CineMusical reviews Zixiang Wang's debut recording "First Piano Sonatas: Scriabin and Rachmaninoff"

Scriabin/Rachmaninoff: First Piano Sonatas
Recording:   ****/****
Performance: ****/****

By Steven A. Kennedy

Pianist Zixiang Wang’s debut release provides an opportunity to explore two different approaches to the piano sonata by two of Russian composers at different stages of their careers.  The music of Alexander Scriabin (1872-1915) is perhaps less known here in the US.  His sensual orchestral music is a bit of that Symbolist-Impresssionist style from a distinct Russian perspective building on Wagnerian ultrachromaticism.  His first sonata (1892) was written earlier in his career and delineates his own personal struggle with damage to his right hand from excessive practicing!  Rachmaninoff’s music has tended to maintain itself well in the public concert hall though his solo piano music tends to demand great facility and virtuosic demands on the performer.  Written in 1907, his first piano sonata was written during the composer’s more mature period—a time that also saw completion of the second symphony.  Both pieces are still fairly rare, or at the very least, bear fewer overall current available recordings than other works in their oeuvre.

Scriabin’s sonata kicks things off with its grand romantic pianistic gestures in the opening “Allegro con focoso”.  In this four-movement work, we can hear more Chopinesque writing in a piece that can feel like we are sitting in a grand salon.  The music fits more into that traditional style of the period without some of the more outlandish chromatic writing Scriabin would later explore.  In that sense, the sonata is a bit of a departure point to hear his early style as it would then evolve.  The first movement structure is intriguing structurally, a hint at the composer’s experimental nature.  The second movement is a bt more spiritual in focus with a choral-like quality.  After a virtuosic display in the third-movement scherzo, we head into the funereal final movement, marked “Funebro”.  The march, with its echoes to Chopin, is perhaps the composer’s acknowledgment of the death of his own concert career.

The music of Liszt finds its natural connection to Rachmaninoff’s first piano sonata both in its inception and inspiration—supposedly the underlying connection is a musical essay on Faust.  A three-movement work with towering outer allegros to frame a romantic rumination on Gretchen, the sonata is an equally demanding virtuoso accomplishment.  The outer movements feature references to the “Dies Irae” plainchant that haunted so much of Rachmaninoff’s work.  It becomes a subsidiary idea within expanded textures and often shocking dissonances in the surrounding material.  The dramatic qualities are also important here and Wang manages to bring these out well.

As a bit of an encore, Wang has chosen a rarer prelude, the Prelude in F, which was reimagined for cello and piano and published as Op. 2, no. 1.  The choice here fits with Wang’s interest in bringing to light less familiar repertoire in his concerts.

Wang’s performance are quite excellently handled here and his virtuosity is not to be questioned.  He is able to shift gears well to help add more to the communicative quality of the music.  The delicate passages in the Scriabin are quite moving.  The Rachmaninoff allows for an even more admiration for his rapid passage work coupled with the gentle reposes.

Blue Griffin has captured the piano well in this studio recording.  There is just enough ambience to allow the sustains to die off well.  The piano sound itself is a bit bright and crisp which allows Wang’s passage work to shine.  Just enough pedal to help add what is needed in the big moments can provide the proper blurring that aids the darker, or more dissonant moments.  These are committed performances that bring a proper emotional balance to the music.  Certainly this is a good place to start to explore these rarer works even with some fine complete surveys of the Scriabin currently available.  For those who find the later Scriabin not to their liking, this will make a gentle introduction to his more traditionally romantic qualities.  The Rachmaninoff is equally stunning and more programmatic than one might at first perceive.  Both pieces sit well together on this release which is worth tracking down for those interested in Russian piano literature.

Take Effect reviews Zixiang Wang's "First Sonatas: Scriabin & Rachmaninoff"

First Piano Sonatas
Blue Griffin, 2021
8/10

An esteemed pianist who is no stranger to winning awards, Zixiang Wang tackles compositions by Alexander Scriabin and Sergei Rachmaninoff on this first solo album.

Scriabin’s “Piano Sonata No. 1 In F Minor, Op. 6” starts the listen with Wang’s rumbling keys in the 4 installments that vary from soft and bare to louder moments of lively beauty as Wang interprets the late romanticism selection with both grace and vigor.

Rachmaninoff’s “Piano Sonata No. 1 In D Minor, Op. 28” follows, and leads with calm mystery, where Wang’s key acrobatics flow with an adventurous and meticulous quality that retains the maturity of the original while putting his own inimitable stamp on the classic.

The final track, “Prelude In F Major”, also by Rachmaninoff, leads gentle and sublime, before highly intricate playing from Wang becomes so proficient, it hardly seems like just one piano is present.

An outstanding solo debut, Wang proves just why he’s been seeing worldwide praise as he turns in a glorious and mesmerizing effort here.

Pianist Zixiang Wang releases debut recording: “First Piano Sonatas: Scriabin and Rachmaninoff”

Featuring rarely-heard works by Scriabin and Rachmaninoff

Release date: February 15, 2021 on Blue Griffin Recording

Award-winning pianist Zixiang Wang 王子翔 (Wong Tzuh-schi-ANG) shines a light on two lesser-performed works by Alexander Scriabin and Sergei Rachmaninoff. "First Piano Sonatas: Scriabin and Rachmaninoff", released February 15, 2021 on Blue Griffin Recording (BGR579), is Mr. Wang's debut solo album. Praised by audiences all over the world for his passionate and sincere performances, Zixiang Wang's affinity for Romantic and Post-Romantic musical works have led to his exploration of lesser-known music by well-known Romantic composers.

The two main works on this CD are both composers’ first piano sonatas, and were written under vastly different circumstances. Scriabin composed Piano Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 6 at the age of twenty, while he was still a student at the conservatory. The previous summer, he injured his right hand due to excessive practicing. “Incurable” as the doctors told the young virtuoso, the ailment put a devastating end to his performing career, which directly catalyzed his desire to compose “the first sonata with a funeral march”—a funeral for his right hand.

Rachmaninoff’s first sonata, on the other hand, was composed during his mature period. Written following his move to Dresden, Piano Sonata No. 1, along with Symphony No. 2 and the opera Monna Vanna (unfinished) are referred to as the “Dresden pieces”, a group of opera-like compositions influenced by his time conducting opera at the Imperial Grand Theatre. Rachmaninoff did consider, at one point, rewriting the first sonata as a symphony, and later gave up on this idea only because of the work’s “purely pianistic style".

"Scriabin’s keyboard writing style evolved notably," says Zixiang Wang, "from late romanticism to mysticism. However, in this early work we can hear some musical qualities that never left Scriabin –­ sensibility, colorfulness and philosophical musings attached to the composition." Read more of Mr. Wang's thoughts about the repertoire on this CD and more in our Insider Interview.

TRACKS

Alexander Scriabin

[1-4] Piano Sonata No.1 in F minor, Op.6

[1] Allegro com focoso 8:40

[2] quarter note = 40 4:33

[3] Presto 3:37

[4] Funèbro 5:18

Sergei Rachmaninoff

[5-7] Piano Sonata No.1 in D minor, Op.28

[5] Allegro moderato 14:08

[6] Lento 9:27

[7] Allegro molto 14:32

Rachmaninoff

[8] Prelude in F major 3:58

Award-winning pianist Zixiang Wang has been praised by audiences all over the world for his passionate and sincere performances. His affinity for Romantic and Post-Romantic musical works have led to his exploration of unknown music by well-known Romantic composers.

His recent highlights include performances of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 with Old York Road Symphony, Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra, and a solo recital at the Shanghai Oriental Art Center.

Zixiang has been a prize-winner at numerous national and international competitions, including the 13th Teresa Llacuna International Piano Competition and the William Byrd Young Artist Competition. He has participated in many renowned festivals, including the Philadelphia Young Pianist Academy, Aspen Music Festival, Rebecca Penneys Piano Festival, Sewanee Music Festival, and Perugia Music Festival.

In addition to performing and teaching, Zixiang is also dedicated to building the bridge between Western classical music and audiences from his homeland of China. He has created a lecture series, “Trace of Music”, in which he shares his insight on major Western musical works via Chinese online platforms. Zixiang Wang holds degrees from Shanghai Conservatory of Music (B.M.), The Juilliard School (M.M.), and University of Michigan (D.M.A.).

