Daniel Hathaway, editor & publisher
Week of August 30, 2010
CD Reports
CD Report
The Imani Winds: Terra Incognita
by Daniel Hathaway & Mike Telin
The Imani Winds, the ground-breaking woodwind quintet whose members are all of African American or Latino heritage and whose players include two composers (flutist and founder Valerie Coleman and hornist Jeff Scott), and two Oberlin Conservatory graduates (oboist Toyin Spellman-Diaz and bassoonist Monica Ellis) in addition to clarinetist Mariam Adam, will release their fifth CD on the E1 label on August 24. Terra Incognita, recorded in December, 2009 at the American Academy of Arts and Letters in New York, features three compositions by well-known Jazz composers Wayne Shorter, Paquito D'Rivera and Jason Moran.What is Imani up to here? Is the quintet, who make prominent references to their classical training, trying to cross the border over into Jazz as some of the promotional materials would lead one to believe? Rest easy, Imani fans. The Imani has commissioned three Jazz musicians deeply grounded in composition -- who are really no strangers to classical techniques -- to write within the structures of classical music and for the particular style in which classical musicians play their instruments. The results are fascinating, even if some of the pieces fall a bit short of the coherence classical listeners have come to expect, and even if some listeners end up being disappointed that the Imani Winds don't "swing" in the way that Jazz fans might expect.
The first four tracks are devoted to Jason Moran's Cane, commissioned by the Mary Flager Charitable Trust and the Kimmel Center and premiered in October 2008 at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia. A reminiscence about his family's history in the rural Louisians town of Natchitoches, "Togo to Natchitoches" grabs one's attention with flute, horn and bassoon solos over nervous, syncopated rhythms. "Coin Coin's Narrative" also has nervous, repetitive elements, this time from the flute and bassoon, punctuated by chords and chatterings from various instruments. Those unsettled rhythms come back in "Gens Libre de Couleur", but grounded by Stravinsky-like dissonant chords. "Nathitoches to New York" begins with broad chord strokes which eventually become syncopated and lead on to cheerful oboe and flute tunes and jazzy, bluesy horn licks before the chords return. A swirl of notes brings the suite to an end.
Wayne Shorter's Terra Incognita, which gives the album its name, appears in two forms: a 14-1/2 minute version and a 9 minute version that will only be available on iTunes. Commissioned by the La Jolla Music Society, the Krannert Center, Da Camera of Houston and the Library of Congress, "The Unknown Land" is Shorter's first work for a non-Jazz ensemble. It begins with horn calls answered by oboe, both of whom bend their notes jazzily. A series of fascinating rhythmic figures leads to a hocket-like dialogue between horn and bassoon, then to an oboe solo accompanied by talkative winds. Atonal scamperings and dissonant parallel chords lead on to fragmented melodies accompanied by tweets and plunks. The longer version ends with similar parallel chords and a blare from the horn. The shorter version seems more successful in terms of cohesiveness -- the longer version becomes episodic as ideas are taken up and cast away in favor of new ones. We suspect that the piece calls for improvisatory contributions from the players, and what we heard on the disc is not always quite the way things will be done the next time.
Cuban American composer Paquito D'Rivera takes a trip down memory lane with his commission, remembering the joy of flying kites and hearing wind chimes in his native Havana. Kites over Havana and Wind Chimes represent another joint commission, this time from Fontana Chamber Arts, the Newman Center, Carver Community Cultural Center, the Rogers Fund for Arts and the Iman Winds.
D'Rivera's piece brings pianist Alex Brown and the composer himself, playing clarinet, into the mix, allowing for a broader palette of sounds. Probably the most free-flowing and jazziest piece on the CD, D'Rivera's music is sheerly fun, although the introduction of spoken lines at the beginning and end seems a little hokey. Kites is busy and breezy, beginning with a lush bassoon cadenza and roulades over a syncopated bass. Piano motives are commented upon by the winds and four-note figures are tossed around through the ensemble. The winds die down at the end, leaving bassoon and piano to fade out alone.Wind Chimes features a piano solo based on the whole-tone scale and ends with a clarinet solo over a Habenera-like rhythm in the piano which almost turns into a jazzy passacaglia with counterpoint from clarinet and flute. Oddly menacing unisons following the second spoken phrase terminate in clarinet giggles tossed off to the bass clarinet and piccolo and a final dazzle of sound.
Throughout the CD, the Imani are an impressively virtuosic quintet, faultless in ensemble, winning in tone quality and fully capable of every challenge the three composers have thrown at them. The recording is remarkable for its clarity and warmth.
