Juno nomination and a win for this CD.

The program notes are also excellent. They give a real insight into the era when opera transcriptions were numerous.

Brahms – The Complete Symphonies; Discovering Brahms
Staatskapelle Dresden; Christian Thielemann
Cmajor 715108

Sets of the complete Brahms symphonies on DVD are not all that common, so this one featuring the Dresden Staatskapelle with Christian Thielemann is indeed a welcome arrival. It features live performances from 2012 and 2013 recorded at two different venues, in the NHK Hall in Tokyo, Japan (1 & 3) – during the 10th NHK Festival – and at the Semperoper in Dresden (2 & 4).

A conductor very much of the old-school German tradition, Thielemann studied at the Hochschule für Musik in Vienna and later worked as an assistant to no less a conductor than Herbert von Karajan. He has been chief music director of the Staatskapelle Dresden since October, 2009.

From the moment he raises his baton to a most appreciative Japanese audience in the Symphony No.1, it’s clear to everyone that this music holds a special place for both him and his orchestra. The ensemble invokes a deeply romantic spirit throughout, from the tempestuous opening movement to the jubilant finale. Little wonder this darkly uplifting music is often referred to as “Beethoven’s Tenth.”

In contrast to the tragically noble character of Brahms’ First Symphony, the Second is all placid geniality, so much so that it has often been referred to as his “Pastoral.” Recorded in the Semperoper in Dresden (before a seemingly less appreciative audience!) the orchestra demonstrates a keen clarity and finely judged balance. Thielemann is sometimes known for “pushing boundaries” with respect to tempos, but that is clearly not the case in these performances.

The collection also contains a bonus disc in the form of a 52-minute interview with Thielemann where he reflects on Brahms’ symphonies. During the conversation, he alludes to the solidity of the scoring, and the difficulty in achieving a cohesive orchestral sound, an aspect in which the Staatskapelle Dresden succeeds brilliantly. Indeed, it’s this wonderful melding of orchestral timbres that make the SD’s interpretations so appealing. One of the high points for me in the set (and there are many) is the famous third movement of Symphony No.3. For this poignant and wistful music, Thielemann coaxes a luxuriant sound from the players, the mellow brass perfectly complementing the warmth of the strings – and principal horn Erich Markwart deserves kudos for his hauntingly lovely solo.

Special mention must also be made of the exemplary camerawork in both venues. The shots of both Thielemann and members of the orchestra provide a live presence and further enhance these superb performances. It’s been said that Thielemann has the ability to make familiar repertoire sound new again and he certainly succeeds in doing so here. This set is a must-have for any serious music lover, a sublime combination of wonderful music magnificently performed. Highly recommended.

This has been a bumper few months for string quartet CDs, with some outstanding issues from several world-class ensembles.

Britain’s Brodsky Quartet adds another winner to its already extensive discography with New World Quartets (Chandos CHAN 10801). The main works on the disc are Dvořák’s String Quartet Op.96 (“American”) and Samuel Barber’s String Quartet Op.11, best known for its slow movement that later became his Adagio for Strings; it remains extremely effective in its original version. The shorter works are Gershwin’s Lullaby, Copland’s Two Pieces and the Hoe-Down from Rodeo (here in a transcription by two of the Brodsky members) and Dave Brubeck’s Regret, a hauntingly beautiful piece presented here in an arrangement that the classically trained Brubeck prepared specifically for the Brodsky Quartet.

Everything on this CD simply glows: the playing is warm, radiant and expressive, and the balance and sound quality are ideal.

The latest CD from the Jerusalem Quartet celebrates the Czech national school, with the first – and best known – of Bedřich Smetana’s two quartets, the String Quartet in E minor “From My Life,” and both quartets by his spiritual heir Leoš Janáček (harmonia mundi HMC 902178).

