Edward Smaldone – What no one else sees…
Brno Philharmonic; Royal Scottish National Orchestra; Opus Zoo Woodwind Quintet
New Focus Recordings FCR425 (newfocusrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/what-no-one-else-sees)
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By calling his 2024 disc What No One Else Sees… Edward Smaldone was not telling us (unless you read between the lines of his booklet notes) that he was a musical omnivore. But that’s exactly what he comes across as. Every important musical dialect today collides in his music.
According to his Bandcamp page “Smaldone blends influences from the worlds of twelve tone music, jazz, and extramusical realms like architecture and poetry to write attractive, sophisticated works that highlight his penchant for vibrant orchestrations and instrumental virtuosity.”
If that introduction hasn’t piqued your interest in listening to Smaldone’s music, nothing may move you to. You would, of course, be missing out on something exquisitely different: a volcanic mix of “Bebop… jazz harmony, improvisation” and myriad idioms from classical music.
You would also miss out on Prentendo Fuoco, and pianist Niklas Sivelöv’s incendiary solo, with the Brno Philharmonic responding in kind, plus three other remarkable works. The ghosts of Charlie Parker, Ravel, Ligeti and Boulez all surface on this disc.
Even if Smaldone hasn’t read De Andrade, his artistic “cannibalism” may have helped shape the burgeoning career of a unique musical omnivore.
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