The woodwind quintet is a strange creature -- something of an ugly cousin to the string quartet. Those who wrote most extensively for the medium (Danzi, Reicha) are hardly first rate composers, and repertory provided by leading composers (Barber, Nielsen, Hindemith, Schoenberg) doesn't represent their most distinguished work. Groups like the Imani Winds have contributed vastly to the viability of the medium in the 21st century, and commissions like the three which appear on "Terra Incognita" represent invaluable additions to the range of possibilities for the odd combination of flute, oboe, clarinet, horn and bassoon. Brava! to the Imani (four of whom are women -- and Bravo! to Jeff Scott) for their foresight in mounting such projects.
The Imani Winds will appear twice in Northeast Ohio this season, on Sunday, April 3 at 3 pm on the Wooster Chamber Music Series at The College of Wooster, and on Monday, April 4 at 7:30 at E.J. Thomas Hall in Akron on the Tuesday Musical Association Series.
CD Report
Johann Jacob Froberger: Libro Quatro, 1656; Webb Wiggins, harpsichord & organ
by Daniel Hathaway
Recordings of the keyboard music of Johann Jacob Froberger (1616-1667) may not figure in many personal CD libraries, but Webb Wiggins' two disc set featuring Toccatas, Ricercars, Capriccios and Suites from the 17th century Viennese court organist's Libro Quarto of 1656 should help make Froberger's inventive music more widely known. (Though perhaps not as widely as in the 17th and 18th centuries, when his music was admired and studied by Pachelbel, Buxtehude, Böhm, Louis Couperin and J.S. Bach; even Mozart copied out one of his Fantasias).Webb Wiggins, who is associate professor of harpsichord at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, recorded these twenty-four pieces in their original manuscript order on the 1981 Brombaugh mean-tone organ in Fairchild Chapel at Oberlin (July 2002), and on a 1995 Earl Russell harpsichord rebuilt by Mark Adler in 2001 and now located in Virginia (May 2002). The recordings were released on the Friends of Music series of the Smithsonian Institution in 2009 in an attractive package including graphics from the manuscript, detailed descriptions of the instruments and Mr. Wiggins' rationale for his choice of organ and harpsichord for various pieces.
Mr. Wiggins has a real affinity for this repertory. His sensitive control of articulation, deft handling of the quasi-improvisatory sections in the toccatas and fine sense of flexible rhythmic nuances make this music from three centuries ago breathe and come alive. He has the important help of a resonant harpsichord with a beautiful, fundamental sound (based on an anonymous Paris instrument of 1667) and the eloquent Brombaugh organ (inspired by early 17th century instruments by Gottfried Fritzsche and Friedrich Stellwagen).
Though both instruments are tuned in versions of quarter-comma meantone temperament, dissonant intervals make far more of an impression on the organ (which has three extra sharps per octave to accommodate the difference between E-flat and D-sharp, G-sharp and A-flat and B-flat and A-sharp in certain keys).
Mr. Wiggins gives us a good sense of the tonal possibilities of this organ, making expressive use of its unusual Oak Principal and reed stops, playing the Trommett (trumpet) off against its buzzy cousin, the Regal. The Plenum never makes an appearance, but the clarity of the organ's Principal chorus gives vibrancy and transparency to the contrapuntal works.As Oberlin musicologist Steven Plank points out in his extensive album notes, Froberger immersed himself in Italian and French styles as well as German. He journeyed to Rome to study with
Frescobaldi and called in at Dresden, Brussels, Paris and London during his travels. Thus the Toccatas are thoroughly Italian in style (the idiom lives on in the organ preludes of Buxtehude). The fifth, in the atmosphetic style of the Elevation pieces played at the height of the Mass, could be a piece by Frescobaldi himself.The six Ricercars hark back to older contrapuntal styles, but feature moments of harmonic daring. The Capriccios, really Canzonas, are sprightly, multi-sectioned pieces requiring fleet fingers and good tempo relationships between different meters. Mr. Wiggins is digitally flawless and his tempos keenly paced.
The half-dozen Suites (aka Partitas) clearly demonstrate French influences, though there is some discussion to be had about the order of their four moments (given here as Allemande, Gigue, Courante and Sarabande -- the Gigue usually comes at the end of a well-behaved Suite). One of Froberger's great achievements here is a heartfelt lament in the normally happy key of C Major -- the Allemande of the final Suite, which memorializes the 21-year old son of Emperor Ferdinand III (pictured, right).
Those who wish to follow along in a score while listening to this engaging collection of pieces are only a few free downloads away. The IMSLP/Petrucci Music Library makes the three relevant volumes of the Denkmäler der Tonkunst in Österreich available in pdf format. Since the editor has arranged the materials differently, listeners will need to match up the tracks on the recordings like this:
Toccatas (CD I, tracks 1-6) = Band (Volume) 8, Toccatas 7-12
Ricercars (tracks 7-12) = Band 8, Ricarcars 7-12
Capriccios (tracks 13-18) = Band 8, Capriccios 7-8 and Band 21, Capriccios 14-17
Suites (CD II) = Band 13, Partitas 7-12
Of course, you don’t need to know all of this to enjoy the CD. It makes for a highly enjoyable listening experience on its own merits. Making use of another wonder of modern technology, if you prefer to hear your Froberger mixed up rather than in groups of six-of-a-kind, be creative and create your own iTunes playlist from this rich collection of Frobergerana.
