04 classical 05 pentaedreStravinsky – Rite of Spring;
Moussorgski – Pictures at an Exhibition
Pentaèdre
ATMA ACD2 2687

Canadian quintet Pentaèdre tackles the rhythmic complexities and melodic nuances in wind transcriptions of two works by Russian composers, Igor Stravinsky and Modest Mussorgsky.

Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring is surprisingly musically successful in this wind transcription by Michael Byerly. Shorter in length here than the original composition, the flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon and horn parts are remarkable in their loyalty to the original score. The driving rhythmic patterns and twirling melodies that shocked audiences when first performed continue to shock and amaze here. The quintet is a tightly knit ensemble which works to its advantage in this colourful and virtuosic performance.

In contrast, the Mussorgsky Pictures at an Exhibition is, though performed exquisitely, not as successful. The transcription by Stéphane Mooser is perhaps too much of a good thing here as his goal was to expand the wind instruments’ tonal palate in contrast to his liner notes comment that “the other existing versions for wind quintet are too limited in colour range.” These occasional dense sections take away from the overall beautiful phrasing and melodies of both performance and individual parts.

The high production quality allows for each wind instrument to sound “live.” Pentaèdre needs to be congratulated for expanding the woodwind repertoire with these transcriptions of audience-loved works. The ensemble’s fresh musical approach and technical acumen brings new life to established repertoire.

04 classical 06 quartetskiQuartetski Does Stravinsky
Quartetski
Ambiances Magnétiques AM 213 actuellecd.com

Jazz and modernism both erupted in the early 20th century, and the lines of concordance are many, including the polyrhythms of jazz in Igor Stravinsky’s masterpiece of primordial impulses, Le Sacre du printemps. Its opening melody has been referenced by jazz musicians such as Carla Bley, Rahsaan Roland Kirk and Ornette Coleman. Celebrating the work’s 100th anniversary, Montreal’s transformative Quartetski Does Stravinsky, follows a loose and reduced score while interpolating and overlaying improvisations either anarchic or folk-inspired. The instrumentation is constructed for maximum chronological association, leaping from the sound of a medieval consort with founder Pierre-Yves Martel’s viola de gamba, Phillippe Lauzier’s bass clarinet, Isaiah Ceccarelli’s percussion and Josh Zubot’s violin to guitarist Bernard Falaise’s very electronic approach. Alternately homage and deconstruction, it’s a fearless work, casting Stravinsky’s masterwork in a new light — at once more intimate, flexible and playful.

Two Russian violin concertos written within four years of each other by composers who had both left their native country for political reasons are featured on the new CD Prokofiev and Stravinsky, with Patricia Kopatchinskaja and the London Philharmonic Orchestra under Vladimir Jurowski (naïve V 5352).

robbins 01 prokofiev stravinskyStravinsky’s Concerto in D was written in 1931; it takes more than just its individual movement titles from the Baroque era, and is in the composer’s neoclassical style. It’s probably heard less frequently than the Prokofiev, and with its prickly nature seems to be slightly less approachable. Kopatchinskaja, though, is a wonderful interpreter, capturing the strident nature of the music while fully illustrating that this is not a work lacking in colour and warmth.

The concerto is followed on the CD by a short uncredited cadenza in which Kopatchinskaja is joined by the LPO’s leader Pieter Schoeman.

Prokofiev’s Concerto No.2 in G minor dates from 1935, when Prokofiev had decided — unlike Stravinsky — to return to the Soviet Union. It’s a beautifully lyrical work, albeit with typical Prokofiev moments of spiky percussiveness, and Kopatchinskaja always finds the perfect balance. The opening of the slow middle movement is particularly striking, with the solo line held back in a quite mysterious way, but with beautiful tonal colour and shading. The orchestral support is excellent on a truly outstanding disc.

robbins 02 isserlis dvorakAnother excellent concerto CD is Dvořák Cello Concertos, the latest issue from Steven Isserlis and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra under Daniel Harding (Hyperion CDA67917). Concertos,” you say? — “Surely there is only one?” Well, yes and no. Some 30 years before his celebrated B minor concerto, the young Dvořák had written an A major concerto for the cellist Ludevit Peer, an orchestral colleague of the composer’s in Prague. It was never orchestrated, and the piano score manuscript stayed with Peer when he moved to Germany; Dvořák presumably considered it lost. It is now in the British Library.

There have been two attempts at orchestrating it, the latest in 1975 closely following the manuscript; Isserlis, however, has chosen a 1920s reworking of the concerto’s material by the German composer Günter Raphael, who clearly envisioned the mature Dvořák returning to the work with a critical eye. It’s understandably not in the same class as the B minor concerto, but it does have some lovely moments and a particularly beautiful slow movement. However, given that Dvořák’s original work was virtually rewritten by Raphael, who also provided all of the orchestration, it’s a bit difficult to regard it as anything other than an interesting hybrid. Isserlis plays it beautifully, though, as he does the real concerto on the disc.

There are two interesting additions to the CD. On learning of the death of his sister-in-law and first love, Dvořák rewrote the ending of the concerto to incorporate her favourite of his songs, “Lasst mich allein”; an orchestral version of the song is included here, along with the original ending of the concerto.

robbins 03 midoriMidori performs Violin Sonatas by Bloch, Janáček and Shostakovich on her latest CD, accompanied by Özgür Aydin (Onyx 4084). During the early years of the 20th century — and especially after the Great War — many composers strove to find a new expressive language, and each of the three represented here developed a highly individual voice. Midori says that the sonatas drew her in, “as they represent a new era in their genre.”

Ernest Bloch’s Sonata No.2 “Poème mystique” is a lovely, rhapsodic single-movement work from 1924, written as a counterpart to his war-influenced first sonata from 1920. Leoš Janáček’s lone violin sonata spanned the years of the Great War and the composer’s sixth decade, the period in which his unrequited love for a young woman led to an outburst of highly personal and idiomatic compositions; started in 1914, it was completed in 1922.

The Shostakovich sonata, written in 1968, is everything you would expect from this most tortured of composers: an ominous slow first movement; an explosively percussive “Allegretto”; and a devastatingly personal closing movement which seems to end in bitterness and resignation, and devoid of any hope.

Midori and Aydin are superb throughout a recital recorded by the German radio station WDR in Cologne, and first broadcast there in 2012. 

robbins 04 sarasate 4Naxos has issued the fourth and final volume of Sarasate’s Music for Violin and Orchestra (8.572276), featuring the outstanding team of Tianwa Yang and the Orquesta Sinfónica de Navarra under Ernest Martínez Izquierdo. Sarasate was not only one of the greatest players of his or any era, but also a prolific composer for his instrument. What is remarkable, however, is not simply the number of works he produced but their consistently high musical quality. They are, needless to say, extremely difficult, fully exploiting every technical trick in the book while never becoming mere pyrotechnic displays. The range of technical challenges is huge, but Yang once again surmounts them all with apparent ease. Yang sets the bar extremely high right from the opening track, with a pure, bright tone at the start of the Introduction et Tarantelle, Op.43 before the Tarantelle simply explodes in a stunning display of agility and virtuosity.

The larger works on this disc are the Fantasies on Mozart’s Don Giovanni and on Weber’s Der Freischütz, and the absolutely beautiful Le Rêve. The shorter works are: Jota de San Fermín, Op.36; Jota de Pamplona, Op.50; Airs écossais, Op.34; and L’Esprit follet, Op.48. There are some really lovely touches in the orchestration here, an aspect of Sarasate’s composition that is often overlooked and under-appreciated.

Yang’s playing is absolutely top-notch throughout, with some outstanding double-stopping and immaculate bowing. The booklet notes tell us that Sarasate was noted for “the purity and beauty of his tone, perfection of technique and musical command.” That’s also just about a perfect description of Yang’s playing on this outstanding CD.

