Toronto drummer Nick Fraser has a strong presence across the spectrum of modern jazz, but he’s particularly prominent in free jazz projects like the band Drumheller and the Lina Allemano Four. He’s taken an emphatic role as composer and bandleader as well as drummer on Towns and Villages (Barnyard Records BR0330 barnyardrecords.com), putting together a quartet with regular associates Rob Clutton on bass and Andrew Downing on cello along with tenor and soprano saxophonist Tony Malaby, one of New York’s most explosive musicians. The CD opens with a wall of overblown tenor and gritty bowed strings, but it’s a group with many levels and colours, from ballads with Malaby on soprano to intriguing circular compositions in which Fraser’s motifs are repeated by the saxophone and cello, synchrony gradually breaking down into echo. Everyone involved is clearly inspired by the meeting: it might be a band for a day, but it’s a great one.

Another Toronto drummer, veteran Barry Romberg, leads Random Access, a loose-knit band with a fluid personnel but a consistent ability to generate lively, interesting music. Part 12: Crab People (Romhog 123 barryromberg.com) is a 2-CD set devoted largely to Romberg’s compositions with shifting time signatures and largely modal underpinnings, giving everyone involved sufficient stimulation and adequate space to develop their ideas. The band changes from track to track, from three to six musicians, and the electric fusion quotient changes as well, depending on whether the bass is acoustic (Kieran Overs or Julian Anderson Bowes) or electric (Rich Brown), whether there’s one or two guitarists (Geoff Young and Ben Monder) present, or keyboards (Robi Botos) or tablas (Ravi Naimpally), but these sessions are at a consistently high level. Saxophonist Kelly Jefferson and trumpeter Kevin Turcotte contribute forcefully to the title track, while tenor saxophonist Kirk MacDonald distinguishes himself on End of an Era.

Quebecois saxophonist François Carrier travels and records frequently and he’s built up a discography that may be larger and more varied than any other Canadian musician playing free jazz. He and drummer Michel Lambert have wandered as far afield as Kathmandu while playing with a cavalcade of international musicians. Just the pianists include Paul Bley, Uri Caine, Bobo Stenson and the newly arrived Russian Alexey Lapin. Their latest adventure is Shores and Ditches (FMR CD CD340-0512 francoiscarrier.com), and while there’s no recording data, the sidemen suggest an English locale. On an unaccompanied track, Carrier emphasizes the sweetness of his keening alto sound, stretching notes to the point where it sounds like a free jazz version of Harlem Nocturne. Duets with Lambert emphasize the propulsive dialogue, while a long episodic trio improvisation with Guillaume Viltard is artfully enhanced by the bassist’s sustained and virtuosic mastery of both arco and pizzicato techniques. Viltard, guitarist Daniel Thompson and flutist Neil Metcalfe appear on a collective improvisation, an effectively sustained exploration highlighted by Metcalfe’s distinctive clarity of line.

David Occhipinti is a masterful guitarist, possessed of some of the fluid lyricism and harmonic subtlety of his former teacher Jim Hall, but he’s also serious about composition, as fascinated by the possibilities of chamber music as he is by improvisation. Camera (Occdav Music OM006 davidocchipinti.com) presents two long suites by two different ensembles and two stand-alone pieces, engaging multi-hued pieces that mix and match methods in the same spirit as Frank Zappa’s serious music, like The Perfect Stranger.

Demonstrating that accepted musical customs are often shibboleths — the equivalent of not wearing white after Labour Day — contemporary improvisers frequently express themselves unconventionally — even when it comes to instrumental choices. Take for example the fine duo sessions here. Unaccompanied by others, the players prove that there are enough textures available from nearly identical instruments to create full sound pictures. These sets show not only how much can be done with two guitars — a common combination — but also by two percussion sets, not to mention two saxophones of similar ranges and timbres.

Recorded at the Vancouver International Jazz Festival, Stones (Rue Grammofon RCD 2136 CD runegrammofon.com) matches the tenor and baritone saxophone of Swede Mats Gustafsson with the alto and bass saxophones of Montreal’s Colin Stetson. Although the strength and power available from lower-pitched woodwinds gives the two licence for frequent displays of sternum-shaking and bone-rattling overblowing, the four selections highlight more than just quivering throaty growls. Scattered throughout the dense and nearly opaque duets are mellow connective sequences and some that are created with panache. True, the elegance of tracks such as Stones that Need Not is predicated on acceptance of a climax of slowly melding textures, evolving from one saxman outputting linear tongue smacks and reed sucks, while the other decorates the sequence with chromatic split tones and quivering buzzes. Still, the reed variations are never overly bulky, but instead deconstruct the exposition with crying stutters and emotional in-throat vocalizing. Another strategy, as on Stones that Can Only Be, involves one player concentrating on a pedal-point ostinato with glottal punctuation and finger vibrations, while the second’s altissimo timbres of intense buzzing and slap tonguing decorate the narrative. Such unusual reed techniques may be expected from Gustafsson, whose outstanding free improvisations are on display in many jazz ensembles. However those who only know Stetson from his day job with the pop band Arcade Fire may be shocked and/or impressed.

