McCormick Percussion Group, Plot: Music for Unspecified Instruments

Works for percussion ensemble have evolved over the years, so that at times the idiomatic sorts of music like "Ionization" by Varese or early John Cage works have been supplemented by music that claims its sound parameters in less percussion-precise terms. On the edge of this is music that could be played by percussion instruments or any combination of instruments whatsoever and further, music that does not have any one set of possible outcomes, but depends upon a particular realization in the performance setting.

The worthy institution of the McCormick Percussion Group under Robert McCormick has devoted a two-CD set to these sorts of works. Plot: Music for Unspecified Instruments (Ravello 7916 2-CDs) gives us a fascinating look at seven such examples, the most famous being Earl Brown's "December 1952" but there are a diverse set of possibilities included on the program, which covers a wide time period between 1935 and 2010-11.

The pitch versus the unpitched percussion instruments give us of course two different possible worlds of sound. And in the end in such pieces the unpitched do increasingly get perceived in their never-absent pitched possibilities, though it is a matter more for perception than special intent given the parameters of the works.

The universe of possibilities gets various realizations: "Bones" (2000) by Stuart Saunders Smith consists of "melodies and piano music," with the order, tempo and dynamics subject to improvisation.

"Nine and a Half for Henry (And Wilbur and Orville)" (1970) by Robert Erickson deals with tapes capturing the sounds of engines and machinery with the musicians instructed to relate freely to those sounds.

"Percussion" (1935) by Johanna Magdalena Beyer has specific written parts and is part of a body of diverse works by this most neglected composer.

"Percussion Responses" (1964) by James Tenney consists of graphic notation for a number of percussionists in interaction with Tenney's electromagnetic tape of computer generated sounds, "Ergodos II."

"Plot" (1967) by Herbert Brun is a graphics score for solo percussionist with specific choices on the part of the performer in terms of instrument, method of sound production, timbre and "sound connectivity."

"Pacific Sirens" (1969), yet another work by Robert Erickson, uses electronically transformed sounds of the surf with specific instrumental reponses for a continuous "siren song."

"December 1952" (1952) is Earl Brown's historic, graphically notated score meant for improvisational use by any number and combination of players, here in a realization for vibraphone and piano.

Finally, "Winter" (2010-11) by Stuart Saunders Smith, consists of a large array of "musical ideas and through-composed solos" that an unspecified number of instruments make use of by "recomposing" the sequence and content in any given performance.

That is the run-down of what this anthology contains. Most of these works would sound very different in content when performed by other players at other times. The McCormick Percussion Group thus puts their own personal stamp on this anthology to perhaps a much greater degree than they might with works that presuppose a set instrumentation and notation sequence.

That they succeed in providing us with a long program of definitive interest and atmospheric presence is a testament to the group and Robert McCormick's sympathetic and very creative artistry. Perhaps ironically the music has a kind of wholeness that mostly exists outside the personalities of the individual performers, an ensemble cohesiveness that is more than the sum of the artists involved. This in a way is the opposite of jazz improvisation, which typically demands a stylistically individual response with the emphasis on sound-personality fingerprinting.

The anthology fascinates and beguiles consistently as it also challenges the listener to come to grips with the form and structure inherent in the freedom these works provide. It is as liberating in its own way for the listener as it is for the performers. Bravo!

Richard Wagner, Wesendonck-Lieder, Edward Elgar, Sea Pictures, etc. Sarah Rose Taylor, Nigel Potts

When you listen to music over a lifetime, some of it becomes like "old friends," ever-generating of significant time spent, ever renewing. I suppose I would say that of Richard Wagner's "Wesendonck-Lieder," which I still have an old London LP of that I bought now long ago, as sung by the inimitable Kirsten Flagstad.

Old friends like that can change a bit over time, not only in how you hear the music, but in new performances. Today mezzo-soprano Sarah Rose Taylor with Nigel Potts at the organ, give us a notable version, along with Sir Edward Elgar's "Sea Pictures" and etc. (MSR 1532).

Wagner and Elgar go well together, no surprise there. Both works were intended for something other than organ, the "Wesendonck" for solo piano but later orchestrated in full by Felix Mottl, the "Sea Pictures" for orchestra. Added to the program is Wagner's "Prelude" from "Tristan und Isolde," fitting since parts of the "Wesendonck" were reworked for that opera (notably the Love Scene). Also added is "The Angel's Farewell" from Elgar's "The Dream of Gerontius." It all goes together quite nicely here.

Grace Cloutier joins Potts on harp for parts of the "Prelude" and "Sea Pictures." Both she and Potts are in excellent form, but ultimately this is a spotlight for Sarah Rose Taylor. She has a very beautful mezzo-soprano voice, filled with lyrical tenderness and power as needed. I am very impressed with her vocal artistry.

