Michael G. Cunningham, Indiana Collectanea

In the person of US composer Michael G. Cunningham (b. 1937) we have a very prolific voice for the Contemporary, a man with a long and distinguished teaching career, a very large compositional catalog of works that deserve our attention, and eight albums of his music released on Navona Records, some of which I've gladly covered on these pages (type "Cunningham" in the search box above for those).

We now have his 9th release for the label, a compilation of live performances of Cunningham chamber works entitled Indiana Collectanea (Navona NV6270). On it we hear some 11 works of interest, recorded in concert at Indiana University between 1969 and 1973.

Performances give us a fine snapshot, a musically skilled and clear idea of the work at hand. The recording quality is generally good. The compositions show us a Cunningham fully formed, an original voice within the Dodecaphonic/post-Dodecaphonic, generally post-Tonal realms of Modernism as it stood when Cunningham was getting his doctorate (1973) at Indiana University.

Each work stands out as extremely well crafted and eloquently advanced. The chamber combinations are quite wide-ranging and take advantage of the vibrant sound colors and idiomatic phrasing possibilities available to each configuration. I will not attempt to discuss every`
work individually given time and space considerations, but they span the gamut from solo piano ("Piano Sonata," Op. 33), to piano and trombone ("Statements"), piano, clarinet and flute ("Triple Sonata"), violin, viola, cello ("Prisms"), violin, cello, bass ("Images"), violin, oboe, marimba, bass ("Noetical Rounds"), small percussion ensemble ("Polyphonies"), bass clarinet and harp ("Phases"), small brass ensemble ("Concertant"), three horns ("Terzett") and multiple instruments ("Scenario").

Like most all well conceived High Modernist works, the rhythmic and note-upon-note harmo-melodics come alive especially with multiple listens. Cunningham makes every note count in a program that stands out once one listens in this way. It's another fine outing from a composer who deserves wide recognition. Anyone in the Modernist camp or wishing to explore further classic later 20th century approaches should find this album an absorbing and rewarding thing. Definitely recommended.

Alban Berg, Complete Songs, Borgioni, Lombardi, Milhofer, Kho, Kohler, Farinelli

The art song in classical music qualifies as one of the more esoteric genres from the standpoint of the general music listening public. A music appreciation course might not devote much time to it, possibly none. It typically consists in performance of the no-frills musical essence via a trained voice, piano and poetic text. It does not have the story-theater-drama of opera, the broad spectrum of sound color of the symphony orchestra, etc. Yet of course some of the most wonderful music lives on in the classical song.

It the Modern period that is as true as ever. And it might help explain why Alban Berg's opera Wozzeck (and to a lesser extent his Lulu) occupies the time of so many music lovers as a staple of the music of last century while his songs do not attract nearly as many listeners, nor garner as many recordings, performances, etc. Yet there have been other reasons, too, some unfortunate circumstances which recent decades have helped redress.

With a new box set, a very first recording of Berg's Complete Songs (Brilliant 95549 3-CDs) on the budget Brilliant label we have a chance to explore and consider the whole of it. There is a great deal and it is remarkable to hear it in these generally nicely turned performances.

The bulk of the output resides in the Jugendlieder, which as the liners tell us Berg composed between 1901 and 1908. Up until her death in 1976, widow Helene Berg had kept the songs shrouded in secrecy, forbidding their study or publication. Thereafter, between 1985 and 1987, many of the songs were finally published, Fischer-Dieskau in 1985 recorded 22 of them for EMI, and then as late as 2015 the remaining batch of Jugendlieder were finally published as well.

The Brilliant box is the very first recording of the complete Jugendlieder, and it takes up two and a half CDs, so that is saying a great deal. The music is of a consistently high level, allowing us to follow Berg's gradual evolution from a very sophisticated Late Romantic melodic-harmonic point of view to a gradual approach to the edge of tonality and beyond, which of course he was to realize fully in the later years, some of which we hear in the later songs, of which more below.

The complete Jugendlieder are a revelation. This compendious assortment shows us a young Berg remarkably assured and inventive. If he was not quite to scale the heights of his later work, he nonetheless holds his very own among lieder producers of the early 20th century, at least to my ears.

The remaining 19 lieder on Disk 3 continue unraveling choice Berg in more of the early and some rather wondrous later examples. That includes some sublime moments in the Sieben Fruhe Lieder, the three Vier Lieder, Op. 2, the five Altenberg Lieder, Op. 4, Schliesse mir die Augen beide (1925), the Lied der Lulu taken from the opera, and the spoken-piano Klagengesang von der edlen Frauen des Asan-Aga.