Insider Interview with pianist Zixiang Wang

In February 2021, the pianist Zixiang Wang releases his debut recording, “First Piano Sonatas: Scriabin and Rachmaninoff” on Blue Griffin Recordings. In this Insider Interview we spoke to Mr. Wang about this project, as well as the inspiration behind the recording.

What are your earliest musical memories? Are your parents involved in music?

Neither of my parents has any musical background, but they love music. My mother has worked at a kindergarten for some years and she could play a little keyboard by ear. My earliest musical memory was that she played the keyboard and it made me happy.

If you weren’t a professional musician, what would your dream job be? Did you ever consider another career path apart from music? 

I dreamed of many different careers while growing up. When I was little, I loved painting (I still paint today) and I wanted to be a painter. I am also fond of writing. I tried several times to write a novel though I never made it to the end of the first chapter. When I was graduating from college, I was offered an internship at a music publishing company and I was seriously considering pursuing that as my career, but I chose to continue my piano training abroad in the end. Now, I can’t imagine a life without music.

You’ve said that part of your mission as a pianist is to find relatively obscure works from great Romantic composers. What discoveries have you found that you’d like readers to know about? Why are these worthy of our attention?

Of course, there are some specific things, for example how Scriabin was influenced by Chopin, how Rachmaninoff was influenced by Liszt and Goethe’s Faust. However, the biggest discovery I want to point out is how much one can benefit from learning these less-played musical works. There are reasons why they are played less – it could be technical difficulties, musical difficulties, or some formal issues. By resolving these problems, I step deeper into the composer’s musical world and develop a deeper understanding of the composer’s other works.

Your new album highlights early works of two great Russian Romantics, Rachmaninoff and Scriabin. How did you come up with this theme? How did you decide on the exact repertoire for the album?

Actually it was my teacher Professor Arthur Greene who came up with this excellent idea to put these two first sonatas in my album. He introduced me to Rachmaninoff’s sonata first, then I got the idea to make an album with this piece. When I asked his advice on the repertoire for this CD, he said: “you should learn Scriabin’s first sonata!” That was the moment when the theme was determined. However, the short prelude by Rachmaninoff was my idea and my teacher was very pleased with my discovery.

Since this is your first album, I’m curious what it felt like to step into that first recording session. How did it feel?

I was excited. Stepping into the first recording session is like stepping into one’s professional career – to be a recording artist.

How did you prepare for this record?

Practice, record myself and listen, and practice. My strategy is to focus exclusively on one composer at one time, so I recorded Scriabin first and Rachmaninoff a month later.

What do the two sonatas on your album tell us about the later works from these great composers?

In Rachmaninoff’s sonata, one can hear many characteristics that remain in his later piano works, such as the use of medieval chants, mingling threads of melodies, and of course, big chords, tons of notes, and so on. If you put an early work and a late work of his side by side, you can easily conclude they are written by the same composer. Opposite to Rachmaninoff, Scriabin’s keyboard writing style evolved notably, from late romanticism to mysticism. However, in this early work we can hear some musical qualities that never left Scriabin –­ sensibility, colorfulness and philosophical musings attached to the composition.

Tell us about your lecture series “Trace of Music.” What inspired you to start it?

During the lockdown, I was watching a Chinese TV series, in which a great Chinese artist – Danqing Chen – tells fascinating stories behind paintings in the Western and Eastern histories. It was eye-opening. I thought: why don't I do something similar in the field of music? My aim was to introduce some great piano works of Western music to Chinese audiences by the means of sharing with them the life of the composer, the inspiration and emotions of the composition, and some basic compositional concepts, etc.

You are currently editing your research on the major piano works written by leading Romantic composers. What works are you researching? How has recording your album, which features two of those major works, informed your research (and vice versa)? What are you looking for while doing this research? Why are you doing this research? And will this be published or made publicly available in some way when you’ve finalized the research?

My research has focused on the works that I have performed and found close to me. Whenever I learn a piece I research the historical background of the work. For example, I had given my lecture recital on Scriabin’s sonata shortly before I recorded it. Through a comprehensive study of the piece, my interpretation of the music grew day by day. When I stepped into the recording studio, every piece of information made sense in sound.

I am looking into publishing my research document when it is finalized. I am still working out some specifics but I hope to make these works more widely known and accessible.

OperaWire profiles Victoria Bond

Composer Profile: Victoria Bond, Legendary American Composer & Conductor

By Gillian Reinhard

American conductor and composer Victoria Bond is one of the most popular artists of opera and classical music today.

Over a long career that has included conducting stints around the world and dozens of original compositions, Bond is also notable for her distinction as the first woman to receive a doctorate in orchestral conducting from the Juilliard School.

Bond was born in Los Angeles, California to a musical family. After moving to New York, she studied piano at the Mannes School of Music. Bond returned to the West Coast for her undergraduate studies at the University of Southern California, moved to New York for a Master’s and a doctorate from Juilliard.

She has been commissioned by organizations around the world, including American Ballet Theater, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, and the Michigan Philharmonic. She is the principal guest conductor of Chamber Opera, Chicago and previously served as assistant conductor of New York City Opera, music director of the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra, and artistic director of Bel Canto Opera Company of New York, among others. She has guest conducted across the United States and the world in locations ranging from Honolulu, HI, to Richmond, VA to Beijing, China.

Additionally, Bond founded the Cutting Edge Concerts New Music Festival in 1998 to encourage compositions from contemporary composers. Her awards include the Walter Hinrichsen Award, the Victor Herbert Award, the Perry F. Kendig Award, and the Miriam Gideon Prize, as well as three honorary doctorates.

Most Famous Works

According to her website, Bond has composed eight operas, six ballets, two piano concertos, and many other orchestral and choral compositions. Two of her most well-known operas depict the lives of groundbreaking women.

“Clara,” an opera about the nineteenth-century pianist and composer Clara Schumann, premiered at the 2019 Berlin Philharmonic Easter Festival.

“Mrs. President,” a chamber opera, premiered in Anchorage, Alaska in 2012. The opera depicts the life of Victoria Woodhull—today recognized by historians as the first American woman to run for president in 1872 alongside running mate Frederick Douglass. Bond also composed “The Miracle of Light,” a Hanukkah opera.

Limelight Magazine reviews Orli Shaham's "Mozart Piano Sonatas"

Three years ago, when her husband David Robertson was Sydney Symphony Orchestra’s chief conductor, US pianist Orli Shaham gave a beautifully nuanced recital linking Brahms backwards to Bach and forwards to Brett Dean and Israeli composer Avner Dorman. Not only was the programming inventive and well thought out, but also the execution was immaculate.

That program can be found on disc on Canary Classics, a label established by her violinist brother Gil, and now she is turning her keenly intelligent attention to Mozart’s 18 piano sonatas, starting the cycle in an interesting way with the three works in B Flat – Nos 3, 13 and 17. “They are all so different, yet the B Flats combine to create a perfect mirror of Mozart’s development from his late teens to full maturity,” Shaham says.

A noted broadcaster, educator and writer in America, Shaham challenges Artur Schnabel’s famous remark that the sonatas are “too easy for children and too difficult for adults”. The key to them is that they are vocal in nature: “Everything is singable; it’s rare to find intervals in Mozart’s music which are not,” she says.

In the K281, written when Mozart was 19, Shaham captures the freshness and Haydnesque airiness of the opening movement. By the time he wrote K333, in 1783, Mozart was in Vienna performing concerts for connoisseurs and the K570, from 1789, was published posthumously.

Like the man, Mozart’s 18 sonatas contain multitudes, and with Shaham we have an intelligent and sensitive guide.

The Violin Channel interviews the Alexander String Quartet

VC INTERVIEW | Alexander String Quartet - Beethoven's 250th Anniversary

The ensemble will present two concerts online on November 16, and will be available through November 29 on Baruch's College's website. Admission is pay-what-you-can

The Violin Channel recently caught up with the Alexander String quartet, quartet in residence at the Baruch College, in New York, since 1986.

The program features Beethoven's quartet Op. 18 No. 1, Op 59 No. 2, Op. 135, and Op. 132, and American composer George Walker’s Lyric for String Quartet.

Tell us about your long-standing residency at the Baruch University? How do you approach your interactions with the students?