The orchestral support is again of the highest calibre, and stylistically perfect – hardly a surprise, as this is the orchestra founded by Sarasate himself in his home town of Pamplona in 1879. Yang’s Naxos series of Sarasate’s Music for Violin and Piano, currently at three volumes, is apparently due for completion in 2014. It will surely round out one of the best series of complete violin works currently available.

robbins 05 saariahoAnother new Ondine CD features the chamber music of the Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho, who turned 60 last year, on Chamber Works for Strings Vol.1 (ODE 1222-2). The performers are members of the Finnish string quartet META4, pianist Anna Laakso and Marko Myöhänen on electronics. The works are described as a broad cross-section of Saariaho’s writing for strings and her various approaches to this group of instruments, and the compositional years range from 1987 to 2010. The two works for violin and piano are the most recent: Tocar is from 2010, and Calices, a three-movement work close to a sonata in feel, is from 2009.

The two solo works – Nocturne for violin (1994) and Spins and Spells for cello (1997) – are both quite sombre, effective pieces, with extensive and imaginative use of harmonics. The violin piece was written at very short notice for a memorial concert one week after the death of the Polish composer Witold Lutosławski; the cello piece was the compulsory competition work at the Rostropovich Cello Competition in Paris. Vent nocturne for viola and electronics (2006) has an electronic contribution that is mostly the sounds of breathing and wind. Nymphéa for string quartet and live electronics (1987) is the longest piece on the disc, and also the earliest, although it doesn’t sound like it; it’s certainly the most challenging work on the CD on first hearing. It was written for the Kronos Quartet, so it should come as no surprise to read that the electronic sound processing “extends the scope of expression far beyond that of a traditional string quartet.” Indeed, the extreme sounds that the string players are required to produce seem to be part of the electronic score at times.

The technical level of the playing throughout the CD seems to be extremely high, and while it’s always difficult to tell exactly how good the interpretations are when you listen to works of this nature for the first time, the booklet portrait of the composer with the META4 quartet members suggests that we are certainly in good hands.

robbins 06 haydn 33In the past six years or so the London Haydn Quartet has been making people sit up and listen with its “historically informed” performances of the Haydn string quartets, and their recent 2-CD set of the six String Quartets Op.33 on the Hyperion label (CDA67955) makes it easy to understand why. Previous releases of 2-CD sets of the Op.9, Op.17 and Op.20 quartets drew absolutely rave reviews from journals such as The Strad, The Times, Gramophone and other music magazines, and much was made of the fact that the group plays so perfectly on gut strings, usually an invitation to intonation problems. Certainly the sound is somewhat softer and sweeter than you might expect, but that shouldn’t for a moment imply any lack of strength – these performances are simply bursting with life. The dynamics are terrific, and the articulation and the ensemble playing quite astonishing, especially in the dazzling “Presto” movements. And yes, the intonation is faultless.

Classic FM magazine called the 2007 Op.9 set “Without a doubt one of the all-time great Haydn quartet recordings…” and it would appear that the standard is in no danger of falling as this remarkable series of recordings continues.

robbins 07 dreamtimeDavid Aaron Carpenter is back with another CD of viola music on Dreamtime, with members of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (Ondine ODE 1246-2). The music is by Brahms, Bridge and Robert Mann, but unfortunately the major work on the disc is something of a disappointment. Although I’ve long been aware of the viola transcriptions of the Brahms clarinet sonatas, I didn’t realize that there was also a viola version – prepared by Brahms himself – of the Clarinet Quintet in B minor, Op.115. It appears to have been more a straight substitution of viola for clarinet than a true transcription, as the two instruments essentially share the same range – and therein lies the problem. The clarinet part is intricately woven into and around the string writing in the original version, but its sound qualities – the warmth of the lower chalumeau register and the plaintive higher register – always allow it to stand out. Replace it with a viola, however, and the very qualities that make the clarinet an integral part of the work are mostly lost: what you now have is essentially a string quintet with two violas, and what was the solo clarinet part becomes all too frequently buried in the general string writing. At times it is simply not possible to tell how well Carpenter is playing, because you just can’t tell which voice is his. The work still has some truly beautiful moments in this version, but it simply can’t touch the original. Bernhard Hartog and Rüdiger Liebermann are the violinists; Walter Küssner the violist; Stephan Koncz the cellist.

Two short pieces – less than 15 minutes combined – complete the CD. Küssner joins Carpenter for the Lament for Two Violas by Frank Bridge. Bridge wrote the work in 1912 to perform with Lionel Tertis, but it was not a success; in fact, the somewhat sparse booklet notes tell us (somewhat puzzlingly) that there wasn’t even a published performing edition until “another violist-composer, Paul Hindemith, prepared his own version 68 years later” – by which time Hindemith had been dead for 17 years! It’s a very careless error: the edition was actually edited by Paul Hindmarsh, whose Thematic Catalogue of Bridge’s music has become the standard reference work on the composer. At least the track listing gets it right.

The final track is the album’s title track: Dreamtime for solo viola by Robert Mann, the founder and former first violinist of the Juilliard String Quartet. Originally written in the early 1980s as a solo violin piece for Itzhak Perlman, it’s a two-part work with a “Slow Rubato” section followed by a quite discordant “Presto Tarantella.”

The Brahms and Bridge works were apparently recorded in concert in Berlin this past February, but there is no trace of audience noise. The sound quality is excellent throughout.

robbins 08 amandine beyerI’m normally a bit wary of compilation CD sets, as they tend to highlight works rather than present them in full, but the 2-CD set Portrait (outhere music/Zig-Zag Territoires ZZT325) by the French Baroque violinist Amandine Beyer is a welcome – and simply terrific – exception. The works included here, selected from nine of her CDs, were recorded between 2005 and 2013, mostly with the musicians from her own outstanding group Gli Incogniti. Disc 1 features short works by Nicola Matteis, De Visée’s Suite for Theorbo and Violin, sonatas by Jean-Féry Rebel and C. P. E. Bach, and the Partita No.2 in D minor of J.S. Bach. Disc 2 has Corelli’s Concerto grosso in G minor, Op.6 No.8, Bach’s E major Violin Concerto and three concertos by Vivaldi, including “Winter” from The Four Seasons. The latter is a dazzling performance, with a very distinctive and quite different slow movement.

There is an exceptional fluency, warmth, character and sense of freedom in Beyer’s playing, and something quite magical and captivating about her performances. If you haven’t heard her, then you’ve really been missing something; this eminently satisfying set at a really attractive price is the perfect opportunity to put that right.

robbins 09 fuchsA new Naxos release in its American Classics series features the String Quartet No. 5 (“American”) of Kenneth Fuchs performed by the Delray String Quartet (8.559733), together with Falling Canons (seven movements for piano) with Christopher O’Riley as soloist, and Falling Trio (in one movement), a piano trio performed here by Trio21. All three works are thematically related in some way to Fuchs’ Falling Man, a work for baritone voice and orchestra based on the post-9/11 novel of the same title by Don DeLillo.

The string quartet takes up almost half of the CD, and was commissioned for the Delray ensemble. Like much of Fuchs’ orchestral music it’s a strongly tonal and immediately accessible work, Fuchs noting that it embraces the stylistic influences of the American symphonic school that were reflected in such recent scores as Atlantic Riband and Discover the Wild, both of which were featured on a recording reviewed in this column in October of 2012.

Falling Canons is a highly effective piece consisting of seven canons written at the unison and at intervals of the second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh, and pitched on each of the seven degrees of a descending C major scale. Falling Trio works in a somewhat similar manner, with a three-part canon followed by a set of seven variations, this time on an ascending series of pitches. Falling Man, incidentally, has recently been recorded by Naxos at the Abbey Road Studios in London, and on its release will be the fourth CD of orchestral music by Fuchs available on the label.

05 modern 01 bright angelBright Angel – American Works for Clarinet and Piano
Kimberly Cole Luevano; Midori Koga; Lindsay Kesselman
Fleur de Son Classics FDS 58019

Kimberly Cole Luevano has placed a document before us that celebrates the strength of American composition for clarinet, and in particular, by happenstance apparently, the no-longer remarkable presence of women in the ranks. The remark is made only because there is and continues to be an under-representative ratio of recordings of women composers to men. Bright Angel reflects that the status quo is shifting, for the better. All the composers presented, and all the performers as well, are women.