The players take a thoughtful, carefully measured approach to the Smetana, with a steady underlying rhythm and a wide range of dynamics. Overall, though, the result seems more controlled than rhapsodic; there’s no real outburst of joy and exhilaration at the start of the second movement, and little sense of desolation at the end of the finale.

The two Janáček quartets, however – subtitled the “Kreutzer Sonata” and “Intimate Pages” – are worth the price of the CD on their own, the Jerusalem Quartet capturing the wide emotional range and almost improvisatory rhythms of this astonishingly personal and achingly beautiful music in stunning performances.

Another British ensemble, the Dante Quartet, is now approaching its 20th year. Their latest CD on the Hyperion label is devoted to the music of the Hungarian composer Zoltán Kodály, and features the String Quartets Nos.1 & 2 and the Intermezzo for String Trio, all three works dating from the first 18 years of the 20th century (CDA67999). The very short Gavotte from 1952 completes the CD.

The quartets in particular are wonderful works, and the Dante Quartet displays a really terrific feel for this music in highly idiomatic performances.

The excellent booklet notes for the Dante CD stress the close relationship between Kodály and his friend and compatriot Béla Bartók, and the Alexander String Quartet take things to the logical conclusion with their 3-CD set of the Complete String Quartets of Bartók and Kodály (Foghorn Classics CD2009).

Again, the Kodály works receive outstanding performances, with possibly even more depth in the slow movements than in the Dante recording.

The Bartók quartets are of an equally high standard, with a refined and polished feel to them, although the tougher, abrasive moments never lose their edge. All in all, a marvellous set, especially at the mid-range price.

I’ve probably received half a dozen different 2-CD sets of the Bach Suites for Solo Cello over the past three or four years, and I always find them difficult to review. It’s not simply the sheer amount of music and its emotional and intellectual range and depth, but the almost limitless possibilities for phrasing, bowing, interpretation, ornamentation, tempo choice, style, tone and vibrato use available to the soloist. No two sets are ever the same, and there are so many available that to try comparison reviews would be almost impossible. All you can really do is give prospective listeners some idea of what to expect. After that, it just comes down to personal taste.

Rachel Mercer’s new release on the Pipistrelle label (PIP1403) is her September 2011 recording from Walter Hall of the Suites on the 1696 Bonjour Stradivarius cello, which was on loan to her from the Canada Council from 2009 to 2012. Mercer felt an immediate affinity with the instrument, and began performing the Suites on it as often as possible. It certainly has a big, strong sound, with a good deal of bite that sounds almost rough in places. Mercer’s approach is quite slow and introspective, although the dance movements have a nice line, and it’s clearly a very personal journey for her.

The French violinist Laurent Korcia is in terrific form on Mister Paganini, his latest CD on the naïve label (V 5344). It features transcriptions by Fritz Kreisler and Eugène Ysaÿe that were inspired by Paganini. Korcia is joined by the Orchestre de chamber de Paris under Jean-Jacques Kantorow for the opening and closing tracks: Kreisler’s Concerto in One Movement transcribed from the first movement of Paganini’s Concerto No.1 in D Major; and Paganini’s own I palpiti Op.13, the Introduction and Variations on the aria di tanti palpiti from Rossini’s opera Tancredi. Pianist Haruko Ueda joins Korcia for the remaining tracks on the disc, apart from one piano solo – Kreisler’s lovely Petite Valse.

There are real fireworks in the Kreisler concerto, particularly in the cadenza, terrific dynamics in the Albéniz-Kreisler Malagueña, and a real gypsy feel in Kreisler’s La gitana. Kreisler was justifiably famous for the accuracy of his double-stopping, and Korcia is superb in this respect in all the Kreisler transcriptions, and in particular in La campanella, Kreisler’s transcription of the finale of Paganini’s Concerto No.2 in B Minor.

Ysaÿe is represented by his Paganini Variations, a set of 15 short variations on Paganini’s famous 24th Caprice. This is apparently the first recording of the work.