If Gustafsson and Stetson utilize as well as overcome the elephantine qualities of their mammoth saxes, then London’s Lol Coxhill and Vienna’s Max Nagl transcend the perceived delicacy of their soprano saxophones’ timbres. Replacing the other saxophonists’ necessary gravitas with playfulness, the two skip through 16 tracks of solos and duos. Entitled In Memory of Lol Coxhill (Rude Noises 021 www.maxnagl.at), the CD celebrates instances where the experiences of Coxhill (1932-2012) as busker and pop sideman, as well as revered improviser, dovetailed with the skills Nagl, 28 years his junior, had amassed composing theatre and film music. Together the two produce profound improvisations that offer levity without a hint of condescension. Probably the best example of this is Charangalia where the saxophonists’ balanced and affiliated tones circle one another, swaying to a near oomph-pah-pah beat. You can almost imagine the players dressed in matching lederhosen, waltzing around the floor as they flutter-tongue their reeds. On his own, Nagl has a predisposition for calypso themes and breaks up the proceedings with brief asides on harpsichord and guitar; meanwhile Coxhill recounts a shaggy dog story in a plummy accent. Still the sonic fun never takes second place to instrumental excellence. On a track such as zweites Stockwerk, for instance, the two create an entire colour palate from a contrapuntal collection of slide-whistle-like trills, reed-biting squeaks and pronounced slurs plus a mellow, single-note interface. Eventually as the bent note distortions meet, a dual narrative emerges that is both multiphonic and moving.

Polyrhythms are the order of the day on Etudes (SoLyd SLR 0414 www.solyd-records.ru), where San Francisco’s Garth Powell and Vilnius resident Vladimir Tarasov share the same extended percussion kit to do a lot more than drum banging. Composers as well as skin beaters, Tarasov and Powell cast these etudes as part faux tutorials and part virtuosic displays. With the American providing brief tongue-in-cheek commentary they proceed to extract beats and vibrations which are often as diaphanous as they are driving. Multiphonic as well as multi-rhythmic, a track like After All suggests the sounds that could arise from a wind machine; while crisp slaps on suspended gongs are matched with friction resulting from violin bows rubbed on cymbals during Strung Up On Your Bow. Picture View Postcards confirms that the correct drum stick sizzle on percussion tops can replicate a dancer’s soft-shoe routine; while the thundering bounces, timely rattles, cascading press rolls and splashing cymbals of No Compensation put aside any doubts as to the drummers’ time-keeping ability, as they swing as effortlessly as Buddy Rich or Max Roach. Despite those skills a track such as My Old Wings is the best example of why they continue to experiment. Spatially organized rather than concentrated, Tarasov and Powell make their triple flams and ratamacues plus mineshaft-deep bass drum reverb reflect the recording space, so that a feeling of powerful motion is present without either having to raise the volume of the performance.

This sort of relaxed intensity also permeates Hogwild Manifesto (Jungulous 003 www.andersnilssonguitar.com), but the jagged electric guitar lines of the duo called Hot and Cold is closer to hearing two Jimi Hendrixes rather than the sedate picking of Chet Atkins and Les Paul or Herb Ellis and Barney Kessel. American Aaron Dugan and Swede Anders Nilsson are sophisticated enough in so-called post-rock and post-jazz styles that they are easily able to work up a track like For Albert which is both thorny and tuneful, wrapping single note finger-picking with arpeggiated climaxes. Elsewhere, one clunks chords and clicks out a slapping ostinato while the other probes the stratosphere with flanged reverb. They subsequently switch roles then cut off the sound in a split second. Like the other duos here they show they’re also capable of subtle swing. For example they approximate an Ellis-Kessel foot-tapping groove on Night Juice Agenda, than quickly splinter it into fuzz-tone reverb and staccato crunches. Tossing ideas back and forth they touch on Middle Eastern-styled licks and highly legato slurred fingering, contrasting buzzing intensity with an overlay of fingerpicking. Before summing up the meeting with exquisite cascades, innate lyricism is on show as much as heavily processed outer space twangs.

With the inventiveness implicit in free improvisation, contrasting textures can be sourced from instruments supposedly identical in tones and timbres. These duos confirm the thesis.