American composition is an impossibly broad category, and yet there is probably a future doctoral thesis accounting for the unifying elements. In one category at least, there is the mythologized western frontier, viewed through the contemporary lens. The title composition, by Roshanne Etezady, is a musical reflection of the architecture of Mary Jane Colter, who in the early 20th century, according to the liner notes, “often faced hostility in the ‘man’s world’ of architecture,” and who helped develop a “quintessentially American” style. The music references some of her structures built in the Grand Canyon and in the music you hear that American-made sound of openness and grandeur.

Joan Tower’s Fantasy and Libby Larsen’s Licorice Stick bookend the collection, sandwiching the real heart of the matter: Nattsanger, by Abbie Betinis. A beautiful song cycle in Norwegian (alas, translations only available online at the composer’s website), there is fascinating and mysterious loveliness here, especially in the fearless voice of soprano Lindsay Kesselman. Toronto-based Midori Koga exercises her powerful new-music chops in support of her collaborators, and the performances are rich and assured. Cole Luevano certainly has a consistent controlled sound to hinge her flawless technique. Preference in tone quality is a personal matter for us all, and mine is for less edge than I hear on this recording. I don’t think it was a wise choice to open the disc with the Etezady, where this quality dominates from the outset.

Max Christie

05 modern 02 american piano concertosAmerican Piano Concertos
Xiayin Wang; Royal Scottish National Orchestra; Peter Oundjian
Chandos CHAN 5128

Over the years, American composers have contributed to the piano concerto genre as significantly as their European counterparts; this Chandos recording with concertos by Barber, Copland and Gershwin featuring pianist Xiayin Wang with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra conducted by Peter Oundjian is a fine cross-section of American music spanning a 35-year period. Wang studied at the Shanghai Conservatory and later at the Manhattan School of Music, where she earned her bachelor’s, master’s, and professional studies degrees. A winner of numerous prizes, she’s since earned an international reputation as a recitalist, chamber musician and orchestral soloist.

Samuel Barber has long been regarded as one of the most romantic of American composers. His Pulitzer Prize-winning concerto from 1962 is a true study in contrasts, with more than a stylistic nod to Bartók and Prokofiev. Wang’s formidable technique is clearly evident in the frenetic first and third movements, but the lyrical “Canzone” demonstrates a particular sensitivity with just the right degree of tempo rubato.

While Barber’s work is music by a veteran composer, the piano concerto by Aaron Copland was the creation of a youthful 26-year-old, and is very much a product of the jazz age with its bluesy themes and jazzy rhythms. As in the other two works, Oundjian and the RSNO produce a lush and confident sound, very much at home with this 20th century repertoire.

If Copland’s concerto was somewhat influenced by the music of the 1920s, Gershwin’s was even more so. This concerto is clearly stamped “Broadway, 1925.” Wang has a particular affinity for this music, already having recorded Earl Wild’s Gershwin transcriptions, and here she embraces the syncopated rhythms and lyrical melodies with great panache.

An Asian soloist with a Scottish orchestra led by a Canadian-born conductor performing American music may seem an unlikely combination, but the result is some wonderful music making. Samuel, Aaron and George would all be proud!

05 modern 03 hindimith concertosHindemith – Complete Piano Concertos
Idil Biret; Yale Symphony Orchestra; Toshiyuki Shimada
Naxos 8.573201-02

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the death of Paul Hindemith (1895–1963) Naxos has released a double-disc anthology of his works for piano and orchestra in performances by the Turkish-born pianist and frequent Naxos collaborator Idil Biret and the student ensembles of Yale University under the direction of Professor Toshiyuki Shimada. It is a logical pairing as Hindemith taught from 1940 to 1953 at the prestigious Ivy League school and had previously served in the 1930s as a consultant to the Turkish government, helping to establish the national standards and infrastructure for classical music education.

The earliest work represented here (from 1923), Piano Music with Orchestra (for Piano Left Hand), was commissioned by the affluent Viennese one-armed pianist Paul Wittgenstein. Unfortunately the pianist greatly disliked it and refused to perform it, though by contract he retained the exclusive rights to do so (the same impasse occurred with a work he commissioned from Prokofiev). The score was considered lost until the year 2001, when a copy was discovered in the Wittgenstein family archives. The ever-prolific Hindemith was likely none too concerned, for the lavish $1,000 fee in US dollars he received at the height of the German hyperinflation crisis (equivalent to 30 million marks at the time) enabled him to renovate and move into his dream home, a four-story 14th-century tower in Frankfurt.

The Kammermusik No.2 for piano, string quartet and brass (1924) is a much stronger work, brimming with the saucy inventiveness and powerful brass writing typical of the brilliant Kammermusik series of concertante works for diverse instruments. The same can be said of the innovative instrumentation of the intriguing Concert Music for Piano, Op.49 for two harps and brass (1930). The Yale brass section takes to this music like ducks to water, though all three performances suffer from sloppy co-ordination between the instrumental groups. Whether this is the fault of poor communication between the conductor and pianist or some quirk of the acoustics of the cramped Woolsey Hall stage I cannot say.

The Four Temperaments for piano and strings (1940) began life as a ballet score and is the most often performed of all the works here. Here again an underpowered string orchestra (6.5.4.3.2 in instrumental shorthand, as observed in a YouTube video posted by Ms. Biret) playing in a 3,000 seat convocation hall fails to provide the sonic weight Hindemith routinely demands, though the performers themselves are quite capable. The album closes with the mechanistic Concerto for Piano and Orchestra (1945), the finest moment of which occurs in the surprising final pages with an arrangement of the lively old medieval melody “Tre Fontane.” Perhaps we could consider this retreat into the past as a coded reference to his gothic ivory tower in Frankfurt, now bombed and incinerated.

While the dispirited Bartók and embittered Schoenberg struggled to survive in America, Hindemith’s influence in the United States was profound and his music was widely performed there. By the time of his death however the larger world of composition had turned its back on him. Perhaps it is time to once again grant this grand old lion his due and acknowledge the power, nobility and impeccable craftsmanship of his music; this anthology would be a good place to start.

05 modern 04 sound dreamingSound Dreaming – Oracle Songs from Ancient Ritual Spaces
Wendalyn
CD and 5.1 DVD audio format discs wendalyn.ca

Toronto-based Wendalyn is a composer, vocal performer and sound energy practitioner. In this thought-provoking release, her improvised vocalizations recorded in ancient temples in Malta and Crete provide the initial soundscapes to which she has later added environmental, instrumental and vocal layers.

Wendalyn provides clear and succinct liner notes which describe her personal emotional and subsequent musical responses to her temple journeys. These greatly aid in understanding the composer/performer’s esthetic and provide the listener a welcome tool to listening and appreciating the six tracks. Chant-like in nature, her music has an extremely calming effect. Her voice is clear, her pitch is exact and production quality is high. The initial track “Stone Mysteries” features long syllabic tones (such as ooohs) and subtle static changes of pitch and quivering vibrations. There is a welcome addition of water-like sounds of the Egyptian Rebaba (played by Randy Raine-Reusch) and melody- driven changes in the second track “Sirens of the Deep.” “Serpentine Dance” has the opening vocal breath rhythms juxtaposed against tambourines and a cicada chorus. This sets up the most interesting track of the set, in both its spontaneous response to the Crete temple, and compositional expertise.

