CD Reviews

John Corigliano

A Dylan Thomas Trilogy

Naxos

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Sir Thomas Allen, baritone; Ty Jackson, boy soprano; John Tessier, tenor; Nashville Symphony Chorus; Nashville Symphony Orchestra; Leonard Slatkin, conductor

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This is the first large-scale composition that I have heard from John Corigliano in quite some time. Back in the mid-90s, I was really taken with his music. My favorite works were his Clarinet Concerto, Three Hallucinations, parts of his Symphony #1, and the opera Ghosts of Versailles. What I enjoyed most about his music were his vibrant colors and wild textures. His music used, to my ears, contemporary techniques in a very approachable emotional package. This was my perspective as a grad student over a decade ago, please do not substitute it as “the truth.”

All that being said, A Dylan Thomas Trilogy contains precious little of the materials that initially drew me to Corigliano’s music. This sound is much more conservative from just about every aspect and, to my ears, it loses a great amount of personality because of it. Each movement of the 5-part trilogy (two prologues surround the first “real” movement, Fern Hill) is pure Romanticism without any of the techniques, style, or personality that made Corigliano stand out in the first place.

Don’t get me wrong, the whole disc is well performed and the music is lovely. Corigliano knows what he is doing and how to write the music that he wants to hear. It Just sounds as though it could have been written by anyone. Few of the traits that I enjoyed from earlier Corigliano works are present. The second prologue is vibrant and hints at some of the playful moments from Ghosts, as does the opening of the Poem from October movement. It doesn’t take long, though, until the music transitions back to the fairly pedestrian Romanticism that makes up the bulk of this piece.

Is it unfair for me to judge Corigliano’s music this way because I haven’t kept speed with his stylistic evolution? Perhaps. No need to blast me in the Comments section for this. It is merely my opinion, substitute your own as needed. I’ll say it again: the music is very pretty and well performed. I just don’t take anything special from it. I identify the music as attractive, but not memorable. If you are a fan of Romanticism (no neo- prefix needed here), then you will most likely enjoy this disc. If you, like me, still enjoy doing impersonations of his Clarinet Concerto even though I haven’t heard the work in over 12 years, you might want to check out something else.

WUORINEN: Ashberyana; Praegustatum; Fenton Songs I and II; Ave Christe (Josquin); Josquiniana. Sarah Rothenberg, Alan Feinberg, piano; Leon Williams, baritone; James Pugh, trb; Mark Steinberg, David Fulmer, vln; Misha Amory, vla; Nina Maria Lee, vcl; Lucy Shelton, soprano; Brentano String Quartet; Charles Wuorinen, conductor. Naxos 8.559377. 61 minutes.

Charles Wuorinen’s rhetorical bark has always been sharper, edgier, than his musical bark. Many of his verbal excesses about the primacy of 12-tone technique and the death of tonality have proven less than prophetic.

In fact, Wuorinen’s own musical development has belied his bellicose statements. Much of his music expresses a direct, modern lyrical impulse. He has a good ear for instrumental color and line. The biggest problem I’ve had with Wuorinen’s music in the past is that I’ve often found his rhythmic style in conflict with his pitch vocabulary””the rhythms feel much more tonal than the harmonies and melodies would seem to suggest.

The accompanied trombone solo that begins the first piece on this Naxos disc, Ashberyana, (written in 2004 for baritone, trombone, string quartet, and piano, on poems of John Ashbery) reveals a composer whose style has resolved the tensions within his musical personality. Or a critic who is hearing better. At any rate, the trombone’s lyrical line (played with style and power by James Pugh), with its fleeting but unmistakable tonal references, is accompanied by sharp, dissonant chords on the piano.

Wuorinen’s text setting is clear, though the vocal line is often more angular than the trombone line, but this is appropriate for Ashbery’s poetry, with its ellipitical imagery and complex structure. Baritone Leon Williams gives a strong performance of the difficult vocal part, and the composer leads Da Camera of Houston in a solid, authoritative performance.