Momento
Michael Ciufo
Acronym Records RWCD0001 (www.michaelciufo.com)

With the release of Momento, there can be no doubt that classical/contemporary vocalist Michael Ciufo has created a stirring and memorable debut recording. His sumptuous, baritone voice is all at once controlled, crystalline and striking, and his handsome presentation is absolutely au courant. Ciufo moves seamlessly between flawless vocals in Italian, English, French and Spanish – letting loose the poetry of each evocative phrase.

Ciufo and producer Chris Bilton have assembled a literal who’s who of the Canadian music industry to perform on this impressive CD, including conductor Glenn Morley, special guest Hawksley Workman on electric guitar (enjoy his beautiful work on Oh, You Delicate Heart), George Koller on bass, Rob Piltch on guitar, Davide di Renzo on percussion, Lenny Solomon on violin, Wendy Solomon on cello, Erica Goodman on harp, Chris Bilton on piano and synthesizer programming and a host of other fine musicians.

Ciufo is expert at telling the story – creating and capturing musical and/or cinematic moments. Of particular note are the melancholy Caruso, the deeply passionate Chitarra Romana, the simply gorgeous La Chanson Des Vieux Amants and the quintessentially Italian Musica Proibita. The final track, Oh, You Delicate Heart, is a country-flavoured pop song, beautifully rendered and illustrative of this skilled vocalist’s ability to impressively adapt to a wide variety of stylistic motifs. 

A keen romantic sensibility, deadly intonation, excellent taste, high musicality and a deeply communicative approach insure that Ciufo is well on his way to international recognition – and every bit as worthy of said recognition as other internationally successful classical/pop/contemporary vocal artists (David Foster-produced and otherwise).

Europa
Ron Korb
Humbledragon Entertainment HD2012 (www.ronkorb.com)

Flutist Ron Korb has built an international career as a studio musician and as a solo performer; he is particularly in demand for his command of any number of flutes from non-western cultures. Europa, his 16th solo CD, features him not only as performer but also as composer. The music on each track is dedicated to a prominent European composer or compositional genre, on which it is loosely modelled. 

Korb’s affinity for Celtic music, evident on several of the tracks, makes this disc particularly appealing. The especially compelling example of his flair for it can be found on track four, Beckett’s Whisper, which he plays on a wooden Irish flute, really, he observed recently, a baroque flute without the typical D-sharp key. The warm expressiveness of his sound in this wistful, haunting melody has not gone unnoticed: it has recently been named a finalist in the International Acoustic Music Awards.

His collaborators on the disc also deserve acknowledgment: pianist Laila Biali’s distinctive musical personality blends perfectly with Korb’s, while always adding to and supporting his work. Percussionist Larry Crowe is consistently sensitive to his relationship with the other musicians. I admired his tom-tom playing in 1759, a quasi martial tribute to that watershed year in French-English relations. Winona Zelenka, whose cello playing can fill a concert hall, adjusts her sound perfectly to the intimate scale of the occasion and provides welcome contrast to the flute. It is Korb’s unique and recognizable sound, however, that is at the heart of this recording’s appeal.

Passione
Charles Di Raimondo
Independent CDR012 (www.charlesdiraimondo.com)

In the interpretive arts, there is no substitute for life experience – although a good imagination may work for a while, ultimately only genuine, experience-driven emotion transcends the mists of time. In Charles Di Raimondo’s debut CD, not only does he display a highly trained vocal instrument of terrific scope, but he has also literally infused each song with his deeply personal engrams of a life abundantly (and no doubt passionately) lived.

Co-Producers Raimondo and Glenn Morley have created an eclectic program, highlighting Raimondo’s versatility. On the opening track, Raimundo (who also contributes lyrics, music and arrangements) wraps his rich baritone around Ennio Morricone’s theme from the cinematic masterpiece Cinema Paradiso, which sets an impressively high bar for the rest of the recording. 

Of note is a freshly reworked rendition of the contemporary classic, Time to Say Good-bye. The rock-infused production, pleasant baritone placement and double-tracked vocals result in a sumptuous, hearty version, quite unlike any of the more familiar takes from Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman. The spare, emotional Caruso (Lucio Dalla) employs gorgeous acoustic guitar work as the perfect complement to Raimondo’s intensity. Also consummately performed is E Lucevan Le Stelle (from Tosca), with another breathtaking acoustic guitar solo placed against Raimundo’s fully charged vocal. Closing out the program are two more stunners: the Italian folk-inspired Mamma (Nell ‘Eterna Melodia) and the lilting and romantic Aquella Noche en Madrid – sung in Español perfecto!

