On June 27, 2017 Tuesdays@Monk Space hosted a concert titled The Flood. A full house gathered on a warm Koreatown evening to hear works by five contemporary Southern California composers as performed by the Brightwork newmusic ensemble.
First up was Kaleidoscope (2014) by William Kraft, who was in attendance. This opened with a series of bright tutti notes that had a vivid luminescence combined with a sense of the mysterious. Some solid duo playing by the bass clarinet and the piccolo was followed by a softer, slower section that contained a lovely flute solo, all adding to the mystical feel. The full ensemble then stoked up the intensity with a series of syncopated tutti passages, while a nicely expressive violin solo down-shifted the emotional color yet again. All of this unfolded before the audience almost without warning. As William Kraft stated in the program notes: “I do like to enjoy the adventure along the way. In that way, the balancing of phrases and events reveal the form, as it is being developed.”
The constantly changing tempos, textures and dynamics required a high level of musicianship from Brightwork, and they delivered with their usual accuracy and flair. The close acoustics of Monk Space brought out every detail of this stimulating piece – Kaleidoscope is well-named. At the conclusion the composer, one of the great eminences of the Los Angeles new music scene, rose to acknowledge the prolonged and sincere applause.
I will learn to love a person (2013) by Chris Cerrone followed, and for this soprano Stacey Fraser joined Brightwork’s Aron Kallay on piano, Brian Walsh on clarinet and percussionist Nick Terry. I will learn to love a person unfurls in five short movements that survey the difficult emotional terrain of a relationship under stress. The opening movement, That night with the green sky, sets the scene with a few tentative notes from the piano that are soon joined by the vibraphone whose deep tones form a sort of musical shadow. The voice enters quietly, full of brief phrases and a questioning feel, all tinged with sadness from the text by Tao Lin: “Why did you want me gone?”
The second movement, Eleven page poem part III, is brightly active, starting with a long piano trill that accelerates as fast arpeggios are heard in the clarinet. The vocals here are strongly declarative even as the accompaniment becomes more animated and intense. The feeling stops just short of anger, but is in clear contrast to the unguarded sensitivity of the opening movement. As the piece continued into the later movements, more stridency is heard in the voice which often dominates. The range of expression was impressively negotiated by Ms. Fraser, especially in the higher registers. A slower, more gentle section followed with a distinctly aspirational feel, highlighted by a finely wrought vocal passage set against a helpfully thin instrumental texture. This was followed, however, by darker colors that portrayed the feelings of frustration and helplessness that result as a close relationship comes to a regrettable end. I will learn to love a person is a powerful and intimate look at the many vulnerabilities that surface when personal relationships are in crisis.
Ararat (1995), by Shaun Naidoo, was next and for this the entire Brightwork ensemble returned to the stage. A syncopated, rhythmic passage opens, followed by silence. The opening passage repeats and more extensively syncopated tutti passages follow,adding a layer of complexity to the overall feel. There is also a sense of the exotic – like taking a journey to a strange place – while an active and rhythmic texture contribute a strong sense of motion. Shaun Naidoo is quoted in the program notes: “Although Ararat should not be viewed as an overtly programmatic exercise, there is an undoubted connection between the flood myth and the rhetorical flow of the music.” Mount Ararat is, of course, the place where Noah’s ark first came to rest on solid ground after the flood, and this provides a metaphorical framework for this piece – as well as the concert as a whole. As Ararat progressed, a loud drum solo is followed by the clarinet, flute and violin trading phrases and building a nice groove. At one point the tempo slows and the bass clarinet casts a somewhat darker tone, but the uptempo pace soon returns with a complicated tutti texture that culminates in a long chord and steady drum beat. A series of light piano notes end Ararat, an intriguing and stimulating odyssey, safely grounded at last.
After the intermission, Why Women Weep (IT IS THE QUICKEST WAY TO REJOIN THE OCEAN) (2017), by Pamela Madsen was performed by Brightwork cellist Maggie Parkins. Part of a larger multi-media oratorio, this solo piece also incorporates spoken voice recordings as well as electronics. The program notes state that Why Women Weep “…embodies three selves—the cello, the spoken voice of the performer, and the recorded voice of Anaïs Nin. Anaïs Nin (1903–77), an American writer of Cuban-Spanish and French-Danish descent, is perhaps best known for her close association with Henry Miller, and for her extensive, deeply introspective diary. “
Why Women Weep opens with deep, solemn tones in the cello as spoken words are heard from the electronics. The poignant playing of Ms. Parkins sets a sorrowful mood that turns more dramatic through a series of faster repeating passages with spiky rhythms. As the piece proceeds, the agitation gives way to a lighter sense of optimism for a time before returning to the more subdued feel of the opening. Two sets of voices are heard in the electronics and the cello playing becomes very expressive and quietly emotional, especially in the repeating figure heard as the piece decrescendos to a close. Why Women Weep is a strongly passionate piece, capably served in this performance by the sensitive playing of Ms. Parkins.
The final piece on the concert program was Internal States (2016) by Tom Flaherty. This was commissioned by Brightwork newmusic and the full ensemble returned to perform this three movement work. Doubt, the first movement, began with low tones in the piano and cello, accompanied by an anxious violin passage. Dissonance and repeating figures added to the tension, but this was soon followed by a series of extended and overlapping tones, passed around among the instruments, defusing the anxiety just a bit. A sharply parsed violin solo – nicely played by Tereza Stanislav – ratcheted up the tension once more as the rhythmic activity increased in all the instruments. A tutti crescendo brought the volume up to maximum just before fading at the finish.
Reverie, movement 2, followed and this had a quiet, introspective feel, aided by sustained tones in the bass clarinet and cello at the beginning. Simmering low notes in the vibraphone and a dominating violin passage added to the dreamlike quality. Arpeggios in the flute and clarinet added a slight edge, but the meditative atmosphere was restored with a return of the bass clarinet and flute – very effectively scored – plus some bowed notes from the vibraphone. The feeling became very fluid and dreamy towards the end with tutti chords and runs, all topped off with a solid vibraphone figure at the finish.
Celebration, the final movement, began with a flourish of rapid runs, traded off between the flute and clarinet. The bustling texture from the syncopation and dissonance resulted in a dance-like feel, and everything seemed to be in a state of motion. The whirling tutti texture was most engaging and some well-timed wood block rhythms added to the sense of agile movement. As the piece progressed a syncopated clarinet solo drew the other players in, and this built into a nicely active mix. The tempo then slowed slightly, allowing just a small sense of sadness to creep in, as longer notes prevailed. At the finish, however, the pace accelerated with the percussion loudly dominating, while a series of frantic tutti phrases flooded out from the entire ensemble. The vigor and intensity of Internal States left the audience breathless but energized as Tom Flaherty rose to receive the enthusiastic applause.
Brightwork newmusic is:
Sara Andon – flute
Aron Kallay – piano
Maggie Parkins – cello
Nick Terry – percussion
Tereza Stanislav – violin
Brian Walsh – clarinet.