"The quartet has been spending one week each semester at Baruch College Since 1986. The plan and long term funding for this innovative residency was put together between the Quartet members and Aaron and Freda Silberman. Aaron had graduated from Baruch on the GI Bill back in 1946 after serving in WW2. He and Freda became huge patrons of music in Pittsburgh where they settled but were large donors to Baruch and wanted to endow the gift of music to the liberal arts and business students there, many of whom were usually too busy to go out to concerts while they were studying and working.

The idea has been that we go to classes in any and all of the disciplines in the liberal arts - from psychology to Mathematics, World literature to music history. Everything. We play and speak with the students - usually making connections between the subject matter they are dealing with and the music and impetus behind the creation of the music we play.

It’s been a two way street in terms of satisfaction and meaning. The appreciation we and our art form have received from the students and Baruch College faculty and community over these 34 years has been enormously rewarding.

We also take a few hours every semester to read and record compositions from the students in the harmony and composition classes with Professor Philip Lambert. It’s a blast and seeing the expression on their faces when they hear their own works being played live in front of them is priceless!" said violinist Frederick Lifsitz.

Read the entire interview at this link.

SHARPS & FLATIRONS features Jeri Jorgensen's "Complete Beethoven Violin Sonatas"

HEARING BEETHOVEN, THE 19TH-CENTURY WAY

Jorgensen and Bryant discuss their CD of Beethoven’s violin sonatas, played on period instruments.

By Izzy Fincher Nov. 22 at 1 p.m.

Listening to Beethoven on early 19th-century instruments is the next best thing to time travel.

On their CD recording of Beethoven’s sonatas for piano and violin (Albany Records TROY 1825–28), released in July 2020, violinist Jerilyn Jorgensen and pianist Cullan Bryant play all 10 sonatas on restored historical instruments, transporting listeners back in time to 19th-century Vienna.

As historical performance practice instrumentalists, Jorgensen, a member of Colorado College’s performance faculty, and Bryant, a chamber musician based in New York, are breaking new ground. They are the first duo from the United States to release Beethoven’s complete violin sonatas on period instruments from an American collection.

Their expertise in classical-era performance practice has led to invitations from the Historical Keyboard Society of North America in 2018 and 2021, performances at the National Music Museum in South Dakota, and an early-piano concert series in North Carolina.

In 2020, the 250th anniversary year of Beethoven’s birth, a year flooded with Beethoven recordings, their interpretation stands out, offering listeners an opportunity to hear Beethoven’s music as it sounded during his lifetime.

On a first or superficial listening, listeners may find the sonic differences between period and modern instruments rather subtle. But after learning about the historical context and the technological developments in instrument making, listeners will be better able to identify and appreciate the musical nuances.

“Playing on period instruments doesn’t lend one to being more academic in one’s interpretation,” Bryant says. “In fact, it’s quite the opposite. It invites more emotional involvement, and in the case of Beethoven, a little more insanity, a more romantic interpretation.

“The instrument is telling you how to play. It is telling you what it needs to express the music. You don’t play the same (as on modern instruments), and you gain a new insight into what Beethoven was looking for interpretively. It is precious.”

Read the entire article at this link.

Amsterdam News: Alexander String Quartet to honor composer George Walker: First African American to win Pulitzer for music

In the documentary Quincy, about the life of legendary music producer Quincy Jones, we learn that Jones studied with Nadia Boulanger, considered one of the best classical music instructors in the world. Jones wanted to be a classical composer but went on to become a leading jazz composer and R&B producer instead.

Classical music critic Alex Ross in a recent The New Yorker article wrote, “Will Marion Cook, Fletcher Henderson, Billy Strayhorn, and Nina Simone, among many others, had initially devoted themselves to classical-music studies. That jazz came to be called ‘America’s classical music’ was an indirect commentary on the whiteness of the concert world.”

It’s clear that racism undoubtedly had a hand in steering some classical music aspirants away from the discipline.

The fact, then, that George Walker, who also studied with Boulanger, was a classical musician his entire career, is all the more impressive. Born in Washington, D.C. in 1922, Walker began studying piano at five, and went on to become the first Black instrumentalist to perform at Manhattan’s Town Hall. It’s one of a list of other “firsts” too long to enumerate here other than to add that Walker was the first African American to win a Pulitzer Prize for music. Still, he remains relatively unknown despite his vast accomplishments. To say George Walker is woefully underappreciated, is an understatement.

The Alexander String Quartet (AST) will begin remedying that unfortunate fact this month, where they’ll perform some of Walker’s work in a series of virtual concerts presented by Baruch Performing Arts Center through Nov. 29.

Read the entire article here.

TransCentury Media reviews Orli Shaham's "Mozart Piano Sonatas Vol.1"

“There are many ways to arrange and release such a cycle – simply going through the numbered sonatas from one through 18 is the most straightforward – so it is interesting that the sequencing of Shaham’s cycle, or at least its first volume, is not numerical but strictly musical. This Canary Classics CD includes the three Mozart sonatas written in, yes, B-flat: K. 281, 333 and 570. The first of these dates to 1774, the second most likely to 1784, and the third to 1789; they thus span a considerable portion of Mozart’s compositional life. Interestingly, it is K. 281 that is in many respects the most virtuosic: it packs a great deal of display into its outer movements and considerable operatic emotionalism into its central Andante amoroso. Shaham is not a historic-performance pianist, and she does not hesitate to delve into the warmth and sustained beauty of which modern pianos are more capable than were the instruments of Mozart’s time. Yet she knows when to keep her touch light, as in the outer movements of this sonata, and she certainly knows how to handle ornamentation, which proliferates under her hands in this sonata and throughout the CD. There is perhaps a bit too much sustaining pedal in the finale of K. 281, but the overall lightness is there – despite being harder to achieve on a modern piano than on an instrument of Mozart’s time. In K. 333, the longest of these three sonatas, the operatic elements are most prominent in the opening movement, which glides along like a sweet little cabaletta until Mozart makes it something more pianistic. The second movement also has a singing quality – it is actually marked Andante cantabile – and Shaham makes the most of this element, just as she pays close attention to the gracefulness of a finale marked Allegretto grazioso. In K. 570, Shaham elegantly and warmly accentuates the gentle rocking motion underlying the first movement; presents the central Adagio in slow, lullaby-like manner, slightly lengthening the pauses between phrases; and brightens matters up significantly in a sprightly final Allegretto. These are very fine modern-piano performances, generally on the slow side compared with other readings of these works: Shaham enjoys exploring the emotional impact of the music and does not hesitate to select tempos and pianistic effects that enable her to do so. There is something charmingly old-fashioned about the result – which, among other things, shows quite neatly the many ways in which Mozart used the key of B-flat to bring out different feelings and emotions in these three sonatas.”

Take Effect reviews Orli Shaham's "Mozart Piano Sonatas, Vol.1"

The piano extraordinaire Orli Shaham has taken on an impressive project here, where she interprets the works of Mozart. On this first disc in a series of five, she offers us “K.281”, “K.333” and “K.570” in B-flat major, where each sonata unfolds with its own distinct voice amid much attention to detail.

“Piano Sonata In B-Flat Major No. 3, K.281” starts the listen with sublime piano acrobatics that often move at a furious pace, but also retreat to calmer ebbs, too, and “Piano Sonata In B-Flat Major No. 13, K.333” follows and leads as if it’s one of Mozart’s operas, where a highly melodic presence weaves in and out of gorgeous song craft that’s as stirring as it is fascinating.

“Piano Sonata In B-Flat Major No. 17, K.570” finishes the listen strong, where Shaham’s skills are nothing short of awe inspiring, often playing so meticulously, you’d think there were multiple pianos playing simultaneously.

Shaham certainly retains the artistic spirit of these classics, and injects plenty of drama, humor and adventurousness that will certainly keep us anticipating the next 15 sonatas of the this series.