This is a delightful and expertly produced recording that will no doubt be satisfying to both lovers of classical and contemporary vocal music. Although Raimondo’s debut CD may have been a while in the making, the results have been well worth the wait.

Although Gramophone Magazine recently determined that Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw Orchestra was the finest orchestra in the world, other surveys have given that honour to the more highly esteemed Vienna Philharmonic. Unlike the Concertgebouw and other orchestras, the Vienna Philharmonic does not engage a permanent conductor. It draws its members from the orchestra of the Vienna State Opera and its home is Vienna’s illustrious Musikverein where most of its recordings are made. TV viewers around the world know the Musikverein thanks to the annual telecast of the Philharmonic’s New Year’s Day concert.

The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra is a democratic, self-governing body founded in 1842 by composer Otto Nicolai (The Merry Wives of Windsor) and since then the greatest conductors of their time have stood before them, from Hans Richter, Gustav Mahler, Felix Weingartner and Wilhelm Furtwangler to Arturo Toscanini, Bruno Walter, Clemens Krauss and George Szell. The list goes on to include the maestros who are heard in the Wiener Philharmoniker Symphony Edition from Deutsche Grammophon (4790718, 50 CDs) containing 95 symphonies by 13 composers.

In June 1984, James Levine recorded Mozart symphonies 28, 29 and 30, initiating what would become a complete cycle. A year later, in June 1985, he set down six more, with further sessions in December 1986, December 1987 and June 1989, with the final two sessions in February and December 1990. Levine was George Szell’s apprentice in Cleveland in 1964 and 1965 and assistant conductor until 1970. Levine absorbed Szell’s characteristically crisp articulation and clarity of the melodic line, qualities that serve Mozart well. Unavailable for many years, the return to active duty of this complete cycle, occupying the first 11 discs, is more than welcome.

Discs 12 and 13 are devoted to Haydn’s symphonies 88 to 92 and 105 conducted by Karl Böhm whose traditional Kapellmeister elegance will charm those who look for such music making (1972/73 recordings). Discs 14 to 18 find the nine Beethoven symphonies divided up between Bernstein (1, 3 and 9); Abbado (2 and 4); Kleiber (5 and 7) and Böhm (6 and 8); judiciously allocated, as demonstrated by the selection of Böhm’s perfect realization of the “Pastoral” from 1971.

Discs 19 and 20 contain Schubert’s 3, 5, 8 and 9 with Kleiber, Böhm and Gardiner while disc 21 has Gardiner again in Mendelssohn’s 4 and 5. Discs 22 and 23 have Bernstein’s final recorded interpretations of Schumann from 1984/85 revealing an understanding and commitment beyond him ten years earlier in New York. Discs 24 to 26 find the Brahms symphonies allocated to Bernstein (1, 2), Giulini (3) and Kleiber (4). No arguments here. Discs 27 to 32 have six of Bruckner’s nine, with three given to Abbado (1, 4 and 5), Karajan’s swan song 7 (1989) and 8 (1988), with the 9th under Giulini. Discs 33 to 35 have Karajan’s arguably finest performances of Tchaikovsky’s 4, 5 and 6, all from 1984.

Discs 36 and 37 offer only four of Dvořak’s nine: unexpectedly by Myung-Whun Chung (6, 7) and Maazel (8, 9). Discs 38 to 47 offer an almost complete Mahler cycle: Abbado (2, 3, 4 and 9), Bernstein (5, 8 and the Adagio from 10) and Boulez gets the 6th.

Discs 48 to 50 are given to Leonard Bernstein conducting astounding performances of Sibelius 1, 2, 5 and 7 and finally the 6th and 9th by Shostakovich. Both Sibelius and Shostakovich receive performances of a lifetime, no ifs, ands or buts. A supercharged, over-the-top coda to this exemplary, ridiculously inexpensive collection.

We know Menahem Pressler primarily as the pianist of the Beaux Arts Trio, the group that he founded in 1955 which soon became one of the most respected chamber groups in history. He also performed and recorded outside the trio as a soloist and in concerted works. The trio disbanded in 2008 but Pressler continues to perform as soloist and accompanist. DOREMI has issued a set of CDs featuring Pressler’s Chopin recorded c.1960 (DHR-7989/90, 2 stereo CDs). Heard are three works with orchestra, the two concertos and the Andante Spianato and Grande Polonaise Brilliante, Op.22 together with three polonaises and five mazurkas. Pressler was evidently in top form on each occasion and we witness his Chopin to be expressive and eloquent with touches of refreshing originality.

The sound is pleasantly warm and quite convincing due to the tube-based electronics used for the meticulous transfers. I must comment that, as in the original LPs, the sound in the three concerted works (all with the Vienna State Opera Orchestra) tends to favour the piano. This is volume two in a series and I am informed that volumes three and four contain Pressler’s entire Mozart, Prokofiev and Shostakovich recordings including concertos.