The rest of the program, consisting of a solo piano work (very well played by Sarah Rothenberg), two brief song cycles on poetry by James Fenton (sung with intense conviction by Lucy Shelton), and some Josquin arrangements, is solid and musical. Naxos’ sound is very good, and Sarah Rothenberg’s notes are informative.

 

HEGGIE: For a Look or a Touch; SCHWARZ: In Memoriam; LAITMAN: The Seed of Dream. Morgan Smith, Erich Parce, baritone; Julian Patrick, actor; Julian Schwarz, cello, Mina Miller, piano; Music of Remembrance. Naxos 8.559379. 61 minutes.

Music of Remembrance is a Seattle-based ensemble/organization dedication to the creation (through commissions), performance, and dissemination of music whose subject is the Holocaust, especially victims of the Holocaust who were musicians.

This Naxos disc includes first recordings of three memorial pieces, two of which (are Lori Laitman’s The Seed of Dream and Jake Heggie’s For a Look or a Touch) are Music of Remembrance commissions. The Seed of Dream, for baritone, cello, and piano, is a setting of poems by Vilna Ghetto survivor Abraham Sutzkever. The mood is, naturally, dark, but there are often rays of light and hope in Laitman’s direct and lyrical music. Erich Parce sings the vocal line in a rich baritone voice. Cellist Julian Schwarz and Music of Remembrance Artistic Director Mina Miller (piano) provide solid and poetic accompaniment.

Gerard Schwarz’ In Memoriam is a very straight-forward lament. His experience as a conductor (he is currently Music Director of the Seattle Symphony) shows in how well he writes for string instruments. The piece is in three clearly laid out sections, and is ably played by Julian Schwarz and member of Music of Remembrance.

The revelation of the disc, for me anyway, is Jake Heggie’s For a Look or a Touch. Heggie is best known as a composer of opera (Dead Man Walking) and this piece, though not an opera, shows its composer as an artist who knows his way around narrative and drama. For a Look or a Touch (libretto by Gene Scheer) is a story of a Holocaust survivor and his struggle to remember his lover, who died at Auschwitz. It is a romantic and harrowing work, one of the first to deal directly with the persecution of homosexuals by the Nazis. Heggie’s music is eclectic, with touches of romantic jazz along side passages that explore the darker aspects of the story without ever wallowing in bathos. Morgan Smith ably sings the role of survivor Gad, while the role of his doomed lover, Manfred is read by Julian Patrick. The device works, and the piece is very moving. Members of the Music of Remembrance ensemble play Heggie’s music with skill and conviction.

Alberto Ginastera

Complete Music for Cello and Piano

Naxos Records

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Mark Kosower, cello; Jee-Won Oh, piano
Pampeana No. 2, Cinco canciones populares argentinas, Puneí±a No. 2, Cello Sonata

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There are a lot of great things about this recording. If you are a fan of Ginastera’s music, this recording is a wonderful collection showcasing all of the rich details that endear his output to me. The music has rich and occasionally edgy harmonies, wonderful rhythmic propulsion, and extremely lyrical melodies. I find Ginastera to be a perfect example of rugged modernism that is still palatable to more conservative musical tastes. Mark Kosower’s tone is rich, earthy, and deep, making it a perfect match to the material at hand. Paired with Jee-Won Oh on piano, Kosower is stellar at finding the inner life of each piece and communicating that life to the listener. Each work is played with just the right amount of power or tenderness, depending on the need. Kosower’s arrangements of the Cinco canciones populares argentinas are equally sensitive and nuanced, making his efforts on this disc a double-threat.