The text to the songs are not included in the booklet presumably for space and budget concerns but they are posted on the label's website.

Performances are all very good thanks to Mauro Borgioni, baritone, Elisabetta Lombardi, mezzo-soprano, Mark Milhofer, tenor, Myung Jea Kho, soprano, Stefanie Kohler, speaker, and Filippo Farinelli accompanying on piano. The recordings sound full and bright.

Anyone who loves Berg and/or lieder will no doubt find as I did a very great deal to appreciate and experience. This complete edition is nothing short of a revelation and something to return to frequently. Content and the nice budget price give every reason to grab this one. In its own way it constitutes a seminal recording event. Kudos to all involved.

Uriel Tsachor, Brahms in Transcription

Uriel Tsachor's recent piano solo album Brahms in Transcription (MSR Classics MS1721) gives us much to experience and contemplate. All transcriptions on the program were conceived as an adaptation of a work or movement into solo piano terms, trying to come as close as possible musically to the original work. (This in distinction from a Liszt, who might use the original music as a vehicle for a partly recomposed, somewhat reinterpreted new solo piano work.)

There are three categories of transcriptions featured on the program. One is Max Reger's transcriptions of the five slow movements from Brahms' four symphonies. Then there are solo piano transcriptions of Brahms' two-piano "Hungarian Dances," No. 7 and No. 1 by Brahms himself and Nos. 15-17 by Theodor Kirchner. Finally there are two relatively brief but fascinating transcriptions Brahms made of other composer's works--Schumann's Scherzo from the Op. 44 "Piano Quintet", and Gluck's Gavotte from Iphigenie en Aulide. The Reger and Kirchner transcriptions enjoy world premiere recordings here and they are most welcome additions to the Brahms discography.

For pianist Uriel Tsachor this recording is a culmination of a 40-year romance with the music of Brahms. And it shows. The performances are very sympathetic, poetically sensitive to every nuance, emotive but judicious in the proper weighing of every note.

With the Reger-Brahms slow movement symphonic transcriptions we have a kind of steady-state triumph of the of course extraordinary beauty of the Brahm's original orchestral movements coupled with a detailed, idiomatically pianistic re-scoring brilliance by Reger--and then some extraordinarily expressive performances by Maestro Tsachor. It is impossible to choose a favorite but the Adagio from "Symphony No. 2" does seem especially inspired all around, with just the right amount of rubato to make the piano sing. But then the Andante and the Poco Allegretto from No. 3 seem nearly as ravishing. Really all are transcendent, a joy to hear.

The later "Hungarian Dances" in their original two-piano form are filled with complexities and ornamentations to the extent that rethinking them for a single solo piano was hardly a simple matter. Brahms himself performed them solo, reportedly with a good deal of panache, but his on-the-spot improvisational decisions on how they were to sound he found were not conducive to freezing in written form. After tackling No. 7 he left off. Kirchner's Nos. 15-17 convey the folkish charm and complex figurations quite well. They make for very enjoyable listening, a nice change in mood in alternation with the symphonic movements and in the end a virtuoso outing that Tsachor takes in stride, with true musicality. We also get to hear Brahms' own transcription version of No. 1, nicely played.

Finally there are the encore-like additions of the two short examples of Brahms' transcriptions of some choice Schumann and Gluck morsels that leave one feeling content and rewarded.

Anyone who loves Brahms and also loves a nicely played piano program a little off the well-beaten track should find this a good bet. Uriel Tsachor gives us state-of-the-art expressive brightness from first-to-last. Bravo.

Joshua Pierce, Bravura, Favorite Showpieces for Piano and Orchestra, Chopin, Ellington, Gershwin, Liszt, etc.

Some albums end up pleasing by way of a number of factors one cannot always predict before listening. Pianist Joshua Pierce and the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra under Kirk Trevor give us Bravura: Favorite Showpieces for Piano & Orchestra (MSR Classics MS 1640). It is for me a nice surprise in this way.

It is a matter in this case of a combination of fine performances and an interesting set of repertoire choices. Of the eight showcase works for piano and orchestra there are first of all four 19th Century Romantic staples that have been well appreciated by general audiences over the years--in order of appearance to start off this grouping there is Frederic Chopin's early but vibrant "Variations on Mozart's 'La ci darem la mano'" of 1830. Then there is Saint-Saens' lighthearted little "Caprice-Valse 'Wedding Cake'" of 1885. Next in sequence is Franz Liszt's exuberant reworking of Weber on the "Polonaise Brilliante" of 1851. Finally the program concludes with a charming Henry Litolff "Scherzo from 'Concerto Symphonique No. 4'" of 1852.