When Classical Barbra was issued in 1976 a few “classical music lovers” expressed righteousness indignation at the thought of Barbra Streisand even attempting to perform “their” repertoire. Claus Ogerman made the arrangements and conducted the Columbia Symphony Orchestra. Ten tracks were issued on the LP and then on a CD which has never left the catalogue. It is now exactly 40 years since these songs were recorded and Columbia has taken the opportunity to remaster the ten originals and add two unreleased songs (Sony 92255-2).

No one is claiming that any one of these is the best version but Streisand fans will enjoy 40 minutes of hearing her distinctive voice in unusual and attractive, evocative repertoire including chansons of Debussy, Cantaloube and Fauré and lieder of Wolf, Schumann and Schubert among other offerings. 

Schumann at Pier 2 – The Symphonies
Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen; Paavo Järvi
Cmajor 712004

At last; an exultation of Schumann (my favourite composer) that finally and decisively disproves the myth that he was an inept orchestrator. Järvi’s brilliant, no-holds-barred performances are realizations of Schumann’s four symphonies without any editing and “corrections” by others (including Mahler) to suit their taste, an accepted practice that has tainted performances for generations. These indispensible performances radiate from the inside… exciting, highly charged and, where called for, meltingly poetic. Textures are sinewy but never lean. Audio and video are state of the art. 

In addition to four definitive performances there is an appreciation of these original scores. Movement by movement, we are treated to extracts from the rehearsals with observations and illustrations from some of the players but most informative and enlightening are Jarvi’s discerning thoughts and annotations:

“If you only use your brain to dictate the choices you will never actually get to the bottom of what Schumann’s music is all about because the music comes from the heart. It is incredibly emotional. You have this sense of neurotic extreme and you have to allow yourself to feel it in performance otherwise it will not fly, it will not explode, it will not make you cry… One of the problems is that we need to have enough courage to actually go with what Schumann writes because sometimes one thinks that, wait a minute, it cannot possibly be that impulsive, it cannot be so neurotic, it cannot possibly be so, um, extreme… I don’t think that I know of any other composer, even from the same period that brings that type of energy and that type of extreme into music… and that is something that all the great old maestros tried to fix. They tried to make it more academic, closer to Brahms, more correct. All the corners that were a little too sharp they tried to make smoother and what we end up with is a sort of a smooth correct, improved – quote, unquote – version of Schumann that takes away the essence which is the incredible neurotic energy… with all the insecurities and all the doubts, you know that Schumann knew, somehow, that he was one of the great voices.

“After performing the whole cycle of Schumann symphonies, you come away from that experience knowing that everything that you have been taught in school in the beginning is just nonsense. Basically, Schumann’s symphonic music is truly great. If one goes into it with complete commitment and one has courage to forget a little bit about so-called tradition and really see what’s in the music, you realize that this is absolutely stunningly original, touching and emotionally powerful music.”

The proof is here to be heard.

Life Death Tears Dream
Orchid Ensemble
Independent OE2012 (www.orchidensemble.com)

The Juno nominated Vancouver world music trio Orchid Ensemble consists of leader, singer and erhu (Chinese violin) player Lan Tung, Yu-Chen Wang on the zheng (Chinese zither) and percussionist Jonathan Bernard. Life Death Tears Dream is the ensemble’s third CD. In it they explore several common yet paradoxical categories: West and East, ancient and modern, composed and improvised, in the end product proposing a diverse yet cohesive musical fusion of Chinese, Spanish, Taiwanese and Jewish diasporas.

Original compositions by Canadian west coast composers Mark Armanini, Moshe Denburg, Barry Truax, Lan Tung and Yawen V. Wang proudly stand beside idiomatic arrangements of ancient Chinese originals, i.e. Three Variations of Plum Blossom 梅花三弄 by Huan Yi (c. 350 CE), arr. Lan Tung (2006).

Lan Tung’s Dancing Moon 月舞 (2009) is an effective example of the Orchid Ensemble’s cultural and stylistic accommodations and of the rich palate of timbres they employ to expand the work’s sonic space. Couched in a quick, pulsing 5/4 groove the main melody is inspired by a southwestern Chinese folk song in the course of which improvisations are taken. The centrally-placed zheng solo is particularly masterful, culminating in a torrent of nine-beat cycle phases reminiscent of Indian classical music, while shifting tonalities and rhymes may have a Balkan inspiration. Lan Tung’s vocals on lyrics by a Tang dynasty poet set the narrative stage evoking an energy-filled moonlit nightscape: a celestial stream flowing through an ancient forest of clouds swirling over green mountains. It’s well worth repeated listening.