Korcia has a huge tone, especially in the lower register, and always lets his technical brilliance serve the music and not overpower it. Some astonishing playing in I palpiti brings an outstanding CD to a rousing close.

The Hungarian violinist Orsolya Korcsolan, now resident in Vienna after studying with Dorothy DeLay and Itzhak Perlman at the Juilliard School in New York, returns to her Hungarian Jewish roots on the CD KornGOLDMark on the German label Solo Musica (SM 202). She is joined by pianist Emese Mali in a recital of works by Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Carl Goldmark and Rubin Goldmark, each of whom spent a significant part of his life in Vienna.

Korcsolan’s playing is strong and confident, with a really big tone, but some of the music here doesn’t seem to give her much opportunity to display her undoubted musicality; the short Korngold pieces in particular are pretty straightforward. Korngold was a child prodigy, and his Serenade from the ballet Der Schneemann was written when he was only 11. There are also three arias from his operas, the best-known being Marietta’s Lied from Die Tote Stadt, and the four-movement Much Ado About Nothing Suite, Op.11, arranged by the composer from his orchestral incidental music for a 1920 production of the Shakespeare play.

There is certainly more substance to Carl Goldmark’s Suite Op.11 in E Major, and to the lovely Romanze in A Major, Op.51, and Korcsolan makes the most of the opportunity to shine.

Rubin Goldmark was Carl’s nephew; although he studied in Vienna, he was born in New York, and spent his entire teaching career in the United States, ending up as head of composition at the new Juilliard School in 1924. He is represented here by the world premiere recording of his Plaintive Air, a short but very effective piece.

Korcsolan ends the CD with a bonus track that she admits doesn’t really fit with the program, although she does feel that there are links (she doesn’t elaborate) with the other three composers. Robert Dauber wrote his Serenata in 1942 in the Theresienstadt concentration camp; he died in Dachau in 1945. It is his only surviving composition, and is a short, delicate Kreisler-like work that bears little hint of the circumstances of its composition. Korcsolan says that of all the works on the CD it is probably the one closest to her heart, and it shows in her performance. It’s arguably the most satisfying track on the CD.

The excellent 8-volume Naxos series of the complete violin music of Pablo Sarasate reaches completion with the issue of Volume 4 of the Music for Violin and Piano – Transcriptions and Arrangements (8.572709). Violinist Tianwa Yang has been in tremendous form throughout the series, and displays the same warmth, dazzling technique and interpretative skills that marked the earlier volumes. German pianist Markus Hadulla provides excellent accompaniment in short pieces by Moszkowski, Chopin, Handel and Bach, and by the French Baroque violinists Jean-Pierre Guignon, Jean-Joseph de Mondonville, Jean-Marie Leclair and Jean-Baptiste Senaillé. The two more substantial works on the CD are Sarasate’s own Souvenirs de Faust on themes from the Gounod opera, and Joachim Raff’s exceptionally difficult La fée d’amour, which was apparently Sarasate’s favourite concert item. Needless to say, Yang seems to navigate the challenges with effortless ease.

There’s an all-star line-up for the Beethoven Piano Trios Op.70 No.2 and Op.97, The Archduke, on the harmonia mundi label (HMC 902125), with pianist Alexander Melnikov joining violinist Isabelle Faust and Jean-Guihen Queyras cellist in the composer’s last two works in the genre. Melnikov plays a restored 1828 fortepiano, so the sound and approach are softer and more intimate than in performances with a modern grand piano. These are committed and thoughtful interpretations, though, and no less powerful for the somewhat reduced dynamic range in the keyboard.

The French cellist Sébastien Hurtaud, winner of the 2009 Adam International Cello Competition, is featured in a recital of Hindemith’s Music for Cello with pianist  in the Naxos Laureate Series (8.573172). The Three Pieces for Cello and Piano Op.8 seem a bit uneven in places, with the piano quite dominant at times, but A frog he went a-courting – Variations on an Old English Nursery Song fares much better. Hurtaud is terrific in the Sonata for Solo Cello, Op.25 No.3, and is joined by Hurtado again for the Sonata for Cello and Piano from 1948.