If the program merely continued in this vein we would have some bright and bubbly fare, very well handled by Pierce and company. But then there are additions to the program that give it all a slightly different twist. One is a nicely done version of Richard Addinisell's (1904-1977) "Warsaw Concerto" (1941). It is a sort of post-Rachmaninoff-ian splash of Romantic color that was quite popular and often performed in my childhood but rather less played today. It strikes a nostalgic chord with me but then it is worth hearing in this performance regardless.

The three additional works on the program give us a good sampling of bravura 20th century piano-orchestral showpieces that have a pronounced older jazz flavor. One is in a first, world premiere recording, a 1977 Paul Turok composition entitled "Ragtime Caprice."  It has a delightful sort of patina. Then we get to hear a rather luminous version of Gershwin's 1934 "Variations on 'I Got Rhythm.'" which sounds current, fresh and vital in this rendition. Finally and most happily we have a very welcome version of Duke Ellington's "New World A-Comin'" in its orchestral concerto guise, in the final version as arranged and edited by Maurice Peress. It sounds every bit as good as one might hope for, rousing and dazzling, an Ellington evergreen.

In the end the program fascinates and percolates with excellent energy from Pierce and orchestra. It is music that at times is somewhat "light" but that in the best sense of also being fun. It is a pleasure to hear this. Give it a spin and see if it does not coax a smile or two out of you as you listen.

Pedro Faria Gomes, Chamber Works

In the person of Portuguese composer Pedro Faria Gomes (b. 1979), at least as we hear on the engaging new collection Chamber Works (Naxos 8.579029), there is at times a kind of contemplative introspection in common with Erik Satie and Morton Feldman. Yet in Gomes we have an original harmonic-melodic Modernist approach throughout that has a definite original spin, so it would be a mistake to think of Gomes as a member of either "school" per se. He stands apart as his own voice.

Eight compositions grace the program, five of them in premiere recordings. Each is for a small instrumental configuration and it varies from piece-to-piece. The performances are uniformly fine, featuring at various times Sarah Thurlow on clarinet, Carla Santos on violin, Nancy Johnson on viola, Miguel Fernandes on cello, and Saul Picado on piano.

Gomes was born in Lisbon and from an early age studied piano and eventually composition there before getting his postgraduate degrees at the Royal College of Music in London. He taught in Portugal for eight years then did the same for a time in Hong Kong. He currently is a lecturer at Cardiff University in Wales.

The eight works were written between 2008 and 2018. They hang together stylistically as being of a consistent sound and outlook. Though "Memoria" (2012) for clarinet and piano and the "Sonata" (2018) for violin and piano make some use of Portuguese folk themes the overall thrust of the music throughout is in the idiom of Contemporary chamber expression, with a particular brand of harmonic sophistication that defies easy comparison and then often too carries a very personal introspection, at times rather broadly spacious, somewhat quiet and dream-like. And then again there are movements and passages at times expressionistically more boisterous as well, as we hear in parts of the "Sonata."

The music has a sort of deep seriousness,  a subtle and somewhat esoteric quality that can be an important aspect of the present-day chamber music approach since last century and artists like Bartok.

Some fine clarinet writing distinguishes "Memoria" for clarinet and piano, "Thanatos" (2008) for clarinet, violin, viola and cello, "Returning" (2010) for clarinet, violin and piano and finally the rather stunning five movement "Nachtmusik" (2012) for clarinet and piano. That leaves for mention the very short "Escape" (2007) for solo piano, "Espera" (2009) for viola and piano and "Elegia" (2007) for cello. The works all show a high caliber of imagination and workmanship.

As the CD jacket notes tell us in some detail, the works address the idea of time as played out in "memory, change and waiting." For that I refer you to the notes and the experience of deep listening that this offering provides in rich abundance.

Pedro Faria Gomes shows us a fine and original new voice on Chamber Works. The album maps out a series of brilliances that anyone serious about Modern Chamber Music will want to experience. Highly recommended.

Boris Tishchenko Complete Works for Harp, Ionello Marinutsa, International Parisian Symphony Orchestra, Mikhail Sugako

Latter-day Russian Modernist composer Boris Tishchenko (1939-2010) shows us some definite traction on the recent Complete Works for Harp (Naxos 8.579048). It turns out that the whole harp output fits handily on a single 53-minute CD. Happily the music has no shortage of bright moments within a general outline of significant original soundings. It is a good example of why it is important to keep up with the constant flow of forthcoming New Music.