Alfredo Casella – Concerto for Orchestra
Orchestra Sinfonica di Roma; Francesco La Vecchia
Naxos 8.573004

Alfredo Casella – La Donna Serpente; Introduzione, aria e toccata; Partita
Sun Hee You; Orchestra Sinfonica di Roma; Francesco La Vecchia
Naxos 8.573005

These two discs present world premiere recordings (except for the Partita) of Alfredo Casella’s music. They join a series of his complete orchestral works on Naxos, a stellar accomplishment by conductor Francesco La Vecchia and the Rome Symphony Orchestra. Piano prodigy and gifted conductor, Casella (1883-1947) was a leading instrumental composer in opera-soaked Italy.

 The excellent first disc includes music from three phases of Casella’s career. Modal harmony and 18th century dance genres in the early neo-classical Suite reflecthis teacher Fauré’s influence. The lively Overture, pensive extended Sarabande, and assertive Bourée are all delivered impeccably by the Rome Symphony. The ensemble is equally adept in the more adventurous five miniatures of Pagine di Guerra (War Pages). Startling sounds bombard us with the mechanical horror of World War I; perfectly-tuned wind chords subtly evoke dissonant cathedral bell timbres. The three-movement Concerto for Orchestra is the disc’shighlight, which according to David Gallagher’s fine program notes Casella considered his most mature orchestral achievement. Particularly moving is the epiphanic ninth variation of the Passacaglia where high violins linger deliciously over a procession of brass and wind solos.

The second disc’s Introduction, Aria and Toccata has both strengths and weaknesses. His easy way with a long line make the Aria a delight; La Vecchia captures its tasteful sentiment and tender moments.Strings are appropriately biting in the outer movements, which unfortunately also illustrate the composer’s penchant for lumpy Mussolini-era marches. Casella was piano soloist in the premiere of the Partita in 1925, where Stravinsky’s neo-baroque influence shows. In the Sinfonia, pandiatonicism (simultaneous sounding of any notes in a major scale), prominent use of winds and detaché strings are all Stravinskian, but rhythms are more four-square. Pianist Sun Hee You delivers a clear, spiky performance with impeccable ensemble throughout; the orchestra’s trumpet trio shines in the rapid-fire Burlesca. La donna serpente (1928-31) which presents orchestral fragments from Casella’s opera based on a fabulous drama about a snake-woman by Gozzi, evokes a very different world. From the sumptuous strings in the opening Music for King Altidòr’s Dream onward, La Vecchia balances well blocks of orchestral sound with instrumental solos. The War March showcases a fine horn section; the Battle and Finale abounds with exciting ensemble flourishes supported by ample percussion.

The neglect of Casella’s orchestral music after the Second World War had several possible causes: his troubling support for Il Duce’s regime even after racial laws were imposed in 1938; his too-numerous musical influences; and his re-working of compositions in later works. Keeping these important caveats in mind I am still very partial to this music’s bright liveliness and range of feeling, recommending especially the first disc for the curious.

Florent Schmitt – Complete Original Works for Piano Duet and Duo 1
Invencia Piano Duo
Grand Piano GP621

The lengthy career of the Alsatian-born French composer Florent Schmitt (1870-1958) began quite auspiciously at the beginning of the 20th century. Awarded the prestigious Prix de Rome in 1900, his early orchestral work La Tragédie de Salomé (1907) and his setting for chorus and orchestra of Psalm 47 (1904) met with great praise and are still performed today. By the 1930s however he had completely fallen out of favour; it did not help matters that he had since developed a reputation as a notoriously vituperative music critic and shameless German sympathizer. Be that as it may, for a nominally late Romantic composer Schmitt’s progressive tendencies remain compelling and at his best he reveals the voice of a true original.

Schmitt contributed some 88 pieces to the duo piano repertoire written between 1893 and 1912. The Virginia-based pianists Andrei Kasparov and Oksana Lutsyshyn, known collectively as the Invencia Piano Duo, have made it their mission to record all of these works in a series of four CDs to be released sequentially on the Grand Piano label distributed by Naxos. Volume One offers a familiar work followed by two world premiere recordings. The first item, the Trois Rapsodies for two pianos Op.53 (1903-1904), receives its fifth recording on disc. It is vintage Schmitt, rhythmically supple, harmonically inventive, and beautifully scored with telling thematic interchanges between the two pianos. The earlier Sept Pièces, Op.15 (1889) dates from Schmitt’s student days. Scored for two pianists at a single piano, the sonorities are more intimate and homophonic. Though it seems to me that Schmitt has either not quite found or is intentionally suppressing his distinctive creative voice here for academic reasons, this low-key, Schumann-esque multi-movement work is winningly genial and technically assured in every respect. The final item, the Rhapsodie Parisienne, also for four-hand piano, makes a stronger visceral impact. A spirited, asymmetric and impulsive waltz, the manuscript of this unpublished work from 1900 may have been intended to become a larger orchestral work presaging Ravel’s later La Valse. I look forward to future unknown gems from this very interesting composer.