At times the chants and musical ideas drag on for too long, and her inspirational musings seem too farfetched to be believed. But this is an interesting aural foray into the world of an inquisitive and honest artist searching for and finding her own inner sound.

broomer 01 drumhellerDrumheller is a Toronto-based quintet, but it turns out visionary, genre-bending music with wit and skill worthy of Amsterdam origins. That openness to play and variety is evident throughout Sometimes Machine (Barnyard Records BR0333 barnyardrecords.com), including guitarist Eric Chenaux’s opening “Alabama UK,” suspended between Latin and New Orleans rhythms; the Ellingtonian richness achieved in drummer Nick Fraser’s “Sketch #8”; and alto saxophonist Brodie West’s “Untitlement,“ which begins with a melody that might have fallen out of the history of minstrelsy. The musicians bring a creative joy and spontaneity to each other’s tunes, constantly finding new dimensions in the dialogue. Chenaux’s weirdly arrhythmic solo on bassist Rob Clutton’s “Parc Lineaire” suggests folklore from another world, while trombonist Doug Tielli combines a bending, quavering line with circular breathing on Fraser’s otherwise sprightly “Sketch #16” in a similarly original way.

broomer 02 lerner live in madridMontreal-born, Toronto-resident pianist Marilyn Lerner has a long-established reputation in jazz, improvised music and klezmer, and a growing international profile that includes a co-operative trio with New York-based bassist Ken Filiano and drummer Lou Grassi. Their latest release is Live in Madrid (Cadence Jazz Records CJR 1247 cadencejazzrecords.com). It’s entirely improvised, with the drive of great free jazz, as alive with light and shadow as Lerner’s jacket photo of Madrid, with its mysterious depths, narrow, curving streets and bristling antennae. The concert brims with passion and energy: the dense counterpoint of “Intentions Woven”; the rich shifting textures of the 34-minute “Elegia por A.J.C.;” from its opening chords strummed on the piano strings to the final unaccompanied keyboard tremolos; and the spare luminous tones that open “Ode to Orujo.” Each musician is wholly engaged in this complex, ongoing dialogue, whether it’s Filiano’s pulsing bass lines and upper register arco explorations or Grassi’s thunderous polyrhythms and sometimes playful sound effects.

broomer 03 mike downesWhile Lerner and company work happily without predetermined materials, it’s composition that distinguishes another piano trio led by bassist/composer Mike Downes. On Ripple Effect (Addo Records AJR017 addorecords.com), Downes presents subtle, compelling pieces that develop concentrated, evocative moods through slightly evasive melodies and moody harmonies, and his partners here, pianist Robi Botos and drummer Ethan Ardelli, seem inspired to bring every nuance to life. The sole standard included, “I Hear a Rhapsody,” gains a contrasting ostinato that seems to enhance the performance’s free-flowing swing, while Downes’ emotionally direct, profoundly lyrical bass work comes to the fore on “So Maki Sum Se Rodila,” a traditional Macedonian song, and on “Campfire Waltz,” an unaccompanied solo. Guitarist Ted Quinlan’s guest appearance on the title track is a highlight, while the trio achieves a welling luminosity on “Two Sides of a Coin.”

broomer 04 christine jensenComposer and saxophonist Christine Jensen presents her works in a far larger forum: her Jazz Orchestra sometimes stretches to over 20 players on Habitat (Justin Time JTR-8583-2 justin-time.com), taking in many of Montreal’s finest musicians. These are ambitious works, in theme and duration as well as scale: “Tumbledown,” inspired by the 2010 Port-au-Prince earthquake, takes its reflective tone from happier early visits, while the extended “Nishiyuu” commemorates the 1500-kilometre trek of six Cree youths to protest living conditions for First Nations people. Whether it’s the movement of history, the earth, wind, traffic or a Peruvian rhythm that inspires her, there’s grandeur and nobility in Jensen’s writing, enhanced here by the lustre of up to a dozen brass and outstanding soloists in trumpeter Ingrid Jensen, trombonist Jean-Nicolas Trottier and saxophonists Joel Miller, Chet Doxas and Samuel Blais.

broomer 05 bill mcbirnieThe flute and the Hammond B-3 organ entered jazz around the same time, back in the 1950s, but they entered from different directions — the flute from West coast cool and Latin music, the organ from soul and funk. The instruments are heard together throughout flute player Bill McBirnie’s Find Your Place (Extreme Flute EF06 extremeflute.com), with Bernie Senensky at the Hammond keyboard and drummer Anthony Michelli completing the trio. While most jazz flute players have been doubling saxophonists, McBirnie is a rarity, a musician whose dedication to the flute has shaped his musical voice. It’s apparent throughout the CD, with McBirnie demonstrating the fluent lines, subtle rhythmic inflections and timbral shifts that you’re more apt to hear on a saxophone. The repertoire mixes hard bop, bossa nova, Latin rhythms and gospel, even going as far afield as the early jazz classic “Gee Baby, Ain’t I Good to You” and the Beatles’ “Oh! Darling.” It’s all delivered with infectious swing and a cheerful effervescence. 

Exceptional CDs You May
Not Know About

As mass media continues to promote music as another instantly consumed product, the likelihood of new sounds — or even older ones — being ignored because they don’t fit the style of the moment intensifies. This is especially true when it comes to improvised music. But with the holiday season looming, more committed listeners may be seeking gifts for those who appreciate challenge rather than comfort in their music. Here are some CDs from 2013 that fit the bill. They include ones by established players, younger stylists plus important reissues.

waxman 01 live at mayaAnyone who claims that experimental music lacks emotion must hear Evan Parker/Barry Guy/Paul Lytton Live at Maya Recordings Festival (NoBusiness NBCD 55 nobusinessrecords.com). A working trio since 1980, tenor saxophonist Parker, bassist Guy and drummer Lytton invigorate this live set with the combination of precision and passion reminiscent of the most accomplished string quartet performance. Even when he isn’t displaying his characteristic circular-breathed multiphonics, Parker is able to prod showpieces like “Obsidian” and “Gabbro” to slow-boiling intensity. Furthermore his instantly identifiable sound can be relaxed without sacrificing emotion. The bassist’s supple finger movements transcend timekeeping with guitar-like facility below the bridge and other extremities, while Lytton’s shuffles and timed rimshots oppose or connect with either or both of the others’ timbres for maximum satisfying cohesion.

waxman 02 plumeA decade younger than Parker, John Butcher has refined extended saxophone techniques further. Paired with drummer Tony Buck and either guitarist Burkhard Stangl or pianist Magda Mayas, Plume (Unsounds 35 Uunsounds.com) demonstrates that even when stripped of beat and melody unmatched vibrancy remains. Although guitar strums and drum resonance satisfactorily complement Butcher’s narratives which replicate bird chirps and pinched reed sucking, it’s “Vellum,” the piano/drum/sax interface, that’s the stunner. As Buck roughly strokes drum tops to equate cicada-like textures or subtle accents with bell-tree shakes, Mayas’ stopped piano keys and internal string plucks provide a sinewy challenge to Butcher’s klaxon-like tones. When the piano soundboard shakes and string vibrations intensify excitement, the saxophonist responds with amplified growls and snorts and the drummer with heartbeat-like thumps. Moving forward chromatically, the mood is intensified with an undercurrent of restrained power. Finally as Mayas’ rummaging in the piano’s innards gives way to pummelling strokes and Butcher’s tongue slaps are replaced by violent staccato trills, parallel release is achieved.

waxman 03 lingeThen same age as Butcher, French soprano saxophonist Michel Doneda has also refined and extended Parker’s tonal experiments. Linge (Umlaut Records umfrcd 07 umlautrecords.com) was recorded in an old barn in Eastern France to organically maximize the spatial properties during his duet with clarinetist Joris Rühl (b.1982). As they work their way through seven sequences, what’s produced are distinctive improvisations that are as frequently created from parallel blowing as intermingled timbres. Concentrated in the highest register of the sound spectrum an amazing multiplicity of tones is still heard. Manipulating air currents as much as reed and key properties, the two attain such a harmonic level that there are points where the sounds are identical to those of a boys’ choir. Other times masticating reed- and tongue-popping extrusions produce a cubist-like perspective. Staccato chirps, flatline blowing and gravelly motions are all present. Only on the penultimate track are individual traits identifiable as Doneda concentrates on split-tone buzzing and Rühl on lyrical and communicative textures. 

