During a period of social upheaval, the influence of an overpowering group mentality can make it difficult for an individual to see the forest for the trees; witness, for example, the muddled thinking of early 20th century Germans who supported the Nazis in the interest of self-preservation. Sadly, hindsight is often just as myopic: A black-and-white moral interpretation of history seldom recognizes mass confusion as a pretext for shortsighted ethical decisions. As many artists have discovered, misinterpretation may relegate them to obscurity, or worse.

Ernst Pepping was a German composer whose initial work in the 1920s followed the avant-garde path of Hindemith, but as the Third Reich tightened its grasp over the populace, his development took a conveniently neoclassical direction. He trained his focus on church music, specifically choral pieces and compositions for organ; it is his work in this vein for which he is best known. However, he wrote symphonic music as well, and the historical context of Nazi Germany offers us a vantage point from which we can judge these works. The Nazis approved of artworks that were accessible and characteristically “German”; those that did not conform to this aesthetic were labeled “degenerate” and were often destroyed. Owing perhaps to self-protection, Pepping stayed on in Germany, where he no doubt felt the security of a government that supported his work.

CPO has issued a two-disc collection of Pepping’s three symphonies spanning 1939 to 1944, adding his 1950 Piano Concerto. Unfortunately, the otherwise informative liner notes brush aside the historical circumstances under which Pepping’s music was written. Taken on their own terms, the three symphonies are predictably pleasant but not ground-breaking. The First and the Third are all warmth and good cheer, with only occasional intimations of darkness on the horizon; the Second is more solemn, but gains little emotional heft from its gloomier disposition. The Piano Concerto, the lone postwar composition included here, is more substantial, though just as adherent to rigid tonality. The fall of the Third Reich clearly did not inspire Pepping to venture into experimental territory, evidence perhaps that his conservative approach was not based on pressure from the Nazis, but rather on a like-minded preference for traditionalism. In each of these pieces Pepping exhibits a mastery of color and form, but his symphonies are so formalistic, they best function as examples of music that survived Hitler’s regime.

Swedish composer Allan Pettersson shared Pepping’s withdrawal from radical experimentalism, opting for a late Romantic style with a bleak undercurrent. Pettersson’s life was marked by overwhelming hardships: His father was an abusive alcoholic who beat him for displaying an interest in music; as he studied at the Stockholm Royal Conservatory of Music, his working class background alienated him from the other students; and in later life, he was plagued by various illnesses, including crippling arthritis that effectively ended his career as a violist. Against all odds Pettersson continued to compose until his death in 1980, writing music that conveyed outrage, not at his own miseries but at the universal plight of humanity.

Just as CPO has expanded on Pepping’s reputation as a choral writer by spotlighting his instrumental works, here they concentrate on Pettersson’s only choral symphony, the Twelfth. Enlisted in 1973 to commemorate the University of Uppsala’s 500th anniversary, he chose to adapt nine poems by Pablo Neruda, which reflect the 1946 public slaughtering of workers associated with the Chilean resistance movement. Immediately following Pettersson’s completion of the symphony, left-wing President Allende was overthrown by the Chilean military, prompting observers to misread Pettersson’s work as an explicit political statement, which it is not. What the symphony conveys with unbearably mounting tension is Pettersson’s empathy with society’s downtrodden.

It is far too easy to dismiss Pepping as having sold out to the authorities, and to praise Pettersson for remaining true to himself in the face of adversity. While the latter is indeed true, Pepping's case is more complicated. One should bear in mind that much ambiguity can accompany times of conflict; consider, for example, the confusion surrounding the inspiration for Pettersson's Twelfth. Notwithstanding public misconceptions about Pepping's political allegiances, his music is indeed well-crafted, but ultimately lacks the depth of Pettersson's work. Both composers are well-represented by sterling performances and CPO's top-notch sound quality, so these discs are worth hearing for more than historical reasons.

posted by Brad Glanden 1:50 PM

Thursday, August 03, 2006

"The numbers all go to eleven. Look, right across the board, eleven, eleven, eleven and... "

The Eleventh Finger
Jenny Lin
Koch

Fortunately, the Spinal Tap-esque title doesn’t refer to some additional appendage that pianist Jenny Lin has sprouted. The title is meant instead to convey the lengths to which Lin will travel in her quest to crank her instrument’s virtuosity knob up another notch. Accordingly then, the CD features nine pieces, many written specifically for Lin, that extend the limits of both the piano and the pianist.

The disc's opener, Arthur Kampela’s “Nosturnos,” gives Lin ample and varied opportunities to show off her chops. The two staples of contemporary virtuosity, breakneck speed and extended techniques (Lin even has to play inside the piano w/ a mallet), are, of course, both required. Endurance and versatility are also demanded as the piece clocks in at over 16 minutes and spans a similar number of styles. However, what really sets Lin apart as a virtuoso, both on “Nosturnos” and throughout the whole disc, is her subtlety and attention to melody. "Nostrunos" includes some shockingly pretty moments, and Lin slows down her frantic fingers and gives them full weight. Furthermoe, she manages to bring melodic lines out of even the densest of textures.