TransCentury Media reviews Edward Smaldone's CD "Once and Again"

The five pieces by Edward Smaldone (born 1956) on a new release from New Focus Recordings show a similar level of interest in varying sonorities and instrumentation. Cantare di Amore (2009) is for soprano (Tony Arnold), flute (Tara Helen O’Connor), and harp (June Han). The flute and harp interconnect with sensitivity in all three songs, although the “swooning” sounds of the flute can be distracting; the voice, singing in Italian, is set with welcome clarity and without overly strained or overstated sounds – indeed, its expressiveness is welcome in a contemporary work, although its tonal language is certainly modern. Double Duo (1987/2006) is for flute (O’Connor), clarinet (Charles Neidich), violin (Daniel Phillips), and cello (Marcy Rosen). As the title indicates, this single-movement work handles the instruments mostly in pairs rather than as a quartet. Its rhythmic angularity is effective enough, although it does not fully explore the auditory differences among the participants. Letters from Home (2000/2007/2014) is a set of six movements, the sixth a reprise of the first, written for soprano (Susan Narucki), flute and piccolo (Judith Mendenhall), clarinet and bass clarinet (Neidich), and piano (Donald Pirone). The letters’ topics are mundane ones of the modern world, although hearing matters such as taxes, graduation gifts and familial relationships given the art-song treatment gives the work a certain pleasant piquancy. Duke/Monk (2011), a duet for clarinet (Neidich) and piano (Morey Ritt), offers two movements in different styles (hence the expository title), the first slow and improvisational in feeling, the second more strongly ornamented in the clarinet and with a more-intense woodwind focus. This set of chamber pieces is capped by a work for string orchestra: Sinfonia (1986/2010), played by the Brno Philharmonic Strings conducted by Mikel Toms. This piece is something of a disappointment, without the level of creativity in the other offerings on the disc and with the usual stop-and-start feeling that contemporary composers often use (generally, as here, with limited success) to pull audiences in different emotional directions. As a whole, the CD offers a good portrait of Smaldone’s varying interests in instrumental and vocal contrast, and his particular skill at writing for, blending and contrasting woodwinds – both with and without the human voice.

     Additional Smaldone works are offered on one-half of a two-CD set from Ablaze Records, the other disc being devoted to music by Douglas Knehans (born 1957). The four Smaldone pieces here continue to show his skill with chamber ensembles and his interest in reimagining traditional combinations of instruments. Rituals: Sacred and Profane is for flute (Nave Graham), cello (Yijia Fang), and piano (Matthew Umphreys), and balances the roles of the three instruments carefully: none truly dominates, and all have opportunities to take the material in their own directions. Suite is a three-movement piece for violin (Scott Jackson) and piano (Umphreys). Its movements are suitably differentiated and, as usual for a work with this title, not strongly related to each other: the first, Impromptu, is in large part an extended solo violin cadenza; the second, Adagio, is indeed slow-paced but not especially emotive; the third, Stephane’s Dance, is angular and irregular, with the two instruments often sounding at cross-purposes as if the dancer is somewhat awkward, or perhaps trying too hard to impress. Three Scenes from the Heartland is for solo piano (Umphreys) and is well-constructed in an impressionistic sense, with a broadly flowing Introduction, a short and bouncily dissonant Scherzo, and a concluding Nocturne that is quiet and generally soft enough, if not particularly restful in light of its meandering tonal relationships. This is followed on the CD by Double Duo in a slightly quicker performance than the one from New Focus. Here the performers are Graham on flute, Mikey Arbulu on clarinet, Jackson on violin, and Fang on cello. It is interesting to compare the two readings: this one is brighter and more propulsive, with stronger emphasis on passages that take instruments to the extremes of their ranges; the New Focus one is broader and less concerned with highlighting the sonic differences among the instruments, with the result that it sounds more like an ensemble piece. As for the other Ablaze Records disc, it offers four Knehans pieces – two of which call for larger forces and some more-exotic instrumentation than anything here from Smaldone. These two Knehans works are Bang and Falling Air, the former for sextet and electronics, the latter for sextet and sheng. Both are conducted by William R. Langley; the ensemble includes flute (Graham), clarinet (Arbulu), percussion (David Abraham), piano (Umphreys), violin (Jackson), and cello (Fang), with Hu Jianbing on sheng in Falling Air. Each piece is an 11-minute-or-so exploration of tonal and instrumental contrasts, with Bang integrating the electronics into the ensemble as if the non-acoustic material turns the sextet into a septet, and with Falling Air doing something similar with the sheng – not so much drawing attention to the difference between its sound and that of the Western instruments as presenting it as a distinctive member of the group that is nevertheless part of the totality rather than primus inter pares. The motivic and rhythmic material in these works is less notable than their sound: they convey no particular message, but are intriguing explorations of varying sonorities. Knehans also shows on this release shows that he does not need a chamber ensemble to make his points: Temple, a work for solo flute (played by Graham), goes on almost as long as the sextets-plus (nearly nine minutes) but manages a thorough exploration of the flute’s moods and capabilities – without turning the instrument into a parody of itself. Temple does not quite sustain through its entire length, but it has many very interesting elements and will be particularly captivating for flute players. Also on this disc is Lumen, a three-movement work for cello (Fang) and piano (Umphreys) that is somewhat overly expansive (24 minutes) and somewhat overly lugubrious: movements labeled Yearning, Strained, Exhaustedly Expressive and Lentissimo-Grave frame a short central one called Spinning that provides some relief of tempo but none from the work’s rather strained emotionalism. On the basis of this recording, both Knehans and Smaldone are quite adept at writing for the various instruments they select, but neither uses those instruments to convey any particularly compelling or consistent message to a potential audience beyond the distinctly limited one that is interested in contemporary composition for its own sake.

CineMusical reviews Georgina Rossi's CD "Mobili: Music for Viola and Piano from Chile"

Mobili takes its title from a significant work by Juan Orrego-Salas (1919-2019) that anchors this collection of music for viola by Chilean composers.  Violist Georgina Isabel Rossi’s program is a blend of works from the 1960s and the 21st Century exploring work by six composers.  Rossi is a Chilean-born performer who has performed throughout the Americas and is currently a member of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra.  She is joined here by Silvie Cheng who is known for her championing of new music and has recorded with her brother on the audite label.

The program is organized with the opening five works being shorter pieces and the larger multi-movement work serving as the conclusion with a brief encore-like piece to wrap things off.  Two pieces by Rafael Diaz (b.1962) open the album.  The first of these, Habra alguien que en sus manos sostenga este caer? (2009), is for amplified viola and uses a prayer-like folk melody from the Andes’ indigenous Pewenche people.  The arc of the piece is related to the “sonorities” of prayer and opens with a ascending cry that will shift to a more lyrical, contemplative section.  The outlines of the viola line suggest landscapes and there are musical gestures to also indicate bird calls.  The Chilean landscape also informs Diaz’s In the Depths of My Distance Your House Emerges (2013).  The composer’s ethnomusicological exploration of indigenous music is also present in this work.

The earliest work on the album is Carlos Botto’s (1923-2004) Fantaisie, Op, 15 (1962).  His work is among those combining modernist tendencies and references to more traditional forms and genres, of which this work is a fine example.  The open piano harmonies provide a careful underpinning of the almost romantic-like emotion of the solo line that moves into more intense segments as the motives of the piece are unpacked and explored in the work which has an excellent dramatic engagement whose episodic nature allows for a variety of challenges to overcome.  Federico Heinlein (1912-1999) counts among his teachers Nadia Boulanger.  His output focuses on poetic settings with the instrumental works often referencing poetry.  That is the case for his Duo “Do Not Go Gentle” (1985) which takes inspiration from a Dylan Thomas poem.  There are some really beautiful, folk-like romantic lines that provide a warm, emotional core to this music.   Tololo (2011) wraps up this first part of the program.  Originally for viola and string orchestra, this David Cortes (b. 1985) work takes its inspiration from the home of an important observatory on Mount Tololo.  The music follows the imagination of seeing through a telescope with its ability to see far and zoom in for new detail.

Mobili, Op. 63 is a four-movement work by Orrego-Salas (1967).  The first movement has a sparse piano accompaniment and focuses on a long, lyrical line that grows slowly upward.  The piano tends to provide signposts and will then revisit the material from the solo line, expanding the harmonic tension.  “Discontinuo” is a contrasting movement of jagged and angular writing.  Interaction between the soloist becomes heightened here adding to a sense of unease that keeps things on edge.  In “Ricorrente”, seems to blend a seeking out and have a veiled reference to ricercare, with its somewhat staggered commentary between the soloist and piano.  The motivic idea introduced is expanded and explored between the two which sometimes come together.  The longest movement of the four, it seems to also hold a stronger emotional core which is mined well here by Rossi.  Things are wrapped up with a brilliant “Perpetuo” movement to provide more technical and virtuosic challenges.

As a bonus track, the program concludes with a transcription of the song El Sampredrino (1968) by the composer often called the Argentinean Schubert, Carlos Guastavino (1912-2000).  His music fits into the more folk-inspired styles (a la Ginastera) with nods to the post-romantics.  It makes for a touching conclusion.