waxman 04 lori freedmanAnother reed experimenter is Montreal-based clarinetist Lori Freedman, whose seven improvisations on On No On (Mode Avant 16 moderecords.com) are with percussionist John Heward. Related to the cerebral texture and timbre experiments of Butcher/Buck or Parker/Lytton, there’s no chordal instrument present to smooth the interface. The chief pleasure of these tracks is noting the substance of Freedman’s reed flurries and the strategies Heward pulls from his kit to parry her thrusts. Using his palms as often as sticks, Heward’s whacks or rolls are singular replies to the reed solos which frequently extend like run-on sentences, adding violent or narrowed projections to make a point. Marimba-like reverberations are called into play on those rare occasions when Freedman’s output turns legato. Overall while technical prowess is the point, by the final “Improvisation 7,” the narrative turns from squeaks and shudders to an almost jaunty melodiousness.

waxman 05 mitchell fictionThis sort of intense improvising also involves the piano, as Philadelphia’s Matt Mitchell proves with Fiction (Pi Recordings PI 50 pirecordings.com). Mitchell’s approach is linear as well as forceful, and with the help of Ches Smith, who plays drums, percussion and vibraphone, the 15 tracks showcase a rapprochement between cerebral improvisation and the power of rock-influenced beats. Coming across like a super-powered mixture of Earl Hines and Cecil Taylor, Mitchell’s slashing lines show that he has a thorough grounding in contemporary jazz pianism, yet can slither note clusters into the furthest nooks of the keyboard if need be. On a track like “Dadaist Flu” he appears to output separate lines with either hand; while others, like “Veins” paste abstraction onto the song form. The extended “Action Field” is a microcosm of his work, shaped like an intermezzo yet with the same intensity in pacing as the rest of the CD. If Mitchell’s playing is sometimes overwhelming and pressured, he’ll likely soon learn to moderate his gifts. He was born in 1975.

waxman 06 kidd jordanStill, age makes little difference in creating exceptional music. No better proof is A Night in November Live in New Orleans (Valid Records VR-1015 validrecords.com), featuring Chicago drummer Hamid Drake, 20 years Mitchell’s senior, and Big Easy saxophonist Kidd Jordan (b.1935). Indefatigable in his solos and with the energy of players one-third his age, the saxophonist is familiar enough with the tradition to deconstruct it at will, as he demonstrates on “Wade in the Water.” At the same time, as someone who has been probing music’s limits since the 1960s Jordan can whip any timbres into a cohesive whole with equal emphasis on brain and heart. Take the tracks from “Tenor and Drums.” As Drake matches his narrative with cymbal clanks and drum bumps, Jordan outputs two theme variations, one moderato and flowing, the other quirky and altissimo. Rather than upsetting a consistent narrative, he then constructs a new exposition from shrill tones.

waxman 07 paul bleyFree-form improvisation can be understated and subtle as well as loud. The pianist who initially melded song form and abstraction was Montreal-born Paul Bley as the classic 1965 Closer (ESP-Disk ESP 1021 espdisk.com) demonstrates.  Newly remastered, the reissue displays with more clarity the pianist’s cleverly shaped and precisely accented tones, Barry Altschul’s nuanced drum accompaniment and the barely there strokes from Steve Swallow’s bass. One marvel is how the pieces are succinctly defined whether from the burrowing keyboard runs and rat-tat-tat drums that advance “Batterie” or from each instrument’s perfect balance on “Ida Lupino.” A factoid: In addition to “Ida Lupino” Bley’s then-wife Carla Bley wrote six of the remaining nine tracks; his next wife, Annette Peacock, wrote the album’s final track, “Cartoon.”  

waxman 08 brotherhood breathMore than tripling the number of players and recorded in 1977, another reissue, Chris McGregor’s Brotherhood of Breath Procession: Live at Toulouse (Ogun OGCD 40 ogunrecords@googlemail.com) celebrates an 11-piece band that excitedly added world music currents to advanced jazz. That because the group was split between self-exiled South Africans and experimenting British improvisers. Expanded with three new tracks, this CD includes Evan Parker among the saxes, but the impassioned ballad playing and booming rugged vibrations he and alto saxophonists Mike Osborne and Dudu Pukwana play are in a different sonic zone. Swaying with Africanized rhythms tracks like “You Ain’t Gonna Know Me”… and “Kwhalo” are a delight. Plus the craftiness of the arrangements is such that sounds are both lilting and grounded in technical mastery. Adding just the bare minimum of notes to direct the band like a Cape Town Count Basie, McGregor, plus bassists Johnny Dyanni and Harry Miller plus drummer Louis Moholo – South Africans all – effortlessly induce the beat. But at the same time stimulating horn vamps pull back enough so that notable chases between trumpet triplets and slippery reed extensions are clearly heard.

06 jazz 01 road tripRoad*Trip
Mike McGinnis+9           
RKM Music RKM 014 (rkmmusic.com)

Composer of scores that reflected his twin careers as an academic and notated music composer plus a part-time improvising clarinetist – most notably with his Mills College friend Dave Brubeck – Seattle-based William O. (Bill) Smith (b.1926) gets his just due with this perceptive CD. Organized by young clarinetist Mike McGinnis (b.1973) for his own nine-piece ensemble, the band not only turns in an authoritative version of Smith’s seminal three-movement Concerto for Clarinet and Combo, from 1956, but couples it with McGinnis’ own recently composed Road*Trip for Clarinet & Nine Players

For a start the ensemble’s reading of the concerto proves that unlike some other jazz-and-classical- mixing Third Streamers, Smith certainly was able to swing. As the stimulating theme modulates through big band harmonic flourishes plus carefully stacked orchestral motifs that take advantage of French horn and trombone sonorities, it references the big band arrangements of the likes of Gerry Mulligan as much as Darius Milhaud, with whom Smith and Brubeck studied. Particularly affecting is the conclusion of the second movement when the others play underlying basso timbres as McGinnis’ spiky lines move upwards. Crucially, score fidelity doesn’t stop the program from being a fingersnapper. By its conclusion admiration is as much for the clarinetist negotiating difficult cadenzas a cappella as for the punchy writing.

By definition more modern, Road*Trip’s performance is a bit murkier and more mellow. At the same time McGinnis’ clean solo execution – sometimes staccato and unaccompanied – plus the rubato interpretation of the initial theme by the entire group sensibly reflects Smith’s pioneering work. Here hornist Justin Mullens’ reflective bleats, trumpeter Jeff Hermanson’s plunger timbres and pianist Jacob Sacks’ supportive comping join with drummer Vinnie Sperazza’s measured beats to concentrate accelerating pressure onto the unrolling narrative. With the band’s ululating tonal shifts framing the clarinetist’s flutter-tongued gymnastics, the sense of achievement that follows the suite’s resolution into an advanced swing structure also makes it one road trip worth taking.

 

07 old wine 01 berliner centenaryThe Berliner Philharmoniker Centenary Edition (DG 4791049, 50 CDs) celebrates “100 years of Great Recordings.” The first disc, of interest only to archivists, contains the usual orchestral excerpts from Parsifal conducted by Alfred Hertz (12 to 16 September 1913) and Arthur Nikisch conducting Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony (1913) and Le carnaval romain (1920). Disc two contains a Beethoven Fifth from Furtwangler (Oct 1926), Fingal’s Cave conducted by Bruno Walter (1924) and into the electric era, short works and overtures conducted by Richard Strauss and Hans Knappertsbusch, both from 1928. On disc three Jascha Horenstein conducts the Bruckner Seventh from that same year. On disc four Karajan’s first Pathetique Symphony (1939) is well played and recorded as is a very affectionate Moldau (1940). Discs 5/6/7/9 feature Furtwangler in the Beethoven Fifth (27 March 1947), Mozart 39th (1942/43), the Schubert Ninth, the Haydn 88th and his own Second Symphony (all 1951) plus the Brahms First (1952) and the Schumann Fourth (1953). There are 42 more discs of notable performances by eminent artists who played with this great orchestra in good times and bad. See the complete details at arkivmusic.com.

07 old wine 02 fritz reinerWhen Fritz Reiner came to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 1953 it presaged an exceptional, albeit short-lived era during which they produced recordings that half a century later are still lauded and sought out for their spectacular performances and exceptional sonic excellence. The Hungarian conductor arrived in the United States to take the post as conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony where he remained until 1931. Reiner had found it very difficult to get an engagement in the 1930s. He was disregarded by orchestras across the country until 1938 when he began his ten-year engagement as music director of The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra where he recorded extensively for Columbia. Thence he became a familiar conductor at the Met.