And keep your ears peeled for more Froberger to come. Only two of his works were published in his lifetime -- the rest circulated through manuscripts like the highly calligraphized 1656 collection now in the Austrian National Library. One manuscript that recently turned up after three centuries of oblivion was sold to a private collector at Sotheby's in London in 2006 and contains eighteen previously unknown works.
Johann Jacob Froberger; Libro Quarto, 1656 is available from the Smithsonian Chamber Music Society. >>printable version
CD Report
Josh Rzepka: Baroque Music for Trumpet
by Mike Telin
Trumpet player Josh Rzepka scores a hat trick with his debut classical release, Josh Rzepka: Baroque Music For Trumpet. First with the musically intelligent playing by Rzepka, who achieves a beautiful lyrical quality throughout the CD’s 50 minutes. His attention to detail, especially pitch and blend with his orchestral colleagues, is exemplary. Second with the excellent playing by the orchestra conducted by Canadian conductor Geneviéve Leclair, as well as the distinguished contributions of soprano Rebecca Freshwater and organist Christopher Toth. Third with the outstanding production quality of the album, which was produced and edited by Thomas Moore and recorded by Robert Friedrich and Michael Bishop of Cleveland based Five/Four Productions. The disc was recorded direct to stereo at Warner Concert Hall at the Oberlin Conservatory and St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Cleveland Heights. The sound quality is first rate.
While much of the repertoire found on this release will be familiar to most classical music listners, Rezpka brings a new light to these beloved classics because his technique is so solid that he is able to approach the music with an air of relaxation. If the first three tracks, the Concerto in D, “Estienne Roger” of Giuseppe Torelli don’t convince you that Rzepka is a musician with a bright career ahead, then skip to the final three tracks where through the magic of double-tracking you will be treated to a performance of the Concerto in C for Two Trumpets by Antonio Vivaldi, both played by Josh Rzepka. Needless to say, the two soloists match each other perfectly. Another track of note is soprano Rebecca Freshwater’s soaring delivery of “Let the Bright Seraphim” from Handel’s Sampson.
Josh Rzepka: Baroque Music for Trumpet is available in hard copy from area retailers, or for download from the artist’s website. >>printable version
CD Report
Apollo's Fire: Come to the River—An early American Gathering
by Daniel Hathaway
In anticipation of its world-wide release in 2011 by British label Avie, Apollo's Fire has issued a limited edition recording of its 2010 production, 'Come to the River' just in time for the seven-performance run of a revised version of the show this month.
Produced by artistic director Jeannette Sorrell, recorded by Thomas Knab and edited by Erica Brenner, the disc was recorded at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Cleveland Heights last June following a sold-out run of ten performances. Its eighteen tracks represent a compendium of early American music: Appalachian dances, Anglo-American and southern ballads, hymns and spirituals from the Sacred Harp and Southern Harmony tradition, and dance music from a variety of sources.
Arranged in three sections -- Appalachian Wagon Train, Love and Death and Revival Meeting -- 'Come to the River' follows but doesn't depend on the plot line of the live show. The music can be enjoyed in its own right without requiring any connective narration.
The playing and singing are predictably first-rate. Sandra Simon, Abigail Haynes Lennox, Scott Mello and Paul Shipper contribute a variety of vocal styles to the mix ranging from solos to duets, trios and quartets. Simon is the lovely storyteller in Ravenscroft's "The Three Ravens" and delivers a very funny version of "Fox Went Out on a Chilly Night' complete with Scots accent. Lenox is dolefully expressive in "Wayfaring Stranger", Mello affects a convincing country accent in "Old Virginny" and "Wild Bill Jones", and Shipper is resonant in "Hold On" and "Willie Prithee". As an ensemble, the quartet distinguishes itself in Shape-Note and Southern Harmony hymns, putting across the attractively primitive quality of their harmonies and textures without trying to appropriate the vocal style you can hear on "authentic" recordings.
Hammered dulcimer virtuoso Tina Bergmann is always a pleasure to hear, especially here in the opening "Appalachian Barn Dance", and "Glory in the meeting house". Rachel Jones makes a fine country fiddler, as does cellist René Schiffer, who moves into surprising territory in his own affecting solo arrangement of "The Girl who Broke My Heart". Kathie Stewart makes a fine showing on wooden flutes in her arrangement of the Irish "Lark in the Morning Medley". Gary Stewart contributes fine backup on guitar and banjo and is an equal partner with Bergman in "Ways of the World / Dusty Miller".