The pieces that perhaps best show off this interpretational virtuosity are the three Ligeti etudes (nos.16-18) that follow “Nosturnos.” Though the pieces were certainly recorded well before Ligeti’s death last month, Lin’s performances serve as a fitting tribute. Lin’s technical proficiency allows her to fully mine the grace, fluidity, and playfulness of the notoriously difficult studies.

Three of the selections on the CD provide Lin with a more literal eleventh finger - technological enhancement. Stefano Gervasoni’s “Studio di Disabitudine” manipulates the two lowest notes of the piano electronically while preparing the highest one in a more traditional manner. The timbral modifications blend smoothly with Lin’s unaltered playing, which remains clear and confident despite the fact that Gervasoni’s score stipulates unnatural and difficult fingerings. In contrast, Elliott Sharp’s more divergent processing on “Suberrebus” feels a little out of place here. James Tenney’s offering, “Chromatic Cannon,” proves to be the most successful of the three, perhaps because it uses the simplest technology – tape playback. However, the piece also stands out by exploring virtuosity via a Minimalist aesthetic (despite its titular chromaticism) that puts Lin’s aforementioned subtlety to good use.

All in all, the disc is a thorough exploration of what it means to be a virtuosic pianist these days and a challenge to ten-fingered Lin’s peers. One caveat - even with Lin’s particular brand of thoughtful virtuosity, the music is nothing if not intense. As a result, the disc is best consumed like single malt scotch – savored in responsible doses.

posted by Lanier Sammons 4:15 PM

Sunday, July 23, 2006

Tell the Birds

The Marriage of Heaven and Hell; Creating the World; Robin Redbreast; Wonder Counselor; Landscaping for Privacy; FlamingO
Eve Beglarian
Lisa Bielawa, voice; MATA Ensemble; Roger Rees, voice; Jessica Gould, s; Paul Dresher Ensemble Electro-Acoustic Band; Corey Dargel, voice; Margaret Lancaster, picc; Eve Beglarian, voice and electronics; Bill Ware, vibraphone; Ensemble/Brad Lubman
New World 80630

Claves (and hand-claps?) establish a beat. A voice rhythmically intones William Blake: “Opposition is true friendship”. More claves, carving out a groove, then pitched instruments and repetitions of the Blake line.

So begins Eve Beglarian’s Downtown masterpiece, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell. A thirteen-and-a-half minute essay in the attractiveness of opposites, Marriage wears its eclecticism lightly. The grooves are infectious, with layered rhythms and harmonies suggesting complexities underneath the surface. Beglarian’s melodies float effortlessly and lyrically over the teeming background. After an extended section built around the Blake line “You never know what is enough”, the piece closes with an extensive quotation of Bach’s “Es ist Genug” (It is enough). The ambiguity of the verbal response to Blake’s line combined with the emerging calm of the chorale quotation make for a beautifully conceived and executed ending.

Creating the World, on texts by Czeslaw Milosz, has much in common with Marriage—complex, shifting grooves, spoken text, and references to pre-existing music. Throughout most of the piece change is a constant; nothing goes on for very long without it being replaced by something else (a different rhythm pattern, for example) or becoming a layer in the overall sound. Finally, a rock groove dominates the last three minutes of the piece. It feels forced, or tacked on, in a way that the rest of the disc’s eclecticism avoids.

Robin Redbreast, for voice and piccolo (Corey Dargel and Margaret Lancaster, respectively, in fine performances), contrasts with the other pieces on the program in that it consists of a fairly straight forward melodic line in the voice, with birdsong-like figuration in the piccolo part. Wonder Counselor is a meditative soundscape that makes use of organ music and electronic and vocal sounds. Landscaping for Privacy combines the composer’s voice with electronics in another soundscape, this one populated by piano figurations and vocalization.

The final work on this compelling disc is FlamingO, a large scale exercise in groovy eclectics. It is one of the best uses of post-minimalist techniques I’ve heard. The rhythmic patterns pile up in an almost Carterian maelstrom, only to resolve in a peaceful and musical satisfying swirl.

Many recordings of postmodernist music (or recordings by postmodernist musicians) have sheen to them, a gleaming surface that is off-putting to me. A lot of the recordings of the Kronos Quartet feel that way, even when the music they’re playing isn’t postmodern. The music and performances on Tell the Birds feel more lived in and spontaneous, and that’s just one reason I highly recommend this disc.

posted by Steve Hicken 10:23 AM

Friday, July 21, 2006

Soundtrack to an Apocalypse

Symphonies Nos. 1, 7 and 14
Gloria Coates
Siegerland Orchestra - Rotter
Munich Chamber Orchestra - Poppen
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra - Henzold
Naxos

Gloria Coates has often been compared to Penderecki, Górecki and Ives. Known primarily as a symphonic composer, her works explore alternate scales and tuning systems, sometimes juxtaposed with tonal music from existing sources. Coates also experiments with massive amounts of sound, often created by layering her favorite compositional device: the glissando. Her Symphony No. 14 (2002) is particularly Ivesian in its use of quartertones and hymns from two early American composers. The first movement borrows a quote from Supply Belcher’s Lamentation. This melody is introduced after more than five minutes of glissandos played at varying speeds. Both continue together before the tune is again overtaken by wailing glissandos, this time joined by timpani. The second movement pays homage to another New Englander, William Billings, whose dissonant song “Jargon” was penned in reaction to criticism that his music was too consonant. The work concludes with The Lonesome Ones, dedicated to one of Coates’s teachers, Otto Luening.