After Arturo Toscanini, RCA’s star attraction, conducted his last concert on April 4, 1954, it was necessary for RCA Victor to fill the void. They had recorded Reiner conducting pick-up groups in New York and the Reiner/Chicago Symphony marriage was garnering some critical acclaim where RCA had already recorded an extraordinary Also Sprach Zarathustra in Chicago in March. So there it was ... RCA’s new star attraction in the quality of sound never accorded “The Maestro.” By April RCA had assigned Richard Mohr as producer and the now legendary Lewis Layton as recording engineer and there followed a stream of superlative recordings of distinguished performances of repertoire from Richard Strauss, Brahms, Prokofiev, Beethoven, de Falla, Tchaikovsky, et al. to Rolf Liebermann’s Concerto for Jazz Band and Symphony Orchestra.

When RCA issued their Living Stereo Series many of these recordings were the backbone of that program as they were of the SACD issues. Mohr and Layton, who would eventually be deified by audiophiles, also produced equally fine-sounding recordings elsewhere, particularly in Boston with Munch and Fiedler, which discs are still available on RCA Living Stereo.

Fritz Reiner Chicago Symphony Orchestra – The Complete RCA Album Collection (RCA 888837019828, 63CDs ) has all 130+ recordings newly re-mastered from the original analogue tapes, each sturdily sleeved in reproductions of their original LP covers. A 150-page, full-colour hardcover book gives biographical material and details of each recording. Soloists include Maureen Forrester, Arthur Rubinstein, Byron Janis, Jascha Heifetz, Inge Borkh, Emil Gilels, Lisa Della Casa, Antonio Janigro, Rosalind Elias, Van Cliburn, Leontyne Price and many more.

This set is a trove for both discerning music lovers and devoted audiophiles alike. Those who worship analogue sound will be very happy here. You can find full details at arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=1014187.

07 old wine 03 david oistrakhIn the November issue of BBC Music Magazine David Oistrakh was voted by today’s leading players to be the greatest violinist of the 20th century. Coincidently, Doremi issued David Oistrakh, Volume 14 (DHR-8020-21, 2 CDs) containing five concertos, in excellent stereo sound, derived from Swedish Radio archives of 1970 to 1974. These performances appear for the very first time with three items that are new to his discography; the Haydn Sinfonia Concertante Op.84 and two works by Swedish composers. The collaboration between soloist and the Swedish musicians is of the highest quality imaginable, treating us to a stirring Brahms Double Concerto, a crisp Bach Concerto for violin and oboe, a refreshing Mozart Third and an involving Prokofiev First. The romantic Stenhammar Sonata and a Berceuse by Tor Aulin bring this collection to a pleasing conclusion. These were played by Oistrakh in the last years of his life yet his proficiency and artistry are undiminished.

Footnote: Oistrakh’s universally acclaimed first concerto recordings in the West (June 1954, Beethoven and Sibelius) were made in Sweden as were, ironically, these swan song performances.

07 old wine 04 clara haskilFinally, two historic concertos from the Lucerne Festival. From September 8, 1959, Clara Haskil, Otto Klemperer and the Philharmonia Orchestra play Mozart’s Piano Concerto No.20 K466 and from September 1, 1957, Robert Casadesus, Dimitri Mitropoulos and the Vienna Philharmonic play Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto. “She was sent to earth to play Mozart” wrote a critic quoted in the accompanying booklet. Never were truer words written. Haskil and Klemperer are hand in glove in this exceptional performance which she declared “unforgettable.” French pianist, Robert Casadesus, too, was a highly respected Mozart interpreter as his recorded legacy attests. Also Beethoven, and the sense of occasion in this grand performance is unmistakable. The perfectly balanced sound on this disc (Audite 65.623) was transferred directly from the original analogue master tapes and not off the air. 

 

65-arrivalsdepartures---new-horizons-in-jazz001Arrivals/Departures – New Horizons in Jazz
Stuart Broomer, Brain Morton & Bill Shoemaker
Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation
€ 34.50 (includes international shipping) montra@gulbenkian.pt
ISBN: 978-972-31-1493-5 UPC: 9789723114935

Distinguished as much for its scholarship as for the artful, mostly colour photos and illustrations which make it an attractive souvenir, this 240-page volume was published by Lisbon’s annual Jazz em Agosto (JeA) Festival to mark its 30th anniversary of innovative programming. It says a lot about the individuals who program JeA that rather than commissioning a vainglorious rundown of the festival’s greatest hits, they turned to three respected jazz critics to profile 50 of the most important musicians, living or dead, who have performed at the festival.

The three writers are Brian Morton from the United Kingdom, American Bill Shoemaker and Canadian Stuart Broomer, who also writes for The WholeNote. The profiles reflect how universal jazz — or more properly improvised music — has become in the three decades JeA has been in existence. Once exclusively thought of as the United States’ contribution to the music world, only slightly more than half of the profiles are of American improvisers. Additionally the majority of the Yanks are not only better known in Europe than North America, but earn the greater part of their income overseas at festivals like JeA.

Well-written and insightful, the profiles include those of acknowledged trailblazers such as saxophonists Evan Parker and Steve Lacy, drummer Max Roach and pianists Muhal Richard Abrams and Cecil Taylor, plus those just establishing a reputation like pianist Craig Taborn, trumpeter Peter Evans and guitarist Mary Halvorson. Offering a wealth of information and craftily outlining the performers’ contributions to jazz history as well as a list of essential recordings, the essays could be a primer for those interested in more exposure to excellent music and musicians not promoted by celebrity-obsessed mass media. Broomer’s essay on American saxophonist John Zorn and Shoemaker’s on French bassist Joëlle Léandre are particularly instructive since they pinpoint the many and varied non-jazz influences that helped create these musicians’ exceptional improvised sounds.

For Canadians however the biggest disappointment is that none of the musicians profiled come from this country, although even Japan and Australia are represented. But of course the omission reflects JeA’s booking policies rather than editorial decisions. Considering that Canadians in greater numbers, including expatriates like New York-based drummer Harris Eisenstadt and pianist Kris Davis as well as homebodies like Vancouver clarinetist François Houle and Montreal reedist François Carrier are making a profound impact on the sort of evolving music JeA supports, that situation could soon be reflected by JeA and perhaps a future volume. 

discoveries - editors cornerThis month brevity will have to be the soul of wit as I try to do justice to some of the many interesting CDs to land on my desk in recent weeks. To begin, a marvellous discovery from northern Ontario. I have long known and enjoyed the music of Sudbury-based Robert Lemay but I had not previously heard his music for string quartet nor for that matter did I know there even was a string quartet in that city. L’errance …, another in the wealth of recent releases on the Centrediscs label (CMCCD 19513) has opened my ears on both accounts. The Silver Birch String Quartet is an excellent ensemble of young players currently in residence at Laurentian University with a string of accomplishments, including a previous recording with Montreal jazz pianist John Roney that garnered a JUNO nomination in 2010 and two Felix Awards, which makes me wonder why they weren’t already on my radar. This disc spans two decades of the Lemay’s output, beginning with L’errance ... hommage à Wim Wenders composed over a two-year period in Montreal, Quebec City and Buffalo, completed in 1990. It takes its inspiration from Wenders’ film Wings of Desire and is the first of a series of works paying tribute to different film directors. Although written long before the group’s formation, Silver Birch have toured this work extensively and feel it to be a signature piece in their repertoire. Opening with an extended cello solo and ending with solo violin, in this it is reminiscent of the third quartet of Canadian icon R. Murray Schafer, although Lemay’s language is quite distinct. The other works are more recent and reflect the mature voice of this composer. Structure/paysage ... hommage à Eli Bornstein (2008) is one of a series of works honouring abstract painters, in this case the leader of the Canadian structuralist abstract school. For the final and most developed work on the CD, Territoires intérieurs (hommage à Bernard Émond) (2010), the quartet is joined by pianist Yoko Hirota. This captivating piece was commissioned by the quartet and developed over the period of a residency at the Banff Centre which they say “was among the most artistically fulfilling projects for us as a quartet.” Certainly that camaraderie is conveyed in this performance which was captured in all its intimate glory in this Glenn Gould Studio recording by engineer Dennis Patterson and producer David Jaeger. This is one of the most satisfying chamber discs to come my way in a long time.