Ms. Taylor's ravishing voice, the organ (and harp) arrangements and the Potts/Cloutier realizations of these exceptional works make this program a very special one. This is music of a fleeting eternity of moments in lives and the mood is captured with a touching resonance on this disk.

It is unforgettable and Sarah Rose Taylor is a marvel!

Christopher Rouse, Seeing, Kabir Padavali, Albany Symphony, David Alan Miller

Perhaps an excellent test for a recording of works of modern complexity is if on a few listens it remains vividly etched in the mind in spite of a period of highly distracting everyday situations. That's the case for me with American composer Christopher Rouse and his world premiere recordings of Seeing and Kabir Padavali (Naxos 8.559799). Both works were written in 1998 and feature the Albany Symphony under David Alan Miller.

"Seeing" is a piano concerto with Orion Weiss effectively attacking the solo part. "Kabir Padavali" is a setting of texts by Indian poet Kabir and features Talise Trevigne in the soprano solo role.

"Seeing" was commissioned for Emanuel Axe and the New York Philharmonic. In discussions with the composer before the work was composed, Emanuel revealed that he never planned to perform Robert Schumann's celebrated "Piano Concerto" out of a feeling of modesty. The composer as a sort of humorous aside dealt with a few motifs from the concerto as he began writing the work. The composer was searching his mind for an appropriate title for the work when he by chance came across an old rock recording in his collection, namely Moby Grape 69. As he listened again after a number of years he was struck by the final track, "Seeing," written by the group's guitarist Skip Spence. A chance encounter with a book on rock history shortly after revealed to Rouse that Spence had become incurably psychotic and was institutionalized.

Given Schumann's mental illness a pattern became clear to Rouse, and the result is that "Seeing" is thematically centered around sanity and the lack, on the world as seen through the eyes of mental illness. There are occasional quotations from Schumann's concerto but on the whole this is a work that emphasizes extremes in consonance and dissonance. It is a brash, exciting work with some fiendishly difficult and extroverted piano expressions and an orchestral give-and-take that magnifies and comments on the piano's role in a hugely expressive, rather unforgettable manner. The effect is ultra-modern and extraordinarily dynamic. Weiss and the Albany Symphony under Miller give the work life in beautiful ways. It is a modernist blockbuster!

The second work, "Kabir Padavali" is highly contrastive, modern in a more reflective way, dealing with the poet Kabir's imagery and musings on the world, on music, on life from an Indian religious point of view. Ms. Trevigne gives her part a lovely reading. The music complements "Seeing" as a very different mood piece, more searching than gestural, but equally vivid in its very evocative unveiling through time.

It is an album of considerable interest. The world premiere performances do the music justice impressively and it shows us two sides of the masterful Christopher Rouse that brings his considerable orchestral acuity to the forefront while creating piano and soprano solo roles that stand out for their marvelous construction and affective interactions with the orchestra.

Christopher Rouse is an essential composer in the high modernist camp. This volume gives you two excellent examples of his music, played with zeal and precision. Highly recommended!

Accentus, Bruno Mantovani, Voices

Accentus is a crack choral ensemble directed by Laurence Equilbey and Pieter-Jelle de Boer. They embark on an exploration of the works of Boris Mantovani for their recent album Voices (Naive 5420). Four works are represented: "Cinq poemes de Janos Pilinsky," "Vier geistliche Gedichte," "Monde evanoui (Fragments pour Babylone)," and "Cantate No 4 'Komm, Jesu, Komm.'" Added to the choral ensemble as needed (on "Cantate") are Sonia Wieder-Atherton on cello and Pascal Contet on accordion.

All are atmospherically ultra-modern in a post-Ligeti cum Bruno Mantovanian way. Blocks of sound events are laid out architectonically like the structures of a building-in-progress with relative quiescence or agitation as the composer warrants for each sequential unit.

The music demands precision, expression and a highly sonorous musical quality that Accentus takes to readily and beautifully. It would be no exaggeration to state that they come off here as a supreme vehicle for modernist choral music. This is by no means an easy set of pieces to perform but they make it all work with a seeming effortlessness and ease that is by no means easy to achieve.

Kudos, Bruno Mantovani. Kudos, Accentus!

Grazyna Bacewicz, Complete String Quartets 2, Lutoslawski Quartet

Here we are in the middle of the second decade of the new millennium. We've finally gotten comfortable with the spelling of the word millennium, things are moving on towards a new age of some sort, yet the 20th century has not yielded all its charms to the bulk of us. Not yet.

