WUORINEN: Tashi; Percussion Quartet; Fortune. Group for Contemporary Music; New Jersey Percussion Ensemble. Naxos 8.559321. 68 minutes.
Charles Wuorinen has been a fixture on the American compositional scene for over three decades. He is a controversial figure, more for his commentary than for his music. His music, including the three pieces on this Naxos disc, is far more user friendly than his pronouncements.
It is well-known that Wuorinen is a twelve-tone composer, but it may be a little less well-known that he constructs his rows and pieces so that there are fleeting instances of tonal reference, so that the ear often has a place to land, if only for a moment. He also prefers textures that are thick with complementary lines rather than oppositional lines. (I heard him say in a lecture in 1980 that he was “sick” of the kind of drama of contrast found in the music of Elliott Carter.) His music is rhythmically active and a beat is almost always present.
What I like most in Wuorinen’s music is his orchestration. The instruments always sound good, as if the difficulties of execution are calculated to increase the brightness and clarity of the instrumental sound. This is particularly evident in the Percussion Quartet, given an exciting performance here by the New Jersey Percussion Ensemble. All of the qualities mentioned above are present in this attractive and engaging work.
The two works for clarinet, violin, cello, and piano, Tashi and Fortune, are both well-written and played here with commitment and expression by members of the Group for Contemporary Music. Tashi is the more fully realized of the two, with its relentless intensity and heightened expression.
There are times when Wuorinen’s intensity seems to devolve into note-churning, and it becomes wearing. Still, this is music worth playing and listening to.
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Hear! Hear! Sounds like a great disc.
With respect, and not intended angrily … “note-churning” me eyeball! With notes like those, he can churn away all he wants. So did Bach.
I never got around to doing the reviews for S21 that I’d wanted to do. (My fault.) But on the issue of CW’s rep, I did do a piece for Fanfare, reprinted on Naxos’ site. (The second review down.) Those interested might be interested.
http://www.naxos.com/mainsite/blurbs_reviews.asp?item_code=8.559288&catNum=559288&filetype=Reviews&language=English&title=Reviews