Julius Isserlis – Piano Music
Sam Haywood
Hyperion CDA68025

The Isserlis family name is familiar to most by virtue of cellist Steven whose career has its own impressive discography. The music of his grandfather Julius is, however, a recent discovery and makes its first recorded appearance on this disc by pianist Sam Haywood.

Haywood is a long time friend of the Isserlis family. It was Haywood who found the manuscripts and early published music of Julius Isserlis among the family papers, and it was Haywood who set about editing, correcting and recording these works for Hyperion.

Born in 1888 in Moldova (then a part of Russia) Julius was a child prodigy who earned his admission to conservatories in Kiev and Moscow and the attention of the great musicians of the day such as Taneyev. The rise of Bolshevism and Nazism in Europe severely restricted career options for the young pianist and composer. He was fortunate to escape the continent with his family and settle in England where he spent the rest of his life teaching and performing.

He seems to have been a master of the short form, writing brilliant little pieces of every kind, skillfully evoking a wide range of moods…very French and very Russian. The Ballade in A Minor for cello and piano, with a cameo by grandson Steven, is the longest work and offers some hint of what Isserlis might have achieved had he written more frequently on a larger scale.

This recording is something of an Isserlis family project, but offers a very fine example of hitherto unheard music.

Britten to America: Music for Radio and Theatre
Hallé; Sir Mark Elder; Andrew Kennedy; Jean Rigby; Mary Carewe; Ex Cathedra; Jeffrey Skidmore
NMC NMC D190

This disc could be called “an entertainment,” being a collection of short compositions disbursed with spoken passages. Some are satirical or humorous or quite serious but none is long enough to ebb the listener’s interest. Britten collaborated with his good friends (at the time) W.H. Auden and Christopher Isherwood. The most productive and closest collaboration between Auden and Britten was between 1936 and about 1941 and by 1947 they rarely even spoke. Subsequently Britten had a succession of librettists and Auden went on to write the libretto for Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress. The Britten-Auden collaboration produced, among other works, the operetta Paul Bunyan (1941, revised 1971) and the two main items on this recording; The Ascent of F6 in 1936 and On the Frontier (1938).

The Ascent of F6, written by Auden and Isherwood is set around the climbing of F6, a mountain in Sudoland, a British colony of indeterminate location and the anti-hero Michael Ransom, a Renaissance man, who wants to climb the mountain because it is there. Essentially it is a didactic drama on social responsibility. The authors were enthusiastic about Britten and his little pieces, some robust, some irreverent and brash but all arresting, including a blues number! On the Frontier was a metaphorical play concerned with the rise of Fascism in the 30s. An American in England recreates some of the Edward R. Murrow broadcasts from the early 1940s with narrator Samuel West.

These stylized 2013 performances emulate the 1930s in this delightful and unusual recording revealing the young composer’s diversity of styles. The vocal octet Ex Cathedra is heard in the potpourri of styles from chant to brash ensemble numbers, all in state-of-the-art sound.

Kara Karayev – The Seven Beauties; The Path of Thunder
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra; Dmitry Yablonsky
Naxos 8.573122

For listeners unfamiliar with Azerbaijani composer Kara Karayev (1918-1982), these ballet suites are an attractive introduction. Karayev studied with Shostakovich, and his rhythmic, tuneful music is well-suited to the ballet. The two works’ stories lend themselves to Karayev’s incorporation, respectively, of Azerbaijani folk song and dance, and of African and African-American musical traditions.