While the music here tends toward more modernist contemporary qualities, the expressiveness of these pieces is captured beautifully by Rossi who navigates these moments of lyricism with beautiful playing.  Her articulation for the rapid passage moments also works to aid the dramatic contrasts of the pieces on this program.  The careful placement of these works also gradually expands the tonal palette so that the ear adjusts to the open, modern harmonies.  When the music introduces a more romantic-tinged line, they stand out in stunning contrast to the quartal/quintal harmonic piano accompaniment which is handled equally well by Cheng.  Perhaps it is the warm tone of the viola which also makes this album further inviting and certainly worth a look for those interested in expanding their musical world.  Sound quality is excellent with a perfect balance of soloist and piano, both imaged well in the sonic picture.  The piano has a nice warm quality with just enough ambience to warm things up and keep them from being to dry.  This is due as much to the excellent performances that are captured in this fine release.

WQXR features Georgina Rossi's CD "Mobili: Music for Viola and Piano from Chile"

The wonderful thing about technology is how easy it’s become to share music with people all over the world. Armed with that knowledge, violist Georgina Isabel Rossi and pianist Silvie Cheng decided they wanted to bring some rarely-performed works by Chilean composers to the masses. Rossi and Cheng take us through five decades of Chilean viola music in Mobili, featuring world premiere recordings of works by Rafael Díaz, Carlos Botto, Federico Heinlein, and David Cortés, with a special tribute to Juan Orrego-Salas — who, just a few days before recording began, passed away. Feeling an incredible responsibility to do justice to his work, the duo decided to dedicate and name the album for his piece. 

When I asked her about the album — a project two years in the making — Rossi revealed that the recording process was unlike anything she’d done before. The emotions going into creating the album were complex, and it felt particularly special because, with one exception, the works on Mobili had never been recorded before. And while Rossi shares a certain geographical connection to selections (she was born in Chile), she wanted to do the project because of  the composers and pieces themselves: “They felt like treasures,” she says, “they’re top-notch.” 

Orrego-Salas, for example, was in the United States for two years as a Rockefeller and a Guggenheim Foundation grantee, and he studied composition with Aaron Copland and George Herzog. “They were not nobodies,” Rossi says, they were just some of the many whose pieces had not been recorded due to a lack of funding. “There are not many opportunities to just stop everything and dedicate all this time and money into an endeavor of this nature.” 

Nor is this album “[some] kind of niche Chilean thing that you have no connection to, because that’s just not the case,” says Rossi. 

Of the five decades of music on this album, Rossi says the modern pieces are considered more traditional in a Western sense — more invested in tonality and beautiful melody rather than placing an extreme emphasis on intellectual composition, and that lends itself to the discovery of meaning here in the real and present world. 

Cortez and Díaz are the youngest composers on the recording, and both incredibly connected to the landscape and nature in the creation of their pieces. The younger generations “care about the land we live on and how it’s being affected,” says Rossi, “and I think we think about the issues we’re facing here and now and try to solve them.” In her opinion, this is the rediscovery of harmony and melody, things that were left behind by the modernists. 

Rafael Díaz’s ¿Habrá alguien que en sus manos sostenga este caer? (Will There Be Someone Whose Hands Can Sustain This Falling?), for solo viola, opens the album. At the beginning of it, I feel like I’m falling indeed — gently, slowly, and my feet eventually touch the ground. Expertly played, the music guides you through the listening experience, one minute passing by into the next without noticing. According to the notes, “Taking inspiration from ritual prayers of the Pewenche people of the central Andean region, the work embodies the pantheistic ethos of their way of life in which the natural world and the deity are fused.”  

David Cortés’ Tololo is a musical homage to the Coquimbo Region, where he grew up. If you do a Google search, you’ll see that the area is full of observatories you can visit to view the astronomical wonders of the night sky — and the music reflects that. As I listen, I transcend the telescopes and lenses, and I’m walking through the cosmos watching stars explode into supernova around me.

Really listening to music requires a person to unplug from the world around them, because how much can you really appreciate something if it’s on in the background? In the end, Rossi hopes people will give the album a chance, and approach it with an open mind — if someone were to take five minutes out of their day to sit with the music, that would mean the world to her. 

The album is worth more than five minutes, that’s for sure. I can feel the emotion and love behind each piece, and I can feel the culture. Mobili brings me to a world I have never been to, and takes me around, showing me something new. That’s what this album is — something new. And it is worthy of attention.

Large Stage Live! reviews Georgina Rossi's recording "Mobili"

The Viola Revolution

Jokes about violas and viola players are legion in the musical world, as much so as jokes about altos, and for the same reasons -- perennially buried in the middle of the harmony under a wave of violins or sopranos, and frequently consigned to the third of the chord.  Rarely does a viola get a chance to shine as a leading or solo instrument.

But now comes a startling new recording, Mobili, from Georgina Isabel Rossi (viola) and Silvie Cheng (piano) which is guaranteed to make you sit up and listen with newly attentive ears.

It's not just the relative rarity of a recital CD featuring the viola at front and centre, but also the rarity (to North American ears) of the programme -- an anthology of music by 20th century and 21st century composers mainly from Chile.

None of these composers have previously come to my attention, nor -- I suspect -- to the attention of most music lovers outside of their Chilean homeland.  Apart from one piece, all the works on this album are receiving their debut recorded performances.  And that is -- on both counts -- definitely a situation due for redress.

The album opens with two works by Rafael Díaz (b. 1962).  The first, ¿Habrá alguien en sus manos sostenga este caer? ("Will there be someone whose hands can sustain this falling?"), composed in 2009, is a visionary, almost otherworldly rhapsody for solo amplified viola.  That quasi-extra-terrestrial atmosphere belies the traditional prayer music of the Pewenche aboriginal peoples of the Andes, which (together with birdsong figures) lies at the root of this intriguing composition.

The second work from Díaz, equally remarkable, is Al fondo de mi lejanía se asoma tu casa ("In the Depths of My Distance Your House Emerges"), written in 2013, which evokes a remote Chilean landscape through which the composer walked to school as a child.  The music captures the haunting, impersonal air of the vast open spaces, and the piano now joins the viola in gentle trills which again evoke birdsong.

Next up is an early Fantasía, op. 15 (1962) for viola and piano by Carlos Botto Vallarino (1923-2004).  Botto's music was influenced by the European modernism of the mid-twentieth century, in particular the work of Luigi Dallapiccola, with whom he studied.  In this work, the slower sections often conceal the harmonic disjunction between viola and piano by resorting to different registers which place the sounds of the two instruments on different planes.  The faster passages emphasize the jagged contours of the viola part against quiet but firm piano chords.

Federico Heinlein (1912-1999) contributes a Dúo, Op. 15, for viola and piano, written in 1985.  The title page of the work refers to Dylan Thomas with the quotation, "Do not go gentle."  This music evinces nothing of rage against the dying of the light, but there is disquiet in plenty with the strange twists and turns of harmony, combining quiet dynamics with the most vigorous harmonic disruption.  The work ends with an incomplete phrase like a quizzical question mark.

With the Tololo of David Cortés (written in 2011), we arrive in perhaps my least-favourite corner of contemporary composition -- the neighbourhood where a composer must produce detailed, even pedantic programme notes, to make clear what he or she was doing and how it ought to be received and appreciated by the listener.  I have long believed that the more a creative artist must explain in words what is being done, the less successful the created piece is in its own terms.  This, for me, is a principle which applies equally whether we speak of music, of dance, of theatre, or of the visual arts.  Call me old-fashioned, and perhaps I am, but I regard copious programme notes as -- at best -- a crutch.

The work which Cortés (b. 1985) has produced here consists of numerous piquant gestures, lacking a firm structural basis to hold them together.  The composer himself, by the way, has referred to his musical elements as "gestural."  The sounds are intriguing, to be sure, but here was the one place where I felt that the composer had worn out his welcome before the composition ended.

The anchor work of the entire programme, Mobili, Op. 63 by Juan Orrego-Salas (1919-2019), was composed in 1967.  It's an 18-minute suite of four movements, which bear the evocative titles Flessibile, Discontinuo, Ricorrente, and Perpetuo.  Flessibile often uses the viola and piano independently, with each instrument taking its turn to present the material.  Discontinuo presents a kind of scherzo with piano and viola darting hither and yon, with occasional tart explosions from one or the other highlighting the essentially quiet textures.  Ricorrente presents a slow, meditative, even ponderous duet for the two instruments which suggest an examination of issues larger than mere worldly concerns.  The final Perpetuo, as its title indicates, is a fast-moving stream of continuous melody, with numerous lightning-fast shifts of metre adding considerable rhythmic complexity.  The movement, and the suite, end on three emphatic chords.