Harpist Ionella Marinutsa comes through with elegance and inspiration, especially for the main event, the 40-some-odd minute "Harp Concerto, Op. 69" (1977) which also brings to our ears nicely the International Parisian Symphony Orchestra under conductor Mikhail Sugako.

The Concerto has a deliberate quality at times, building additive blocks of musical language that owe something to Stravinsky, Varese, Shostakovich and Messiaen in the way they parse out yet the logic of the unfolding and the content is immanently Tishchenko-esque at root. There are especially additive movements among the five and they form critical parts of the musical exegesis. Chamber and orchestral elements combine and interchange in those sections, with smaller instrumental combinations giving way to the larger ones marking climactic increases in density. But then there are various returns of the solo textures throughout and it all makes a special sense. The interplay of solo instruments (especially harp) and orchestral thickets expands in time into an eloquence that holds its own,

The syntax shifts out of the additive mode for a denser texture and sometimes quite virtuoso high expression from harp and orchestra. The fourth movement features an unexpected lyric wordless vocal that nicely alters the mix (and thanks to soprano Anara Khassenova the performance level is high).

The entire concerto rings forward with an originality that feels as Russian as it does cosmopolitan. With repeated listens it takes on a monumental quality and consistently stands out as singular and engaging.

The two short chamber works are songful vehicles for soprano (Khassenova), harp (Marinutsa) and either flute (Artem Naumenko) on "To My Brother,' (1986) or organ (Anna Homenya) on "Testament" (1986). Both are sophisticated yet lyrically engaging and hold listener interest even after more than a few listens.

I found that by the third time through or so the CD began to take on a significance that affirmed the centrality of the New Music universe as a place to witness the bold step forward. It all hangs together increasingly with further passes and serves to remind us why Tishenko has been considered as as a spiritual successor to Shostakovitch. Whatever one might decide (and I have not heard enough to say right now) he shows himself brightly on this program. Bravo! Highly recommended.

Paul Moravec, Sanctuary Road, Oratorio Society of New York, Kent Tritle

Paul Moravec (b 1957) chose wisely when he decided to pay homage to William Still for his heroic role as a "conductor" and observer of the Underground Railroad and its secret network. Still helped along the safe transport and eventual freedom of more than 900 fugitive slaves. Moravec has collaborated with librettist Mark Campbell in the resultant Sanctuary Road, An oratorio based on the writings of William Still (Naxos 8.559884).

I note with this review post the world premiere performance and recording from the 2018 Carnegie Hall  debut in release just now on Naxos. It gives our ears a representative and spirited indication of the work. After a number of listens I report in to you on my impressions.

Kent Tritle most capably conducts and directs the Oratorio Society of New York Chorus and Orchestra as they mesh with the five vocalists in their respective solo roles. The proceedings were well recorded. Along with a 20-minute discussion that follows, the performance sequence takes up a full CD. There is much music of interest to be explored.

The oratorio focuses on the dramatic, poetic yet matter-of-fact musical setting of Mark Campbell's libretto, which in turn takes its cue from Afro-American abolutionist William Still's detailed and moving documentary writing. Still left us an invaluable and moving record of the circumstances, participants and daunting challenges faced by the brilliantly heroic facilitators of the often perilous operations of the Railroad from the beginning-to-mid 19th century.

Still as an important Underground Railroad "conductor" himself  was eyewitness to a good bit of it from his Philadelphia location. We hear in the oratorio testimonial texts inspired by his writings (principally The Underground Railroad Records) on the biographical situations of those involved, the bold and often brilliant disguises and ruses that facilitated escape to the North, and the extraordinary courage of all involved.

Musically all this takes place in a series of vignettes that alternately collage myriads of participant names, circumstances, places with contrasting, more detailed scene descriptions, including those experiences Still himself had documenting and facilitating while reflecting on it all.

Ultimately a kind of deserved  triumphal "huzzah" concludes the oratorio with the amassed cast.

This is musically a kind of tonal, middle-of-the-road styling, through-composed throughout without vestiges of either Minimalist repetition or High Modernist harmonic edginess. Yet that is certainly not to say that the music is somehow generic. It is not. It is filled with individual and memorable moments more with a black-and-white musical-documentary presence than with multi-technicolor sound emanations. There is a plainness at times that suits the need to recognize the sheer unvarnished drama of the period and its search to achieve abolutionist justice.

The power and clarity of the scoring of vocal and orchestral parts prevails and in the end wins the day.

So I must say there is a kind of rightness to the way the musical content lays out. It is extremely well crafted in musical terms and it sets off the text so that the experience is commemorative, rightly honoring, remembering but of course still providing a history-as-art experience. I come away with a feeling of satisfaction, of approval. You should hear this.