A close second is the latest from the ARC Ensemble (Artists of the Royal Conservatory), a Chandos recording featuring Chamber Works by Paul Ben-Haim (CHAN 10769). Ben-Haim, born Paul Frankenburger in 1897, was a German Jew who immigrated to Palestine shortly after Hitler’s rise to power in 1933. The bulk of this disc is devoted to works written in the decade after arrival in Palestine, including works for viola and piano and violin and piano from 1939 and a piano piece from 1944. It is obvious from the use of Middle Eastern themes and references to the local landscape that Ben-Haim was quick to embrace his new land. The most substantial of these is a clarinet quintet from 1941 about which the composer says “I was very satisfied because I felt that I had at last succeeded in consolidating a new style.” This lush and lyrical work is beautifully performed by Joachim Valdepeñas and a string quartet comprised of Marie Bérard, Erika Raum, Steven Dann (also featured in the haunting viola pieces) and Bryan Epperson. It was revised in 1965 and I wish the liner notes mentioned what sort of revisions the composer made more than two decades after writing the work. The disc opens with an early venture, the Piano Quartet Op.4 from 1920-21 (violinist Benjamin Bowman and pianist David Louie join Dann and Epperson) which shows the influence of Germanic forebears Brahms and Strauss but also French nuances of Fauré and to my ear, Debussy. Evidently the composer suppressed his pre-immigration works and until unearthed in the Ben-Haim archives and performed by the ARC Ensemble in 2012 this quartet had not been heard since a radio broadcast in 1932 before the composer left Germany. As with their three previous releases (on RCA Red Seal) of music by Mieczyslaw Weinberg, Julius Röntgen, Walter Braunfels and Adolf Busch the ARC Ensemble continues to bring to light some repertoire unjustly neglected due to political suppression or shifts in musical fashion, in stunning performances through its Music in Exile series under the artistic direction of Simon Wynberg.

I Am in Need of Music is the title of another new Centrediscs release featuring songs on poems of Nova Scotian Elizabeth Bishop (CMCCD 19413) composed by Alasdair MacLean (NS), John Plant (QC), Emily Doolittle (NB) and Christos Hatzis (ON). Best known for her extensive work in the field of early music, soprano Suzie LeBlanc brings her signature vocal purity to this project which she conceived and developed between 2007 and 2011, Bishop’s centenary year, in conjunction with poet and Bishop scholar Sandra Barry. Together they decided to commission settings of Bishop’s poems in honour of the anniversary and it was Barry who told LeBlanc about a walking trip that Bishop had undertaken in 1932 in rural Newfoundland. LeBlanc, a walker in her own right, decided to recreate this journey as well as could be done some 75 years of development later, and invited filmmaker Linda Dornan to join her. The results were two-fold, both documented in this combined CD and DVD release from the Canadian Music Centre: more than an hour’s worth of music wonderfully performed by LeBlanc accompanied by the Blue Engine String Quartet (MacLean) and the Elizabeth Bishop Players under the direction of Dinuk Wijeratne (Plant, Doolittle and Hatzis); and a half-hour video of LeBlanc and Dornan’s adventure in the outports of Newfoundland. The music, although consistently lyrical and tonally based, is quite eclectic in the different musical languages of these composers. Most surprising to me was to hear yet another side of chameleon-like composer Hatzis whose charming settings show him to be as at home in the idiom of musical theatre as in the diverse and multi-ethnic worlds of his previous compositions. Congratulations to Suzie LeBlanc on the success of her vision and to all concerned in this endeavour.

Concert note: Suzie LeBlanc is featured with tenor Charles Daniels in Tafelmusik’s “Purcell and Carissimi: Music from London and Rome” at Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre November 6 through 10. She also joins Les Voix Humaines Consort of Viols for a Women’s Musical Club of Toronto recital November 21 at Walter Hall.

discoveries - editors corner 2In brief: Analekta has released a CD/DVD combination featuring one of the celebrated historical voices of Canadian opera, bass Joseph Rouleau. Now 84, Rouleau is a Companion of the Order of Canada and Grand Officer of the Order of Quebec. I was first introduced to the splendour of his voice in a CBC recording of the extended orchestral song cycle he commissioned from Jacques Hétu in 1984, Les Abîmes du rêve based on the poetry of Émile, and I was hooked. Although particularly associated with French and Italian repertoire, Russian Operas Russes (AN 2 9223-4) makes it clear that Rouleau was also at home in the role of basso profundo as displayed in selected arias from the operas of Borodin, Rimsky-Korsakov, Mussorgsky, Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov. The recording, dating from the height of his career, originated in 1972 from the concert Soirée de musique russe avec Joseph Rouleau produced for Les Beaux Dimanches at Radio Canada. The bonus DVD features Rouleau in the title role of Boris Godunov’s Death Scene (Act Four, Scene Two of Mussorgsky’s opera) filmed in 1983. This is a welcome testament to one of the great voices of our country and although the sound is not as pristine as might be hoped, it is still sufficient to send chills down the spine.

The next disc made me laugh out loud on first hearing. I really didn’t know what to expect from Nutcracker Nouveau – The Russian Expedition from the wacky eclectic local Ensemble Polaris (ensemblepolaris.com). I had been told by core member Alison Melville that this was the closest they would ever come to a Christmas disc, so we’re perhaps rushing the season a bit (as I write this Halloween is still a couple of weeks away) but as they will be launching the disc on November 29 at the Edward Day Gallery at 952 Queen St. W. and as I’m told the disc will be in stores by the time this issue of WholeNote hits the streets (and because as you will see shortly there are other connections afoot) I thought I’d slip it in now. The opening track, Kirk Elliott’s arrangement of Tchaikovsky’s “Trepak” from The Nutcracker, begins with what sounds like Duelling Banjos followed by the theme from The Beverly Hillbillies before settling into the familiar melody from Tchaikovsky’s ballet. This sets the stage for a hilarious homage to the Russian master. The instrumentation ranges from guitars, mandolins and banjos through violin, accordion, bagpipes, bazouki, flutes, recorders and clarinets to a host of multi-cultural percussion instruments. Particularly effective is the guzheng and the violin convincingly impersonating an erhu in Melville and Elliott’s arrangement/medley of the traditional Chinese melody Picking Tea and Tchaikovsky’s “Danse Chinoise” which also features descant recorder and musical saw among other oddities. The suite is a clever and entertaining blend of new takes on the familiar ballet themes intertwined with other Slavic favourites. Perhaps due to my personal preference for the instrument I must mention the gorgeous sound of Margaret Gay’s cello which was captured in all its glory by Jeremy Darby at Canterbury Sound.

The Polaris ensemble is of course not the first to make original arrangements of this most “Christmas” of all ballets. Another instance arrived recently from Harmonia Mundi featuring Tchaikovsky’s original Nutcracker Suite, Op.71a in a straight ahead and wonderfully lush performance by the Harmonie Ensemble New York under Steven Richman paired with a 1960 arrangement by Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn (HMU 907493). For this iconic jazz rendition the Harmonie is joined by Lew Tabackin tenor sax, Lew Soloff trumpet, Bill Easley clarinet, Victor Lewis drums and George Cables piano. If you are not already familiar with this wonderful example of “third stream” music you owe it to yourself to check it out. Rarely has there been such a successful fusion of traditional classical music and big band jazz.

discoveries - editors corner 3Classical/jazz fusion continues to inspire artists and a recent local example is (primarily) jazz pianist Ron Davis who makes a strong case for it in the liner notes to his new CD SymphRonica with the Windsor Symphony Orchestra and John Morris Russell (rondavismusic.com). The disc includes six Davis compositions arranged by Timothy Berens and Jason Nett along with two traditional tunes and a variation on J.S. Bach’s Mache Dich Mein Herze Rein. Davis is joined by bassist Mike Downes and drummer Ted Warren for the jazz treatments with orchestral soloists Sasha Boychouk clarinet and Lillian Scheirich violin. While SymphRonica is certainly not in the same league as the Ellington/Strayhorn Nutcracker arrangements it is obvious that it is a labour of love and that a good time was had by all, classical and jazz participants alike.