The album ends with a bonus track which is something of a cuckoo in the nest: an arrangement of El Sampredrino (1968) by Argentinian composer Carlos Guastavino (1912-2000).  In contrast with the rest of the music, this is a setting of a lyrical melody.  Guastavino was renowned above all as a composer of songs, and his output fuses nineteenth-centuy romanticism with a strong Latin-American sensibility.  This song exemplifies his style.

Throughout this hour-long recital, violist Rossi and pianist Cheng present the most intriguing and sensitive textures, especially in repertoire which is predominantly quiet rather than loud and emphatic.  Rossi plays with clear, unforced tone across the entire dynamic and tonal range of her instrument, creating fascinating variety of sound in a programme which might -- in other hands -- end up being too much of the same thing.  Cheng creates a diverse, subtly varied array of sounds and textures on the piano, again avoiding any suspicion of routine.  

This partnership of artists serves the music very well indeed, drawing us into the different sound worlds of these diverse composers and presenting a fascinating cross-section of contemporary compositon in Chile.  While it's challenging listening, this album is also rewarding and has many moments that will well repay the listener's attention.

The album, catalogue # fcr268,  is available online from New Focus Recordings.

TransCentury Media reviews Jerilyn Jorgensen and Cullan Bryant's "The Complete Beethoven Sonatas"

The extent to which historically informed performance has moved into the mainstream is nowhere clearer than in these exceptional readings of Beethoven’s 10 sonatas for violin and piano – which feature Jerilyn Jorgensen playing a 1797 Andrea Carolus Leeb violin using multiple period bows, and Cullan Bryant performing on five different fortepianos of Beethoven’s time that, collectively, sound about as different as it is possible for superficially similar instruments to sound. This Albany Records four-CD set is nothing short of revelatory, not only because of the excellence of the interpretations – and they are excellent – but also because it so seamlessly brings a 21st-century audience into the sound world of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, without in any way compromising the effectiveness of the music. Indeed, one of the elements most worthy of celebration here is that these sonatas are more impressive when heard on appropriate instruments than when performed, as they almost invariably are, on modern ones.

For quite some time after historic-performance practices became a serious element of music around 50 years ago, there was a certain academic quality about many of the readings: they often tended to be on the stiff side, as if somehow the more straitlaced era in which the music was written (especially Baroque music) needed to be reflected in a certain level of care and caution in reproducing what composers wrote. The emotional abandon associated with Romantic and post-Romantic music just seemed inappropriate for the Baroque and Classical eras. But gradually, musicians came to realize that there is no dearth of emotional involvement in pre-Romantic music, which is every bit as expressive as later works – but written for instruments designed to bring forth the emotional content in ways quite different from those of more-modern instruments. Mozart’s horn concertos, for example, are thrilling and amusing in turn, far more so on the natural horn for which they were written than on the much more even-sounding valved horn of today: the sound quality of a run changes during the note sequence, and the sonic environment of the higher notes in Mozart’s time is quite different from that in the lower notes. This is also the case when it comes to keyboard instruments. Mozart and Beethoven wrote for five-to-six-octave-spanning fortepianos with completely different pedal arrangements from those on modern instruments, and with different internal structure, construction materials, key action, and size (hence, sound production). These composers’ music sounds marvelous on modern instruments, but it simply does not sound as the composers intended it to sound – and now that top-notch modern players are thoroughly comfortable with fortepianos, now that violinists know how to handle instruments with different neck sets, differently arched bodies, and a variety of bow designs, it is finally possible to enter the sound world (and thus the emotional world) into which the composers intended to invite listeners.

This world is very different from the one typically associated with the Beethoven violin-and-piano sonatas. Many of the sonatas favor the piano, with the violin taking on more of an obbligato role, but the instrumental balance when the correct instruments are used shows the differentiation between them much more clearly, and leads to a more-even sound for the sonatas even when the piano part is dominant. The three earliest sonatas (Op. 12), which tend to get short shrift from most performers, here sound like works intended for skilled amateurs (which is how Beethoven designed them), but ones that would be quite a stretch for many amateur players using the intended instruments, whose tonal coloration is quite different from that of their more-modern descendants. The A minor sonata, Op. 23, gains considerable heft when heard in this recording, with a level of emotional involvement deepened by the evenness of tone of the violin vs. the differing tonal environments heard from the fortepiano in its different registers and pedaling. The paired F major sonata, Op. 24, known as Frühlingsonate and more popular than the A minor, here complements Op. 23 instead of eclipsing it: the two works do sound like a pair, emphasizing different emotions and moods in a highly complementary way.

The three sonatas of Op. 30 are even fuller of revelatory moments in these readings. No. 1 in A, the least known, turns out to have some distinctive auditory elements in its comparatively straightforward opening movement, and some very clever contrasting of sound, not just rhythm and tempo, in the variations that make up its finale. No. 2 in C minor is better balanced and less dramatically stormy as Jorgensen and Bryant perform it than in readings using the full sonic capabilities of modern violins and pianos, while the exceptional jocularity of No. 3 in G comes through to far better effect here – and far more directness of expression – than it usually does. The Jorgensen/Bryant readings of these three sonatas are impressively eloquent. And the original-instrument approach also serves beautifully in Beethoven’s two last and by far best-known violin sonatas. No. 9 in A, the “Kreutzer” (which Rodolphe Kreutzer never played and appears to have disdained), speaks here with poise, elegance and emotional balance that fully justify the work’s exceptional length of 40-plus minutes. The very opening, with the unaccompanied violin playing double, triple, even quadruple stops in A and the fortepiano strangely responding in C and then D minor, is exceptionally effective in setting the scene for a work that defies expectations again and again, as Beethoven uses the sonic capabilities of the violin and fortepiano to emphasize and de-emphasize structural elements with tremendous skill. To cite just one example, when the composer pushes the violin to its highest range in the second movement, listeners really hear the difference of sound quality, not just tessitura. This is an exceptional performance of an exceptional sonata. And the 10th and final work, whose style was specifically adapted by Beethoven to suit the tastes of the French school of violin playing exemplified by Pierre Rode, sounds exceptionally different from the “Kreutzer,” not only because Beethoven’s compositional style had evolved between 1803 and 1812 but also because the basic sonorities of violin and fortepiano had not changed significantly in that time period – leaving it up to the composer to find new forms of expressiveness within the capabilities of the instruments available to him. The serenity and overall gentleness of this sonata come through with complete clarity in this performance, with the performers’ nuanced sensitivity to the sound of their instruments producing a level of expressive clarity that is simply unavailable when the work is heard on modern instruments. Every reading in this first-rate set is insightful, carefully planned, emotionally satisfying, and true to both the letter and the spirit of Beethoven’s compositional process. These are the Beethoven violin-and-piano sonatas as the composer intended them to be heard, as they deserve to be heard, and as they can now – both “at last” and “again” – be heard to their best advantage and greatest level of communicative expressivity.

Cinemusical reviews Edward Smaldone's CD "Once and Again"

Composer Edward Smaldone (b. 1956) explores a number of chamber music expressions in this new collection from New Focus.  From song cycles (Cantare di Amore; Letters From Home) to wind solos (Duke/Monk) and duets (Double Duo) to a concluding string Sinfonia that reveal the composer’s style and approaches in works written between 1986-2009.

The first work on the album is the song cycle Cantare di Amore (2009) and represents Smaldone’s most recent work.  The texts are borrowed from the fourth and sixth book of Madrigals by Monteverdi.  There are three settings, the first opening with an almost Asian-sounding inflection from the flute and harp.  The voice and flute tend to interweave and feed off one another with the harp providing flourishes to add harmonic signposts.  There are sometimes subtle shifts to more traditional harmony, though these are hints that quickly dissipate.  At the center is a darker love song exploring contemporary effects for the accompanying instruments and a freer rhythmic feel.  The final song has more of these free-flowing soprano lines.  The piece is a bit reminiscent of Dallapiccola (perhaps it is just the way the instruments are applied and the florid vocal writing).  The performance is quite exquisite.  The second song cycle is based on some letters the composer discovered in his home (hence the title, Letters from Home 2000/2007/2014).  The actual letters are interspersed with the composer’s own texts to add context to the material.  Here it is Susan Narucki’s performance that entrances the listener.