Also included on this disc is perhaps Coates’s best-known composition, Music on Open Strings (1973, later renamed Symphony No. 1). Dedicated to the memory of Alexander Tcherepnin, another of Coates’s composition tutors, the opening Theme and Transfiguration is based on a Chinese scale. A ponderous melody is stated without adornment, then gradually embellished with glissandos and percussive details until the movement reaches its conclusion with a thunderous climax. The following Scherzo uses the identical pitches, but in the third movement (Scordatura) the instruments gradually return to their conventional tuning. The symphony’s finale, Refracted Mirror Canon for 14 Lines, follows a pattern Coates seems to favor. The movement starts simply, then builds to a cacophonous din before ending abruptly. The CD ends with Coates’s Symphony No. 7 (1990). “Dedicated to those who brought down the wall in PEACE,” it uses a formidable orchestral force that includes brass and percussion.

Since 1969, Coates has spent much of her time in Germany and these works are performed with great conviction by the Munich Chamber, Siegerland and Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestras. Although this disc spans 30 years of the composer’s career, all three symphonies utilize similar techniques and demonstrate her obsession with the glissando (an enthusiasm that I can’t confess to share). The music often sounds more complex than it actually is, an effect Coates achieves through her use of counterpoint, alternate tunings and sheer volume. Kyle Gann’s excellent liner notes help to shed light on the composer’s processes. Working in the shadow of other more accessible composers, Coates is a prolific symphonist whose music deserves not to be overlooked.

posted by Carol Minor 4:58 PM

Thursday, July 20, 2006

Feast Your Ears: New Music for Piano

Renoir's Feast / Pictures at an Exhibition
Haskell Small / Modest Mussorgsky
Haskell Small: piano.
Museum Music MM141










Piano Sonatas Nos. 1-3 / Moments Musicaux / Azerbaijani Dance / Prelude No. 1
Avner Dorman
Eliran Avni: piano.
Naxos 8.579001

Commissioned by Washington, DC's Phillips Collection to commemorate its reacquisition of Pierre-Auguste Renoir's Luncheon of the Boating Party, Haskell Small has interpreted the painting with a programmatic piano work that wisely steers clear of obvious choices. While Renoir's Feast contains elements of French Impressionism, Small's rich harmonic language is equally informed by twentieth century post-tonality. Constructing a narrative around the social gathering depicted in Renoir's scenario, Small has written distinctive piano sketches that correspond to each character, linking the sketches with a recurring "river" theme.

A noteworthy feature of Renoir's painting is that it freezes a moment of bustling social activity. Thus, Small's linear interpretative approach is an admittedly curious one; nevertheless, he imbues his harmonically dense work with sufficient emotional resonance. For example, the sketches that depict Renoir and his future wife Aline Charigot both evoke Stephen Foster, though filtered through a lens of Ivesian dissonance.

A concert pianist of renown, Small supplements his own performance of Renoir's Feast with a rendition of Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition, making clear the influence of Exhibition's promenade structure on Small's composition. He performs both pieces with a light and dexterous touch. One could nitpick that he lacks an aggressive edge, but that is not Small's style. The excellent performance and sound of Renoir's Feast do full justice to a substantial and impressive addition the piano repertoire.

Transitioning from the modernism of Small's offering to the postmodern piano works of young Israeli-American composer Avner Dorman, one encounters a less institutionally based conception of keyboard music. Much academic thought maintains that art music and popular music are distinct entities, but Dorman's generation recognizes its still-emerging, all-encompassing cultural identity.

The earliest Dorman piece compiled by Naxos for its 21st Century Classics series was written at age 17, before the composer had received any formal compositional training. At that formative stage, Dorman was already hybridizing jazz and Bach. His subsequent output reveals a gradual harmonic sophistication, but eclecticism remains a hallmark of his work. He does not employ polystylism for its own sake, but to support the dramatic elements in his music: for example, Dance Suite conveys the story of a blind oud player who is fascinated by his introduction to contemporary sounds. Systematically, the piece merges those sounds with the oud player's traditional Arabic dances. Elsewhere, Dorman draws from rock, Broadway, Beethoven, Art Tatum, and countless other sources. Eliran Avni's performances of Dorman's works expertly balance virtuosity with elegant simplicity, which is especially remarkable considering Avni's youth. These skillfully executed compositions whet the appetite for a disc by Avner Dorman's rock outfit, Innovation.

Haskell Small's music surprises with its complexity, Dorman's with its accessibility; each of these CDs anticipates a bright future for piano music, one that is unencumbered by distinctions between "high" and "low" art.

posted by Brad Glanden 5:28 PM