An excellent example of what we are uncovering can be found in the recent release of the Complete String Quartets 2 of Grazyna Bacewicz (1909-1969) (Naxos 8.572007) as played by the Lutoslawski Quartet. It is the concluding volume of the set that so vividly conveys the exceptional worth of the seven quartets, in its very considerable renditions of her String Quartets No. 4 (1951), No. 2 (1943), and No. 5 (1955). (See the August 26th posting for the review of volume 1.)

Volume 2 affirms the high quality of all the quartets, as volume 1 partly revealed. These are indeed gems of 20th century chamber music, unknown to most of us until now. It shows a Grazyna Bacewicz of excellent craftsmanship and high invention. Each quartet occupies a world unto its own, and the sum total is impressive indeed.

Based on the fine performances of the Lutoslawski Quartet in the two volumes, Bacewicz's Quartets occupy the highest levels of expressive achievement in this genre, rivaling Bartok, Carter and Ligeti in their own way. They bear the stamp of Bacewicz's position in time, with each being a reflection of where she stood in her stylistic development. But none sound transitional or tentative. Each is fully satisfying, complete.

The liner notes tell me that the Fourth Quartet has been one of the better known in the cycle, and there is good reason why it might have gotten attention. It has commanding thematic content. Yet Nos. 2 and 5 do not feel the lesser for it.

They show a composer very familiar with the string instruments and what they are capable of, a great sense of fluency, a modernism that is not as radical as Carter's, surely, but there is a tempered lyrical robustness to her quartets and a general sense of synthesis of the entire century's advances up to each point in time--and an expressive four-part facility that is second to none.

And that I can attest to by the evidence of my ears more so than some analytic acumen one might get with score in hand and plenty of time and space. That isn't needed to appreciate the worth of these works, because their beauty and eloquence are very much available to the careful listener.

If you value the celebration of exceptional women composers, and who does not, and if the string quartet is a genre you love, or even if you are simply in search of composers who deserve your attention, this set is essential. And for Bacewicz lovers already initiated, it goes without saying that these will broaden your appreciation considerably. They are gems and the performances are on the highest levels! Seek no further if you seek something "new" and excellent to enliven your everyday world right now. Modernism in the 20th century has yielded more treasures! Who knew?

Niels Lyhne Lokkegaard, Sound X Sound, Music for 30 Chromatic Tuners

Another 45 RPM "Single," as it were, is now available from composer Niels Lyhne Lokkegaard, namely Sound X Sound Music for 30 Chromatic Tuners (Hiatus 013).

Lokkegaard creates his music, as the title suggests, from a veritable orchestra of digital tuners.

Tones emerge, are in part de-tuned into microtonal complexes as fascinating as they are dense and rich. As per the last release (type his name in the search box above for that) Lokkegaard shows us the possibilities available from a collective gathering of tones generated by simple means which thrive in their multiplicity, when experienced in such "orchestral" settings.

It is a simple idea on the surface yet yields nice results via the rigor of the realizations and the untoward virtuality and reality in space.

It is a worthy irreverence and another fine example of Lokkegaard's sense of inventive sonic possibilities.

Join in the beehive-like swarm of sound as a listener. Listening does not feel passive when the sounds are collectively expressed in this way. You feel in the middle of it all, not on the outside. Listen!

Philip Glass, Glassworlds 2, Complete Etudes Nos. 1-20, Nicolas Horvath

There is a point where performance can make or break a work. I've certainly come to that with many pieces, but for some of the minimalists it is especially true. Philip Glass, one of the doyens of minimalism (even though perhaps he does not like the term) has been quite prolific in later years. The solo piano works are very much a part of the output, and in the past I have found some of them disappointing.

I don't feel that way on the recent recording Glassworks 2, Complete Etudes Nos. 1-20 (Grand Piano 690). And as I listen I realize it has much to do with Nicolas Horvath as the pianist. This is his second collection of Glass pieces. I have not heard the first as yet, but this one gives me plenty to appreciate.

The works were composed in spurts from the nineties through to nearly today. They have a cyclical quality as one might expect from Glass. The brilliant Lisztian-Rachmaninovian virtuosity that Nicolas Horvath brings to the cycle generates a good deal of bravado and even excitement. It makes of the Etudes a series of grand flourishes, of tumultuous outbursts that become something more than a sort of rote attention to the motifs would give you.

Glass himself tends to look at these works as allowing a good deal of latitude, as the liner notes mention, and the Horvath way seems much in keeping with the works and their potential.

So it all comes across as music with powerful impact. In Horvath's hands these are convincing torrents of pianistic energy! Bravo!