The song cycles are separated by a Double Duo (1987/2006) that pits two woodwind instruments (flute and clarinet) against two string instruments (violin and cello).  This earlier composition, here in a revised form, Smaldone cites as being influenced by George Perle.  It expresses that economy of material with opening ideas being the primary pitch and motivic ideas that form the basis of the tightly-constructed 8-minute work.  There is still a sense of improvisational approaches that allow each instrument to come to the foreground briefly.  An outward-reaching gesture helps further move things along as more angular, and jagged outlines add an additional intensity.  More careful listening helps discern that these ideas are placed within a sonata form.  The more rhythmic material opens the work with a slower, harmonically ambiguous, second idea providing contrast.  A development section further unpacks these ideas before a somewhat interesting recapitulation where these two ideas occur simultaneously.  The penultimate track is a two-movement work, originally for flute, that is performed on clarinet.  Duke/Monk (2011) reveals another of Smaldone’s “influences”, Duke Ellington and Thelonius Monk.  The musical material is derived form a work of each of these classic jazz musicians and composers.  The new transcription was made for its soloist here, Charles Niedich.  It piano allows Smaldone to stretch and manipulate jazz harmonies while the soloist has a more improvisational feel exploring the melodic lines of the quotations.

The final work here is an early piece for strings adapted from the composer’s 1986 second string quartet.  The Sinfonia (2010) features a beautiful viola opening with extended harmonic punctuations before shifting into a dancing scherzo.  The work encapsulates the composer’s exploration of small cells of material and repeated pitch constructions.  After a more reflective opening, the dance-like rhythms of Smaldone’s interests also align.

The music here is especially marked by some beautiful lyric writing, though couched often in more astringent harmony.  It is almost as if sometimes a line will follow a traditional harmonic arc but the accompaniment pulls into closer intervallic constructions towards dissonance.  That can be quite fascinating to hear and Smaldone is quite fortunate to have secured such fine performances of these pieces.

Take Effect reviews composer Edward Smaldone's album "Once and Again"

Once And Again

New Focus, 2020

8/10

Listen to Once And Again

A collection of chamber music from the always imaginative mind of Edward Smaldone, Once And Again recruits classical and modernist influences as soprano vocalists and top notch chamber players all contribute their respective talents across 5 compositions.

The album starts with the soprano, flute and harp of “Cantare di Amore”, where the 3 movements bring lush musicianship, dreamy melodies and plenty of rhythm from Tony Arnold, Helen O’Connor and June Han, and ‘‘Double Duo” follows with flute, clarinet, violin and cello interacting in a groove friendly setting where each instrument is highlighted splendidly.

In the middle, “Letters From Home” benefits greatly from Susan Narucki’s healthy pipes where dramatic keys and versatile flute complement the vivid storytelling, while “Sinfonia” exits the listen heavy on the strings as jazz ideas and dance rhythms populate the agile, orchestral climate.

A captivating effort that embodies the timeless spirit of not only chamber sounds but classical, orchestral and operatic sensibilities, too, Smaldone and company make the most of every second on this elegant and precise experience that you’ll want to revisit again and again.

Cinemusical reviews Jeri Jorgensen's "The Complete Beethoven Sonatas"

Beethoven: Complete Sonatas for Violin and PianoJerilyn Jorgensen, violin. Cullan Bryant, piano.
Albany Records TROY 1825-28
Disc One Total Time:  58:52
Disc Two Total Time: 46:11

Disc Three Total Time: 68:47

Disc Four Total Time: 67:09

Recording:   (*)***/****
Performance: (*)***/****

The violin sonatas of Beethoven tend to be among the lesser known chamber pieces of the composers, with the quartets and piano sonatas often overshadowing these equally important works.  Among them, the ninth (“Kreutzer”) is perhaps the more familiar of the batch of ten sonatas.  That makes the present release an interesting opportunity for those less familiar with these works to explore them but also provides a unique take with its focus on using period instruments.  The recording uses historic pianos found in the Frederick Collection in Ashburnham, MA.  The instruments themselves were selected based on their connection to the period.  Five different instruments are employed for the recording including one that was part of the Esterhazy estate and which may have been one of the last piano’s whose sound Beethoven heard before his deafness took hold.  Two of these are from around 1830.  Interestingly, sometimes one can hear echoes of the harpsichord, especially in the lower registers, or even a lute-like sound quality at times.  Ms. Jorgensen is playing an Andrea Carolus Violin, from Vienna, 1797.  The instrument has a slightly different construction, an earlier style neck set and a flatter arching to lend it a more powerful sound than other instruments of the time.  In addition, Jorgensen has chosen a variety of historical bows.  All of these are detailed in the extensive notes including informative essays for the pianos (by E. Michael Frederick) and the violin and bows (by Stefan Hersh).  The sonatas are organized chronologically across the four discs.  Most of the sonatas adhere to the traditional three-movement structure and also the common movement organization (though here too there are some surprises).  But, unlike those of Haydn and Mozart, Beethoven begins to move the violin away from a duo role to one of prominence, something perhaps lost on modern ears.

This can be heard already in the Opus 12 set of 1797, dedicated to Antonio Salieri.  Already these “Sonatas for pianoforte and violin” make more demands upon the soloist who cannot be a passing amateur.  The first sonata, in D Major, is notable for its theme and variations central movement (which features some rather odd bursts from the piano), moving away from the ternary slow movement.  From the very opening of the movement the violin takes on its more expressive role while the piano provides the forward motion and energy.  The second sonata is also a bit unusual in that thematically it appears to be a bit more obtuse in the opening movement where we get Beethoven exploring smaller parcels of musical material.  The slow movement more than makes up for this with a nice melancholy melody in the parallel minor.  A humorous rondo wraps this up.  The final sonata moves us away from the lighter wit of the central work to one of more heroic grandeur.  Here the piano seems to take on a more prominent role with the violin feeling more like an obbligato partner.  It features one of Beethoven’s very gorgeous adagios and an equally fun rondo that returns to the exploration of segments of a theme.  The performances here are all fine, though sometimes the rapid passage sections at cadences is a bit of a blur (it feels more like an instrument rather than a technique issue).  The crispness of Bryant’s playing is well-aided by these instruments which can be sometimes a bit dampened and less bright than a modern piano.  That makes these a bit warm as one’s ear grows accustomed to the sound.

For Beethoven, three years can be an eternity in development and the two sonatas from 1800 (Op. 23 and 24) are from a very creative period.  Both are dedicated to Moritz Johann Christian Graf vin Fries and the fifth, with its later appellation “Spring”, has become the more popular of the violin sonatas.  That said, we can see Beethoven continuing to play with expectations, often the purview of minor key works (this one is in “a minor”).  From the opening we are in an unusual 6/8-meter choice and the harmonic shift to e-minor instead of E-major is also quite innovative for a second key arrival point.  The sonata-allegro form also uses repeats of both halves of the work—in some respects a throwback to the simpler binary forms.  Here both the exposition and the entire development (which has its own theme!) and recapitulation are repeated.  A telling dying away at the end of the movement comes as an equally unusual dramatic touch.  For contrast, we get a light-hearted scherzoso with interplay between the violin and piano (a nice contrapuntal section) and a later nice lyrical contrasting theme.  The third movement returns us to the depths of the more somber opening key.  Troubled energy moves things forward but all ends in despair as both instruments descend into their own depths.  The more familiar fifth sonata in F Major is interesting for its shift to a four-movement form (though the penultimate scherzo breezes by in a minute).  Things are a bit more carefree here with less conflict.  The second movement features a truly gorgeous lyrical quality often the focus of the piano sonatas.  After the shock of the quick-paced minuetto/scherzo (a reminder at the delicious glee and wit of such musical jokes), we head into a solid rondo, one of the more lyrical of the sonatas.  One can begin to sense in this work a new shift in Beethoven’s style further away from the Classicism of the era into something more personal.  In the fourth sonata, it is quite a mark to hear the emotional shifts handled so beautifully here.  The central movement really is a quite excellent performance with plenty of musical wit captured by both performers.  It is like the one ray of sunshine only to be dispelled in the final movement.  The c. 1795 keyboard used for the recording is perfectly matched to the nuances needed.  There is hefty competition here for the “Spring” sonata, but it works well within this survey of the complete works even if listeners may have a personal interpretation.  A fine case though is made for their approach here all the same.