Karayev remained acceptable in the Soviet musical establishment at a time when the government criticized other composers severely for “formalism.” The story and folk elements in The Seven Beauties(1949) no doubt helped, as did his conventional and conservative musical style. His melodic gift is notable, as in the “Adagio”’s horn solo, and he sets the mood in each of The Seven Portraits with a few deft, colourful strokes. The solo winds of the Royal Philharmonic excel here. Yablonsky paces the orchestra well, leading to a climax just before the final Procession.

The Path of Thunder (1958) dates from the Khrushchev years, with a tragic story from South Africa involving lovers of different races. The music is now more hard-edged and spiky, with influences of Stravinsky and of Ravel`s Bolero. Syncopations and irregular metres are effective, as in the “Finale”’s 7/4 ostinato. The “Scene and Duet” of the lovers is particularly attractive, with violin and cello solos that are played beautifully by Royal Philharmonic principals. The passionate and idiomatic performances on this disc led by Dmitry Yablonsky make it a significant addition to the recorded repertoire.

Hot
Ryan Muncy; Various Artists
New Focus Recordings NFR130

Chicago-based saxophonist Ryan Muncy has become a champion of new music, both as a soloist and as executive director of the fine new music ensemble, Dal Niente – if you have yet to hear this group deservedly dubbed “super-musicians” by the Chicago Tribune, check it out.

Muncy’s debut recording is bookended with works by two composers that few performers tackle: Georges Aperghis and Franco Donatoni. The craft and wit of these composers are the highlights of the CD. Aperghis’ Rasch for soprano saxophone and viola is almost conceptual in its difficulty; Muncy and violist Nadia Sirota give a meticulous reading, although I wish the gestures and pauses were more erratic. Donatoni’s Hot has become the most popular chamber concerto for saxophone and “jazz” ensemble. Muncy and Dal Niente perform this difficult score with ease, although the saxophone could be more present and wild in this concertante work.

Throughout the recording, Muncy shows his sensitivity and skill in works featuring instruments that the saxophone would normally overpower. In Refrain from Riffing by Anthony Cheung, the alto saxophone sweeps and quivers microtonally in tandem with the harp. Marcos Balter’s Strohbass, in which the bass flute acts as resonance for the subtle key clicks of the baritone saxophone, is so skillful and almost electroacoustic.

It would be wrong not to mention The Last Leaf, the commission from established Israeli-born Harvard Professor, Chaya Czernowin, for sopranino (!) saxophone, highlighting the plethora of extended saxophone techniques that Muncy executes effortlessly.

100 names
Rebekah Heller
Tundra Records 001

American bassoonist Rebekah Heller is a respected performer in both classical and contemporary music styles, and a core member of the U.S.-based International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE). In her debut solo release on ICE’s own Tundra label, Heller performs with a sweet tone, precise attack and colourful phrases in six recent compositions written for her.

She is especially original in her witty musical repartees to the electroacoustic tapes, feedback effects and live processing. The gut-wrenching distortion and percussive bassoon make the opening track by Edgar Guzman loud and in-your-face memorable. Though more tape effects provide colourful backdrops to the bassoon in works by Marcelo Toledo and the bonus track by Du Yun, these are no match for the superb composition On speaking a hundred names by Nathan Davis. This strong composition for bassoon and live processing is a showpiece for Heller’s sensitive interpretation and enviable breath control. The bassoon solo Calling by Dai Fujikura is a microtonal outing that demonstrates her strength as a soloist. Not only can Heller play the bassoon, she can fearlessly speak the text of Gertrude Stein’s Tender Buttons and play percussion too in the moving work …and also a fountain by Marcos Balter.

100 names features a wide breadth of extended bassoon techniques, all performed beautifully, and sure to be enjoyed by new music lovers. Rebekah Heller needs to be congratulated for her dedication to the bassoon, and her ability to inspire composers.