Urban Requiem

Youngstown State University
Symphonic Wind Ensemble

Naxos

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Spin Cycle, Scott Lindroth
Introduction and Rondo-Capriccioso, Camille Saint-Saí«ns (arr. Lee Brooks)
October, Eric Whitacre
Urban Requiem, Michael Colgrass
Overture on Russian and Kirghiz Folk Songs, Dmitry Shostakovich (arr. Guy Duker)
Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, John Philip Sousa

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Another solid entry for Naxos’s Wind Band Classics series has been made by the Youngstown State University Symphonic Wind Ensemble directed by Stephen L. Gage. Everything about this disc was done well: performance, music selection, programming, the whole works.

The opening track, Scott Lindroth’s Spin Cycle, is one of those colorful, peppy, wildly orchestration works that are so popular among wind ensembles (performers and audiences alike). The title alone tells you what to expect. The piece uses charming amounts of colorful fluff and energy but doesn’t wear out its welcome. The Saint-Saí«ns arrangement replaces the solo violin with flute and clarinet, allowing for some nice timbral shifts and octave doublings. Kathryn Thomas Umble and Robert Fitzer (flute and clarinet, respectively) perform the work in such a way that I don’t miss the violin at all. Nor does this arrangement make me think this work was originally for orchestra. Eric Whitacre’s October is a deceptive piece. The basics of the work are very simple (nice somber tune, mellow mood, well balanced on color and substance) but the execution is much harder than it seems. Intonation traps are abundant and the YSUSWE does an admirable job navigating those traps. The ensemble also does a great job with the work’s overall narrative shape and linear flow.

The meatiest piece on the disc is the 30 minute Urban Requiem for sax quartet and wind ensemble (saxophones are performed by James Umble, Allen Cordingley, Kent Engelhardt, and Joseph Carey). The piece is crazy. There is a sinewy stream-of-consciousness flow to the form. Murky and foreboding passages are followed by spastic and energetic bursts (with little warning). Avant garde riffs give way to comical dance bits. Basically, the whole piece is a series of WTF moments but the overall effect is compellingly performed and expressed. The performance is completely engrossing and well worth every second.

Another arrangement on the disc, Shostakovich’s Overture on Russian and Kirghiz Folk Songs, brings us back down from the wild ride of the Colgrass. Again, this arrangement is well scored and makes the ensemble sound good without making you think they need a big string section. The closing Sousa march is, as they usually have been on this series, a rousing way to finish things off. I’m grateful for the selection of this particular march since it isn’t one that I hear as often as others. Sure, most Sousa marches sound the same, but there are some really nice harmonic twists and some darker brass fanfares in this particular number.

Chamber Symphony #2 and more

Robert Craft Collection

Naxos

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Chamber Symphony No. 2, Philharmonia Orchestra, Robert Craft
Die glückliche Hand, Mark Beesley, bass; Simon Joly Chorale; Philharmonia Orchestra, Robert Craft
Wind Quintet, New York Woodwind Quintet

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The overall quality of the Robert Craft Collection on Naxos continues with this Schoenberg disc. What interests me are some of the notes included that talk about how Chamber Symphony No. 2 “ought to be the most popular of Schoenberg’s later masterpieces.” The piece gets a wonderful and sultry performance by the Philharmonia Orchestra but I must say I still prefer the first Chamber Symphony. I think the overall maturity of Chamber Symphony No. 2, both in composition and performance, is something that is lost on me. I still prefer the “Richard Strauss on meth” energy of the earlier work. In time, I’m sure that will change.

Die glückliche Hand gets a great and powerful, and overly creepy, performance. Mark Beesley is clearly comfortable in The Man’s overall discomfort and his voice is well tuned to the wacky expressionist angst that surrounds him. The Wind Quintet, a work that is not often performed nor recorded, also gets great treatment for this CD. The notes talk mainly about the speed at which the New York Wind Quintet plays the work (being one of the only recordings or performances lasting under an hour). This is a beefy and thorny work which commands virtuosity on all levels from every performer all the time. The ensemble has a terrific mastery of the piece and they do not make the quintet sound as hard and laborious as it really is. The Wind Quintet could be as hard to listen to as it is to play (and I’m a fan of Schoenberg’s music) but the New York Wind Quintet really takes control and delivers a great performance. At some point, I know that these Craft Collection discs will stop. I hope it isn’t soon…