Concert note: Ron Davis launches SymphRonica with events at the Lula Lounge on November 3 and 10.

Another disc that expands the scope of the classical orchestra is Symphony!, the latest offering from Toronto’s many-influenced Sultans of String (sultansofstring.com).Violinist Chris McKhool and his colleagues, guitarists Kevin Laliberte and Eddie Paton, bass player Drew Birston and percussionist Rosendo “Chendy” Leòn, are joined by some very special guests including Bassam Bishara on oud, James Hill ukulele, Larry Larson trumpet and Paddy Maloney of The Chieftains on pennywhistle and pipes. Add to this 55 of Toronto’s top orchestral players under the direction of Jamie Hopkings and some very effective orchestrations by Rebecca Pellett and we are presented with a wonderfully playful disc of mostly original material penned by McKhool and Laliberte ranging from gypsy style and flamenco to Middle Eastern influences. Of course there is a good measure of swing in the mix, along with some lush soundtrack-like pieces and the pop song proposal Will You Marry Me with backing vocals by Dala.

Concert note: You can catch a live version of this “roots-worldbeat-symphony mash-up” at Koerner Hall on December 1 when the Sultans of String will be joined by the Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra.

We welcome your feedback and invite submissions. CDs and comments should be sent to: The WholeNote, Centre for Social Innovation, 503–720 Bathurst St., Toronto ON, M5S 2R4. We also encourage you to visit our website thewholenote.com where you can find added features including direct links to performers, composers, record labels and additional, expanded and archival reviews.

—David Olds, DISCoveries Editor

discoveries@thewholenote.com

 

 

 

02 vocal 01 trobairitzTrobairitz
Shannon Mercer; La Nef
Analekta AN 2 9846

Troubadours and trobairitz were active in medieval Provence. The troubadours were men; they were generally not of high birth and in their compositions they sang the praises of noble ladies. By contrast, trobairitz were nobly born women who sang the praises of troubadours. Although a number of their poems have been preserved, there is only one composition that has both words and music: A Chantar by the Comtessa de Día.

A Chantar is not on this disc. Instead the director, Seán Dagher, has taken a number of extant texts and composed new music for them. Their sound world is closer to that of a folk-music group like Milladoiro than that of early music groups like Sequentia or Hesperion XX. No texts are included but they can be found on the Analekta website. An oddity is that, while the titles of songs are given in Occitan and in French and English translations, the texts are in Occitan only. That limits their usefulness. Another oddity is that the names of the (presumed) poets are not included.

The instrumental ensembles are tight and the music is attractive if not particularly memorable. The glory of the disc is in the singing of Shannon Mercer. Mercer is perhaps best known as an early music singer (for Analekta she has recorded Francesca Caccini and traditional Welsh music) but she also sings contemporary music (in a recent Soundstreams concert she performed Arvo Pärt and James Rolfe). Her singing on this disc is very fine: expressive, technically assured and with wonderful intonation.

02 vocal 02a verdi netrebkoVerdi
Anna Netrebko; Orchestra Teatro Regio Torino; Gianandrea Noseda
Deutsche Grammophon 4791052

The Verdi Album
Jonas Kaufmann; Orchestra dell’Opera di Parma; Pier Giorgio Morandi
Sony Classical 88765492042

Domingo/Verdi
Placido Domingo; Orquestra do la Comunitat Valenciana; Pablo Heras-Casado
Sony 88883733122

The music of Verdi, nearly 200 years on is still the litmus test of opera singers of the 21st century.

02 vocal 02b verdi kaufmannIt is something to be graduated to, something that reveals the true mettle of contenders and something that strikes fear in the hearts of those singers. Let’s call it a rite of passage for the vocalists. One of the reasons, but by no means the only one, is the fact that Verdi always wrote for the divas (and divos) of the day — singers blessed with that extra high E, smoother coloratura and a more dramatic glissando. Unlike the masters of Bel Canto, there was nothing superfluous in Verdi’s writing, no extra trills to enhance the experience. Instead, the full vocal range was exploited and the dramatic range of the performers was used to the fullest effect. These days, the Verdi repertoire is not only the most consistently performed on the world stage, but also what separates the wheat from the chaff. When it comes to the female voice, Verdi demands a full soprano, somewhere between the lyric and dramatic, and as for tenors, well, they need to be “helden tenors” with power to spare.

The current reigning diva of the Met, Anna Netrebko, having wrestled the mantle from Angela Gheorghiu, has finally released her first Verdi album. The thoughtful selections, from Macbeth to Giovanna d’Arco, Don Carlo and Il Trovatore, take her voice through some major hoops, showing the growing confidence of the Russian soprano. She truly is the “prima donna assoluta” however much one may hate such superficial judgments. In perfect command of her voice, Netrebko does justice to all her predecessors, Verdi’s favourite divas: Erminia Frezzolini, Marianna Barbieri-Nini, Rosina Penco and Sophie Cruvelli. A graduation from the lighter Puccini and verismo roles bodes well for the soprano’s future both at the Met and in the recording studio.

Jonas Kaufmann, surely the brightest star of the new generation of tenors, comes to the music of Verdi from a point of reverence. His lovely voice, so effective in his native tongue in the renditions of Schubert, Mahler and Mozart, at first seems intimidated by the Verdi repertoire. The culprit, I presume, is his knowledge of Verdi’s arias in German at first, making a transition to Italian that much more difficult. Fortunately once he gets through his initial jitters he proves once again that he is the one to watch, exuding both confidence and the bravado necessary to dominate the stage in Verdi productions of the future.

02 vocal 02c verdi domingoPlacido Domingo could have easily succumbed to the “superstar syndrome” so readily embodied by the late Luciano Pavarotti: sing it all, sing it badly (or at least too long) and damn the torpedoes. Instead, Domingo carefully observes the changes to his voice over the decades, moving his repertoire down his range, tackling the baritone with some tenor flourishes. Not having heard him live in over five years, I cannot vouch for this voice outside the recording studio, but here it sounds as though Domingo is in full control of his abilities, beautifully navigating the treacherous waters of Verdi’s writing. He may be the lion in winter, but his roar still sends shivers down the spine.

The good news in all this is that the music of Verdi has a most competent cast of characters, both young and old, beautifully bringing the music of the Italian master to our ears on the 200th anniversary of his birth!

02 vocal 03 chatman magnificatStephen Chatman –
Magnificat: Songs of Reflection
UBC University Singers; Graeme Langager; UBC Symphony Orchestra;
Jonathan Girard
Centrediscs CMCCD 19313

Students at UBC are fortunate to have one of Canada’s most popular choral composers close at hand. Stephen Chatman, multiple JUNO nominee and a Member of the Order of Canada, is Professor and Chair of Composition at the UBC School of Music. In this recording, the UBC University Singers and Symphony Orchestra begin with his setting of the Magnificat, a work commissioned in 2010 by the Vancouver Chamber Choir. Chatman begins the piece with the traditional Latin text, and then sets the following sections in the six official languages of the Vancouver Winter Olympics: French, Spanish, German, Chinese, Russian and English. The 40-voice choir handles the linguistic transitions well and there are some wonderful changes of cultural idiom for the orchestra. A fourth year student (at the time of recording), soloist Bahareh Poureslami manages the voice of Mary with lovely expressiveness ranging from tender anticipation to soaring joy and divine rapture.

Following with a collection of “songs of reflection” the choir performs (sans orchestra) Chatman’s settings of contemplative poetry by Christina Rossetti, Sara Teasdale and Walt Whitman, as well as two from FitzGerald’s Rubaiyat and John McCrae’s In Flanders Fields. Themes of love, loss and longing, followed by transcendence and peace, find tender expression through skilful composition and artful nuance in the choir’s performance.

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