Other arrangements are the work of Jeannette Sorrell, who is prominently featured on the harpsichord, contributing a lute-like accompaniment to some songs and a charming set of dances from New England and Ireland in the middle of the Revival Meeting.
Those who saw the 2009 performances of 'Come to the River' already know that a lot of the repertory is not much of stretch for Baroque musicians, who take very easily to Anglo-American music of the early 19th century and can put a new sheen of artistry on the music. What was surprising was how readily Apollo's Fire adapted to Celtic country fiddling traditions and to ensemble pieces like "Down in the River to Pray". The nineteenth track, the Old Joe Clark barn dance encore, finds the ensemble letting its hair down in a really amazing way. Of course, Apollo's Fire doesn't sound quite like an Appalachian ensemble. Musical values are intentionally more refined than their original models, but in no way does this detract from the charm of this "original cast" album.
The recording itself is crystal clear, preserving the feel of performing in a live, stone building without an obscuring halo of reverberation (though the last note of the bonus track hangs in the air for nearly ten seconds!) The program booklet is a fine piece of scholarship, citing musical sources, including essays on the program and a reminiscence of her first revival meeting by Jeannette Sorrell, complete lyrics, thumbnail bios of performers and a helpful paragraph which notes that the musicians "approach the music with the lively freedom of folk performers" and "strive to break down the modern barrier between art music and popular music and to revive the 'crossover' spirit of the 17th century, when great composers regularly wrote artful variations on street tunes and tavern songs".
"Come to the River" will be available at two CD Release parties during this year's run of the show: on Friday, June 18 at The Bath Church and on Friday, June 25 at Cain Park in Cleveland Heights.
(This CD review was posted on June 14). >>printable version
CD Report
Franklin Cohen in the quartet version of Golijov's 'Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind'
by Mike Telin
On May 13 and 15, Franklin Cohen played the orchestral version of Osvaldo Golijov's 'Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind' with the Cleveland Orchestra under Tito Muñoz. At the same time, he released his CD of the string quartet version of Golijov's work, recorded in a single day at the Oberlin Conservatory's Warner Hall at the end of December.
'Dreams and Prayers', premiered at the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival in August, 1994 by Giora Feidman and the Cleveland Quartet (Cleveland Orchestra concertmaster Wiliam Preucil was first violinist at the time), has previously been recorded by Todd Palmer and the St. Lawrence Quartet, and by David Krakauer and the Kronos Quartet.
Mr. Cohen's quartet consisted of violinists Diana Cohen and Isabel Trautwein, violist Kirsten Docter and cellist Tanya Ell. Although the CD was self-released, he enlisted a top-notch team of recording industry veterans to assist with the project. The CD was recorded by the multiple Grammy-winning Five/Four Productions team of Thomas Moore, producer, and Michael Bishop, engineer, who were responsible for the sound and artistic direction of the recording.
Erica Brenner Productions served as part of the editing team and also coordinated all the details for the packaging, manufacturing, graphics, booklet copy, and licensing as well as all other details that are needed to get a CD ready for commercial release. They also created and circulated promotional materials and press releases.
"Dreams and Prayers" represents Franklin Cohen's first outing as a Klezmer clarinetist as well as his debut as a bass clarinetist. Although you don't need to have played Klezmer to perform the work, an understanding of the genre does help, and Cohen brings out its subtleties as though he were a veteran Klezmer artist. He produces a very even quality of sound from beyond pianissimo to above fortissimo, and he tosses off lilts and slides easily into notes, producing a focused, soulful sound that comes close to that of a human voice. When called upon, he gets a dark, rich and mournful tone out of B-flat, A, and bass clarinets alike (he manages a fat sound even in the latter's extremely high register) and the C clarinet really cries out in the Wedding Music.
Cohen's partners achieve a very cohesive ensemble sound -- admirably for a quartet that doesn't play together regularly. They produce steady ostinatos in the opening section, smoothly manage transitions between the many moods of the piece, and achieve beautifully hypnotic playing. At the very end, Cohen, playing the bass clarinet, expressively fades away into nothingness.
Balances are excellent, the sound is well focused, and the recording has a beautiful, chamber music feel that captures the many nuances of the score. This CD is a must-have for anyone who is a devotee of Golijov, Klezmer, chamber music, or the clarinet. For anyone who is not familiar with any of the above, this recording is a great introduction.
"Dreams and Prayers" is available from various online sources, or directly from Franklin Cohen. >>printable version
To read ClevelandClassical.com's review of Cohen's performance with the Cleveland Orchestra, click here. (This CD review was posted on June 2)