WHEELER: The Construction of Boston. William Hite, Charles Blandy, tenor; Krista River, mezzo-soprano; Marcus DeLoach, Christí²pheren Nomura, baritone; Christine Swistro, Sharla Nafziger, soprano; Elizabeth Anker, contralto; Chorus & Orchestra of The Boston Cecilia/ Donald Teeters. Naxos 8.669018. 60 minutes.

Scott Wheeler’s The Construction of Boston (libretto by Kenneth Koch; 1989, r. 2002) is a delightful one-act allegory on, well, the building of the city of Boston. As is the case with many recent American operas, it is stylistically eclectic, but there is no feeling of pastiche, and the composer’s musical personality is evident throughout.

The music is accessible, edgily tonal most of the time, with a feeling of Bernstein-style Broadway in some of the choruses. The vocal writing is idiomatic and the words come through very clearly. Wheeler’s rhythmic style is beat-oriented but also free and striking. His orchestration is inventive””bright and arresting.

The vocal performances are solid to excellent, with standout performances by tenor William Hite (as “The Opera” and Jean Tinguely), soprano Sharla Nafziger (as Niki de St Phalle), and baritone Christí²pheren Nomura (as Robert Rauschenberg; I told you it was an allegory). The chorus and orchestra of The Boston Cecilia, led by Donald Teeters, give very good accountings of themselves. The sound in this concert performance is very good. Everything is audible and the balance is as good as you would find in a studio recording.

All in all, a very pleasant way to spend an hour.

Piano Music of Ahmet Adnan Saygun

Zeynep Ucbasaran, piano

Naxos

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Anadolu’dan (From Anatolia), Aksak Tartilar íœzerine 12 Prelüd (12 Preludes on Aksak Rhythms), Inci’nin Kitabi (Inci’s Book), Aksak Tartilar íœzerine 10 Taslak (10 Sketches on Aksak Rhythms), Sonatina

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Billed as the Bartí³k of Turkish folk music, this CD of piano compositions by Ahmet Saygun lives up to that reference. The pieces are playful, rhythmic, quirkily melodic, fun, and refreshing. I think connecting Saygun to Bartí³k is apt in the scope and source of Saygun’s material but it should by no means cast a shadow over Saygun’s own compositional voice. These pieces are not “Bartí³k-lite” but a wonderful set of miniatures (in length but not in spirit) written in a similar style. Rhythms are at times laid out like a groove and at other times abstracted into spiky punctuations. My favorite works on the disc are the 12 Preludes for their dramatic abstractions and sharp edges as well as the Sonatina since, for some reason, I just always seem to get a kick out of sonatinas. Saygun’s Sonatina expertly compresses bold gestures without making the listener feel short changed. Zeynep íœcbasaran’s technique and expression are perfectly matched to the material.

American Tapestry

Lone Star Wind Orchestra,
Eugene Migliaro Corporon, conductor

Naxos

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Star Spangled Banner, arranged by John Williams
American Overture, Joseph Willcox Jenkins
Suite from the opera Merry Mount, Howard Hanson
Rhapsody in Blue, George Gershwin (with Richard Shuster, piano)
Ceremonial Fanfare, Christopher Tucker
Radiant Joy, Steven Bryant
Suite of Old American Dances, Robert Russell Bennett
The Washington Post March, John Philip Sousa

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I am glad to see the diverse offerings on Naxos’ fairly recent series “Wind Band Classics.” With this country’s strong tradition of music for winds I am constantly surprised at how underground some of the recordings can be. There are many great discs out there of band music but they never seem to merit the same marketing attention of orchestral discs. When you consider how many people in this country, and in the world, have played in a band at some point in their lives as opposed to the number of people who have played in an orchestra, I would have expected band discs to sell like hotcakes. Joan Tower’s Made in America was noteworthy for the number of performances it received, yet if she had score the piece for wind band that number of performance would probably have tripled. I hope to see higher profile band recordings now that the über-colossus-mega-giant Naxos has been churning out the goods.