Trade Winds
Tiresias Duo (Mark Takeshi McGregor; Rachel Kiyo Iwaasa)
Redshift Records TK428 (redshiftmusic.org)

Having reviewed Mark Takeshi McGregor’s CD of flute ensemble music, Different Stones back in November 2009, and now his most recent 2CD set, Trade Winds, I can say with conviction that I think he is a national treasure! It is not only that he is a great flutist and a truly engaging performer. I heard his recital at the Canadian Flute Association convention in June – it was truly memorable, not only because of his rapport with contemporary repertoire but also because he has a nose for that je ne sais quoi that makes a work a good piece of music. His choice of repertoire, and there is a lot of it – close to two hours – is unerringly good. The fact that the field was narrowed by limiting it to composers with some sort of connection with Japan makes his accomplishment even more remarkable.

There are discoveries here such as Kara Gibbs, whose Untitled Scenes covers the gamut from playful to meditative and serene; the flute sonata by Vancouver composer, Christopher Kovarik, reveals a unique compositional voice, forged through the study of Bach, Prokofiev and Shostakovich; and I was taken completely by surprise by the three works for solo flute by Paul Douglas, a flutist as well as a composer, and McGregor’s teacher at UBC. Elliot Weisgarber was another Canadian composer I had never heard of. A clarinetist in the late 1960s, he spent three years in Japan, where he learned to play the shakuhachi. His Miyako Sketches, to me anyway, reveals a thorough absorption of the Japanese musical tradition convincingly transferred to the western tradition.

I would be remiss not to mention Rachel Kiyo Iwaasa, whose superb ease and sensitivity as McGregor’s collaborator on the piano contribute substantially to the project. Canadian flutists, get this CD and then get the music performed on it and make it part of your repertoire! Everyone else, get it and start marvelling at the quality of the music of our composers.

Jörg Widmann – Violin Concerto; Antiphon; Insel der Sirenen
Christian Tetzlaff; Swedish RSO; Daniel Harding
Ondine ODE 1215-2

Orchestral works by contemporary German composer Jörg Widmann (b. 1973) receive fine readings here. Widmann is a virtuoso clarinetist who understands the orchestra’s newer sonic resources and has a performer’s sense of the dramatic. The title of Christoph Schlüren’s liner notes, Hedonism of Danger, indicates another aspect of this composer’s voice.

The one-movement Violin Concerto (2007) has roots from the later 20th century German neo-Expressionists back to Alban Berg. Overall the work is the antithesis of “cool” – the violin writing is intense with broad lyrical gestures and sharp contrasts. Tetzlaff’s tone is rich in the lower registers; harmonics are ethereal and intonation reliable. Harding’s orchestra stays sonorous in extreme registers, never submerging the soloist’s voice in its natural soundscape.

I particularly like Insel der Sirenen (Island of the Sirens) of 1997 for violin and 19 strings. It re-imagines the episode in Homer’s Odyssey as experienced on a rickety boat in the harsh seascape, with periodic squeaks, honks and rustling over tremolando waves. The solo violin “siren’s” vibrato is wide and glissandi wider; other sirens are high-pitched and the atmosphere is menacing.

Antiphon (2007-08) for full orchestra is the most hard-edged and dissonant work. Abrupt, aggressive gestures such as sharp attacks and crescendi suggest a post-industrial world where things are battered and torn at. In both this and the preceding work, innovations of Schafer, Penderecki and Ligeti are excitingly transformed by and for a new generation in a new millennium.

Concert Note: Widmann is featured as composer, conductor and clarinetist when New Music Concerts presents ”A Portrait of Jörg Widmann” on April 18 at the Betty Oliphant Theatre.

Red Shadows
Bill Clifton
Cliftone Records CT 1667 (billcliftonpiano.com)

Toronto-born Bill Clifton is hardly a household name but at a time when some pianists were exploring a more modern approach to their playing using advanced harmonics, Clifton was one of them. Oscar Peterson, in his autobiography A Jazz Odyssey, makes mention of Clifton, describing his playing as “noticeably introspective, having an intuitive, languid Debussy-esque feel to it.” And indeed the ten original compositions on this CD have the feel of a series of etudes with strong jazz content.