Disc three brings us a parallel set of three sonatas from the early part of 1802, Op. 30, dedicated to Tsar Alexander of Russia.  Each exhibits a different side of Beethoven, from a more Classical approach in the first, to a more intense second, and a delightfully upbeat third.  The sixth sonata, in A Major, is perhaps the least familiar of these works.  It bears a slight connection to the later “Kreutzer” sonata with an idea for the final movement sketched out, but left to that later work.  Instead the movement is a fine set of theme and variations.  There is also a further elevation of the violin line with both instruments now sharing and interacting with thematic material.  One can here this early on in the opening movement where the stage is set.  The ternary central slow movement is a moment of simple beauty.  In some respects, it may be that this sonata is a reflective look back on where Beethoven had been.  The seventh sonata is the only other one in a minor key, a very stormy c-minor.  Here Beethoven shifts to a four-movement structure adding a further weight to the work.  To further highlight its somewhat experimental nature, Beethoven eschews repeating the exposition and balances this with a more extensive coda.  There is a little martial idea as well in this movement in the heroic key of Eb Major.  The second movement provides a relaxed interlude with a dance-like feel.  Intriguing structural exploration occurs here as well with a varied return to the opening material and a dramatic coda.  Wit and quirkiness abound in the fascinating scherzo which has some canonical writing in the trio section, further finding ways to balance the equality of both instrument’s contribution.  From a murky rumble, the finale moves us into a more intense, emotional exploration that never abandons its tonic minor focus even at the end.  The eighth sonata returns us to a happier time with its G- major mode further highlighting the joy and humor of the work.  The opening helps set this laid back and gentle tone.  The central minuet is filled with plenty of humorous sforzandi.  The finale rondo seems rather innocent, but Beethoven plays some wonderful little jokes as it moves especially into the coda where a rather unusual theme return in a more remote key provides a moment of surprise.  Often called “the charmer” of the set of sonatas, this is indeed makes for a fitting conclusion to this set of three.  In fact, disc three brings us a chance to then also hear the way both performers here must shift emotionally to handle the twists and turns of the dramatic undercurrent of the music.  There can be some moments of hesitation in the thornier parts of the musical discourse, but here both musicians acquit themselves quite well.  It is then further interesting that each of these recordings were recorded in different years.  That is not as noticeable though in the overall sound.  There is s fine sense of comfortability here that comes with both musicians having a strong sense of the music and its performance approaches.  That is the strength of this quarter of the overall set—at least it becomes most apparent in the requirements of these three sonatas.

The final two sonatas bring us to the end of this fine survey beginning with perhaps Beethoven’s most famous violin sonata, the “Kreutzer”, Op. 47.  Though there is no indication that he ever performed it, the work was written for Rodolphe Kreutzer in 1803.  The subtitle of the A Major sonata provides a further window into Beethoven’s thoughts about the type of piece this is as it is both a blend of concertante and concerto.  At 40 minutes playing time, it is the longest of the sonatas, and further illustrates its weightier implications.  The first movement features a variety of advanced technique using double and triple stops.  It also features a slow introduction (borrowing from a similar approach more common in symphonies and quartets).  The piano enters in a rather unusual key area and pushes the harmony into even stranger directions before finally landing in a-minor.  The work’s somewhat “fantasia” opening gives way to an intense presto.  Overall, the movement is among the most virtuosic and demanding of the sonatas.  At the center is the longest movement of any of the sonatas.  Here is a theme and variations that Beethoven has been slowly preparing for with its 54-bar theme subjected to four variations.  Virtuoso technique for both violin and piano is required here too and the range of the violin is further expanded as the movement progresses.  The exciting energy returns to cap an exhilarating tarantella.  The final sonata, Op. 96 in G Major (1812) was dedicated to Beethoven’s patron and student, Archduke Rudolph.  The composer worked as well with the violinist Pierre Rode (1774-1830)—a student of Viotti—whose own sensibility likely impacted some of the compositional choices for the work.  The opening movement has that more serene wistfulness melding folkish material and melodic inventiveness that feels a bit nostalgic.  It is the latter which is part of the gorgeous slow movement. As it dies away, we move immediately into a scherzo with nods towards the landler.  Folkish qualities also inhabit the theme and variation finale, where we find the composer exploring the deconstruction of themes into compact motives.

The album was recorded across several years at the Ashburnham Community Church in Massachusetts.  There is a bit more reverb and slight echo here in the open sound of the acoustic space (this seems to be more an issue in the recordings made at the beginning of the project in 2016, by the 2018 recordings this is less noticeable).  Perhaps this makes for a bit of an adjustment for the occasional rapid decay that happens with the earlier pianos.  It should be noted though that one becomes accustomed to this spatial element early on and it is not a distraction by any means as the set progresses.

Some may recognize Ms. Jorgensen from her recordings of Arthur Foote and Charles Martin Loeffler when she was a member of the Da Vinci Quartet.  Over the last couple of decades, she, along with Bryant, have performed widely exploring historic instruments and practice and are featured performers for the 2021 conference of the Historical Keyboard Society of North America.  The performances here are all solid and allow a more historical perspective to rehear these important works.  The expressiveness of Jorgensen’s playing is quite engaging.  Bryant’s pianistic technique is also well-matched to explore these instruments with a sense of familiarity that makes these natural.  It can take a bit of getting used to with these period keyboards, but it is quite striking how they are so different in often quite slight ways.  They bring their own sense of character to the music itself.  One gets a sense that the careful choices here help equally bring out aspects of the music that may be lost in a more contemporary performance.  Beethoven fans will likely find much to fascinate them as they compare their own favorite interpreters with these performances.  As such, this release will be an interesting addition to Beethoven audiophiles who are perhaps looking for a fresh approach to this music.

Jaap Nico Hamburger Inside Info about his Piano Concerto

In August 2020, composer Jaap Nico Hamburger released the commercial recording of his Piano Concerto on Leaf Music performed by Assaff Weisman and l’Orchestre Métropolitain de Montréal, Vincent de Kort, conductor. Mr. Hamburger spoke with us about his inspiration behind this work.

What made you interested in writing a piano concerto? 

My musical training was primarily focused on becoming a concert pianist. Consequently, and for many years, I had the privilege of studying the works of the masters in the very extensive piano literature. In the early 2000’s, I was approached by Jacob Boogaart, a Dutch concert pianist, who spent many years compiling an anthology of Dutch keyboard music. He came to visit me in Vancouver (where I lived at the time) and told me he had recorded compositions from the 1600s all the way up to the 1990s. But he had no works that had been composed in the 21st century. He then asked me if I would contribute to his recording. The thought of adding to the existing - and deeply revered - piano literature was rather scary and, as I realized, something I had until then deliberately avoided. I took up the challenge and composed both a solo sonata in two movements (Jacob Boogaart recorded the second movement; http://www.jacobbogaart.com/portfolio/the-art-of-dutch-keyboard-music/) and the piano concerto.

What challenges do you face when writing a piece for piano and orchestra? 

The work turned out to be rather large, with three movements and a score that requires the forces of a sizable symphony orchestra. The challenges were plenty, including but not limited to: making it interesting enough for pianists to spend the time and effort to study and perform the work, to make good use of the orchestra in terms of instrumentation, but also to be able to tell my audience a story that requires them to stay engaged for more than twenty minutes.

How did you and the pianist Assaff Weisman connect about this project?

I was already aware of Assaff’s work as pianist with the fantastic Israel Chamber Project. When the opportunity came up to record the work and I asked my agent Barbara Scales to suggest a soloist, the universe came together when her very first and enthusiastic reaction was ‘call Assaff!’. I remember that I reached him by phone as he was on tour. Much to my surprise, he got back to me within 24 hours with a very detailed and technical question about one particular bar in the second movement….while on tour, he had read and played through the entire work within a day! I also remember that within no time, he invited me to a Skype meeting in which he played through the entire work from memory. The man is a genius! The combination of Assaff’s art, the phenomenal quality of L’Orchestre Metropolitain de Montreal, and the pure joy of working with conductor Vincent de Kort made this recording for me an unforgettable experience. Of course, the quality of the team, including Misha Aster as producer and Jeremy VanSlyke of Leaf Music as chief recording technician contributed immensely to the quality of this recording.