This disc in particular is a strong representation of quality music for winds. The Lone Star Wind Orchestra has a deep, rich sound that works well on each piece. When you see that Corporon is conducting, you have a pretty good idea of how the group is going to sound: thick and meaty with an overall glaze of perfection. Some artistic choices might rub some listeners the wrong way, but these choices are never made haphazardly by the Maestro.

You might think the last thing you need is a recording of our national anthem, especially since we’ve all been playing the same tired version for the past three decades or so. The William’s arrangement is bold, colorful, energetic, and entertaining. He makes the music something you like listening to, instead of something you have to sit through until kickoff. Jenkins’s American Overture is peppy and quasi-hoe-downish, but in a good way. It sounds like a missing movement of Rodeo. Christopher Tucker’s Ceremonial Fanfare is spiky and full of pyramid chord stacks. Bryant’s Radiant Joy flirts with the coloristic trends in wind music, relying a lot on timbral gestures, grooves, and long noodly melodic shapes. The piece, apropos of the title, is not much more than fun and enjoying.

The Hanson suite gives the ensemble a much-needed chance to be lyrical and tender. Hanson’s orchestration is masterful in the way that choirs of instruments blend and shift to create a single over-arching musical line. The dances are bright and shiny in contrast and the whole piece is probably the most mature sounding work on the disc. Bennett’s ubiquitous suite gets the same mature treatment. Having performed in the piece in my distant past, I managed to shake off my PTSD and say “Oh, so this is what it is supposed to sound like.”

Rhapsody in Blue has been firmly claimed by the wind ensemble community since the original piece was written for a lot more winds than strings. The lean and mean original version has been played a lot (really, a lot) by various wind ensembles and quite effectively as well. This recording is solid but I find the tempo selections are too slow in spots. In full disclosure, the recording of Rhapsody in Blue that I have been raised on and memorized over my life is the hyper-kinetic performance done by MTT and the Gershwin piano roll. That recording is a full 4 minutes shorter than the Lone Star’s. If you like a slower tempo, you will like this recording. If you like your Rhapsody in Blue sounding like it came from a meth lab, you may be disappointed.

In true Texas fashion, a Sousa march closes things off. The sound of the ensemble is simply iconic. This is how a Sousa march should sound. It will make you want to jump to your feet, push aside the drum major, and march them down a blind alley. And I mean that in the best possible way. It might make you want to do this, too.

This is a great disc and I look forward to hearing many others on this series.

STRAVINSKY: Piano Music. Victor Sangiorgio. Naxos 8.570377. 72 minutes.

Victor Sangiorgio’s traversal of Igor Stravinsky’s music for piano solo is engaging on several levels, not the least of which is how the early compositions show the composer struggling to find a voice.

The Sonata in f-sharp minor (1903-04) finds Stravinsky trying (and truth be told, pretty much failing) to stretch his materials out into traditional Sonata length and form. There is a wealth of attractive thematic material in the Sonata, but the form is ill-suited for them.

Much more characteristic and successful are his 1924 Sonata and 1926 Serenade. These well-known pieces, both of which are excellent exemplars of the composer in his neoclassical mode, are given energetic and idiomatic readings by Mr. Sangiorgio. To my ears the best performance on the disc is of the Four Etudes (Op. 7, 1908), where the composer is well on his way to finding himself.

The program is rounded out with the composer’s riffs on more-or-less popular music””Piano-Rag-Music (1919), Tango (1940), and Circus Polka (1941-42). While not all of this music shows Stravinsky at his best or most characteristic, it’s good to have performances of this quality all in one place.