Le Cauchemar d’Hector
La Marmite Infernale
ARFI 2012 AM052 (www.arfi.org)

French Romantic composer Hector Berlioz (1803-1869) declared in 1859 that “music is free” so what better group to put a new spin on some of Berlioz’s compositions than Lyon-based free music ensemble La Marmite Infernale?

Asked by the Festival Berlioz, that takes place annually in the composer’s birthplace, to re-imagine works by France’s most iconoclastic 19th century composer, the 18-piece band treated Berlioz’s compositions as it does strains from the folk tradition, preserving the melodies, but appending solos and passages relating to improvisational jazz’s freedom, punk-rock’s unyielding beat and advances in electro-acoustic programming. Probably the most radical reworking occurs on La fantastique nain de Sophie where sampler player Xavier Garcia mixes extracts from the composer’s Symphonie fantastique with the live group playing its version of the work in arrangements midway between those for symphony orchestra and for jazz band.

Less radical, but more affecting, Marche funèbre, based on Berlioz’s Grande Symphonie Funèbre et Triomphale which was composed for a 200-strong wind band, removes the original piece’s nationalistic militarism but retains its melodic strength, substituting strained grace notes from trombonist Alain Gibert and trumpeter Guillaume Grenard plus splintery buzzes from saxophonist Eric Vagnon sparked by Christian Rollet’s rattling percussion. The climactic and close-knit result validates the composition not the jingoism. Then there’s Scène aux champs which confirms Berlioz’s bucolic interpretation of a pastoral scene, while simultaneously burlesquing it, by having the piece played by 12 guitars in unison.

Although classical purists may blanch at the liberties taken with the compositions here, it’s possible that Berlioz, with his sympathy for free expression, may have been impressed and honoured. For the adventurous listener of any stripe though, taken as a whole the CD is no cauchemar or “nightmare” of Hector, but rather a satisfying rêve or “dream.”

The Long and the Short of It

Ken Aldcroft; Joel LeBlanc
Trio Records TRP-D502-016

Notes on the Miasms
Andy Haas; Ken Aldcroft
Resonant Music 010

Toronto guitarist Ken Aldcroft displays his formidable guitar technique and improvising acumen in two new “free improv” releases.

The long and the short of it features him with fellow guitarist Joel LeBlanc in two contrasting short and long works. Each “short” is a concise tidbit of colour and rhythm which sets up a lengthier (over 20 minutes) set. The Long (I) is a mellow soundscape which seems to emulate the soothing environment of the wilderness. The minimalistic patterns and atonal guitar effects are precisely placed in the relaxing soundscape. In contrast, The Long (II) is a wall of sound, giant stadium extended rock guitar extravaganza. It sounds like one giant guitar – riffs, extended solos and in-your-face sound bolts, combined with humour and wit in a stunning example of superb music.

Notes on the miasms features Aldcroft improvising with Andy Haas on sax and electronics. The music is more atonal than the above release making it perhaps a bit more of a difficult listening exercise for those not accustomed to this type of music. Haas’ rapid saxophone lines against Aldcroft’s guitar colours are brilliant in their textures, phrasing and energy. The occasional reference to traditional jazz and blues is a welcome musical commentary.

These two releases are fine examples of the flourishing creative music scene in Toronto. The improvisation skills, talent and dedication of musicians such as Ken Aldcroft guarantee a vibrant improvising future for players and listeners alike.

Division-Musicke – English duos for viol and lute
Susanna Pell; Jacob Heringman
Pellingmans’ Saraband PS001

According to Christopher Simpson in the 1659 publication The Division Violist, as quoted in the Harvard Dictionary of Music, the term Division refers to the prevailingly English practice of a harpsichordist playing a ground bass to which a viol or flute player, “having the said ground before his eye, plays such a variety of descant or division in concordance thereto as his skill and present invention do then suggest to him.” Pellingmans’ Saraband perform eighteen divisions on this, their maiden CD. They adventurously describe playing these often complex and demanding divisions as the equivalent of jazz improvisation!

 No one can fault their dedication to the art of the division. Barafostus’ Dream is truly testing – Susanna Pell rises to the challenge of the solo version specifically scored for treble viol. On the CD she follows with the exhilarating divisions based anonymously on Greensleeves.