Clifton’s playing is sensitive without being overly sentimental and repeated listening heightened the pleasure I derived from his music. The one standard, the final track on the album, a popular song called Little Girl by Al Jolson, is performed before an audience and given a straight-ahead jazz treatment. The mood of the rest of the album is suggested by the titles of the pieces – Sunny Brook, Mystic Mountain, A Minor Melancholy and Moon Valley being a few examples. They suit late-in-the-day listening and give an insight into the composer’s contemplative and searching mind.

If you are interested, you can learn more about Bill Clifton in my Jazz Notes column this month.

Leftover Dreams
Sam Broverman
Independent BR003 (brovermusic.com)

Astonishingly, it has been more than 100 years since the 1913 births of two of the most seminal and prolific film, stage and popular music composer/lyricists of the modern era – Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen. Although in their later careers these two geniuses collaborated with other notables, their partnership yielded 11 Academy Award nominations and three Oscars. In Leftover Dreams, gifted and expressive vocalist Sam Broverman has presented a sumptuous buffet drawn from the work of Cahn and Van Heusen – carefully selecting not only their more familiar and beloved compositions, but also rarely performed gems including the poignant All My Tomorrows (a stunner) and the buoyant It Could Happen to You.

This well-produced recording is an immensely satisfying musical assemblage, and features a first-call jazz trio, including Mark Kieswetter on piano, producer and musical director Jordan O’Connor on bass and Ernesto Cervini on drums. Certainly one of the most moving and sumptuously arranged songs is Van Heusen’s and Johnny Mercer’s Empty Tables. In the annals of Hollywood legend, Mercer and Judy Garland carried on a long-term love affair (unbeknownst to their respective spouses). The two remained close for the duration of Garland’s life, and she actually passed away only a couple of years before Empty Tables was composed. The ballad is said to reflect Mercer’s deep feelings of grief and loss.

Another stand-out is A Sammy Cahn Song – an original composition by Broverman, whose silky smooth, pitch-perfect baritone is the ideal expression for these superb and timeless compositions.

Listen Both Ways
George Schuller’s Circle Wide
Playscape PSR # 053112 (playscape-recordings.com)

A restrained percussionist and bandleader, George Schuller, who will be playing The Rex March 4 and 5 as part of an all-star aggregation featuring guitarist Michael Musillami and bassist Joe Fonda, exhibits his gift for composition and arrangements on this quintet session.

Most of the tunes sparkle with easy swing based on the clever juxtaposition of Peter Apfelbaum’s tenor saxophone with Brad Shepik’s guitar and Tom Beckham’s vibes. Beside Schuller’s drumming rebounds which often cuff and prod the soloists into an architecturally perfect presentation, Dave Ambrosio’s bass holds the rhythm steady. The saxman, who suggests what Stan Getz would sound like had he sharpened his tone after the early 1960s, outputs a slurry efficiency on straightforward tunes such as Could This Be the Year? yet can also spew out dramatic split tones on A Map Would Help while backed by shaking guitar licks, cascading rustles from the drummer and popping aluminum bar resonation from the vibist.

As a switch, Apfelbaum plays melodica on the band’s version of Jesus Maria. Using the key flute’s tremolo range to put an individual stamp on the Carla Bley classic, his whistling stutter is enhanced by the smooth flow of Beckham’s motor-driven continuum, with Shepik’s downward strums defining the melodic line. Meanwhile Edwin, a juddering waltz and Schuller’s own Bed Head also show off the band’s combination of playful and precise creation. Although the guitarist gets a little raucous on the latter, it’s the drummer’s peppy rolls and centred timing prodding containment which keeps the improvisation from spinning out of control. With the overall sound picture buoyant yet complex, listening both or any way confirms the high quality of this CD.