Art Share LA, in the heart of downtown Los Angeles, was the scene of a concert Friday February 27, 2015 entitled Terrain featuring works by Brian Ferneyhough, Brian Griffeath-Loeb and Elizabeth Lutyens. The occasion was the first anniversary of the WasteLAnd ensemble and a nice crowd turned out for an evening of complex music and birthday cake.
The concert began with Recomposition #4 (2012) by Brian Griffeath-Loeb and this featured Mark Menzies as solo violin. According to the program notes “… Recomposition #4 takes Ferneyhough’s iconic violin solo, Intermedio alla Ciaccona, and subjects it to an array of transformations. The original is amplified, constricted, recolored, warped, looped, erased, and – on occasion – left unaltered, presenting a surreally divided consciousness that challenges both identity and authorship.” This began with loud, intense chords in the higher notes and sharp, rapid runs that became very shrill at times. At other times the sound was softer, as when the the strings of the violin were gently rubbed by the bow. A variety of extended techniques were evident and at one point Mark Menzies was rapidly fingering the strings of the violin without using the bow – and just that slight contact sent out a series of ghostly tones that were barely audible in the Art Share performance space. As the piece progressed, Menzies seemed to be attacking the violin as the complexity and energy continued to build. There was a sense of being witness to a titanic struggle: the violinist as individual against the world. The piece concluded as a soft high tone slowly gathered strength until it sounded like a whistling tea kettle, followed by a sudden silence. This was a virtuoso performance by Mark Menzies and was received with sustained applause.
Terrain (1991-1992), by Brian Ferneyhough was next and this again featured Mark Menzies as violin soloist, backed by an ensemble of eight instruments. Terrain has been described as a violin concerto reconfigured with modern forms and this seems entirely appropriate. The piece begins with an extended violin solo that is filled with rapid streams of notes, short bursts and punchy passages – all infused with the frenetic energy that is so characteristic of Ferneyhough’s music. As the other instruments join in there is a striking independence in the playing, with seldom any rhythmic cohesion between sections or the soloist. Add to that the quick runs and dissonant harmonies, it would seem to be a recipe for chaos. And yet, the overall feeling has a kind of organic textural wholeness – like looking at the shimmering surface of a lake or a choppy sea. The sound sometimes comes in waves – as in one passage when the brass surged together, centering the music temporarily. Terrain is full of allusions to powerful geologic forces operating deep within the earth – the shifting combinations and alignments of the various instruments keep the energy level high with the violin sometimes leading and sometimes lost in the mix. Hearing this music is a sort of aural equivalent of an abstract expressionist painting. The playing by WasteLAnd as conducted by Nicholas Deyoe was precise enough that all of the details came through clearly and Mark Menzies once again performed brilliantly.
After an intermission, Lament of Isis on the Death of Osiris (1969) by Elisabeth Lutyens was sung by soprano Stephanie Aston. The program notes state that “The text is based on the Osiris myth as told by Plutarch in Moralia V, with some words adopted from the “Egyptian Book of the Dead.” The piece begins with a series of varying tones that sounded as if played on a theremin and Ms. Aston delivered a fine vocal range and purity of tone that was most effective. The lyrics were smooth and flowing but occasionally high and soaring with jumps in pitch. Her voice cast a distinctly dark and alien feel to this music, very much in keeping with the title. Lament of Isis on the Death of Osiris was a fine solo outing, with Ms. Aston bringing impressive range and expressive power to this piece.
The final piece in the concert was the first West Coast performance of Brian Ferneyhough’s Etudes Trancendantales (1982 – 1985), scored for voice, flutes, oboe and english horn, cello and harpsichord. This was conducted by Nicholas Deyoe and began with an energetic series of passages and runs in the woodwinds followed by Ms. Aston’s voice that soared overhead in a graceful arc of smoothness, making a good contrast with the excited sounds coming from the instruments. The piece proceeds in sections, each with a different combination of instruments that establish a frenetic texture that contrasts with the voice. A cello entrance in the second section darkened the feeling somewhat and the furious activity in the woodwinds brought to mind the free form jazz of later Coltrane. In another section, the harpsichord provided a wonderful buzz as dozens of notes poured out, producing a sort of runaway Baroque feeling that framed the vocals nicely. The lyrics sung in German, sometimes as vocalise, gave a more expressive palette for Ms. Aston who seemed comfortable singing them and whose voice never wavered throughout this very challenging piece. All of the players acquitted themselves well and their efforts received a standing ovation by an audience that fully understood the difficulties of performing this most impressive work.
The ensemble for Etudes Trancendantales was:
Stephanie Aston, soprano
Rachel Beetz, flutes
Paul Sherman, oboe and english horn
Ashley Walters, cello
Richard Valitutto, harpsichord
The ensemble for Terrain was:
Mark Menzies, violin
Rachel Beetz, flutes
Paul Sherman, oboe and english horn
Brian Walsh, clarinets
Jonathan Stehney, bassoon
Allen Fogle, horn
Jonah Levy, trumpet
Matt Barbier, trombone
Scott Worthington, double bass
Photos by Adam Borecki