 The divisions selected were written between the late 16th century and the early 18th. Two factors the pieces have in common are the complexity of their divisions and the sense of joyfulness with which they are played. This is certainly true of Gottfried Finger’s Divisions, where Pell’s spirited playing livens up more formal compositions.

 Very often, the collection features popular dance tunes which were arranged by established composers. The names of some of these composers have come down to us. Others remain anonymous, but Jacob Heringman plays Green Garters with sympathy and zest; Pell’s Paul’s Steeple, which immediately follows, equals it in both qualities.

 The divisions are not confined to English composers. London-based Giovanni Battista Draghi’s aptly named Italian Ground is sensitively performed by both musicians. The same is true of three pieces by Solomon Eccles, who was one of the last composers of divisions before Italian sonatas became popular.

 Both musicians tackle their divisions with relish. The Leaves be Green always demands virtuosic skills; Heringman obliges. Pell responds with A New Division to a Ground by Eccles. This compilation also comprises some more Elizabethan favourites such as Go From My Window, but a division by Christopher Simpson scored for bass viol looks towards the Baroque future. Note: physical copies of these CDs are exclusively available from www.heringman.com and www.pellingman.co.uk.

Tchaikovsky – Iolanta; Stravinsky – Persephone
Teatro Real Madrid; Peter Sellars; Teodor Currentzis
Teatro Real TR97011DVD

Artists dispute the trope that the greatest art comes from great suffering, but one can be excused for thinking that it does when listening to Iolanta, Tchaikovsky’s last opera. A period of immense suffering, resulting in the composer’s suicide, was triggered by an absolute rejection by the object of his obsessive love, his teenage nephew Bob. It was 1891 and Tchaikovsky’s homosexual desire for the 18-year-old was not something that Russian society, nor indeed Tchaikovsky himself, was ready to accept. Plagued by guilt and shame, the composer spiralled into a debilitating depression. In the process he composed Iolanta, a one-act work of haunting beauty and rare daring. Years before Stravinsky’s winds-dominated Rite of Spring caused a riot at the occasion of its premiere, Iolanta’s overture was scored exclusively for winds, followed by a first scene with a string quartet and four voices only. Judged a failure at its Russian performances, Iolanta received deserved appreciation when staged for the first time in Hamburg, with Gustav Mahler conducting. Tchaikovsky, alas, did not see that triumph – he was too sick to travel.

In this recording, Peter Sellars, the ground-breaking theatrical and operatic director, skilfully highlights the beauty of the music, while reducing superfluous stage movement and letting the austere set be the backdrop for a beautiful interplay of shadow and light. The singing is superb throughout, with special accolades reserved for Ekaterina Scherbachenko (Iolanta) and Dmitry Ulianov (King Rene).

In contrast, Stravinsky’s Persephone is a result of a curious collaboration – that of a resolute White Russian and a French communist poet, André Gide. Their collaboration did not last long; nor did Gide’s fascination with the new Soviet regime (” When we were hoping for a dictatorship of the proletariat, we were not hoping for just a dictatorship,” he wrote.). Nonetheless the result is a lasting contribution to the theatrical repertoire. In this production, Dominique Blanc plays the role of the Greek goddess who forsakes her worldly kingdom and enters Hades, only to re-emerge each spring. This superb DVD is an early contender for the ranks of the best of 2013.

Leonardo Vinci – Artaserse
Radiotelevisione Svizzera; Concerto Köln; Diego Fasolis
Virgin Classics 5099960286925

In 2008 the soprano Simone Kermes recorded Lava,a disc of arias from 18th-century Naples, which included two scenes from Leonardo Vinci’s Artaserse. Since then both Cecilia Bartoli and Karina Gauvin have recorded arias by Vinci and now we have this recording of all of Artaserse. It features a cast of six: five countertenors and one tenor. I heard Alfred Deller, who revived the countertenor voice, in recital 50 years ago and I liked what I heard. All the same, the differences in sheer virtuosity between the early pioneer and modern practitioners like Philippe Jaroussky and Franco Fagioli is staggering.

Artaserse was first performed in Rome in 1730. The performance was truncated, since it coincided with the death of the Pope and, once that death was announced, the performance could not proceed. The opera was, however, revived in Vienna and in a number of Italian opera houses in the 1730s. In the Papal States women were not allowed on the stage and consequently the soprano and mezzo parts were sung by castrati. Where this restriction did not apply female singers like Francesca Cuzzoni and Vittoria Tesi took part in these early revivals.

Brilliant though the singing is on these discs, I found myself longing for a woman’s voice well before the first act was over. We no longer have castrati but the modern practice of combining women’s voices with those of countertenors works well.