January 9, 2014

• Interesting New Orchestral Music By Cindy McTee

   

  McTee: Symphony No. 1; Ciruits; Einstein’s Dream; Double Play
  Detroit Symphony Orchestra/Leonard Slatkin
  Naxos 8.559765
  Total Time:  66:43
  Recording:   ****/****
  Performance: ****/****

  Leonard Slatkin’s tenure in Detroit has already resulted in a fabulous set of Rachmaninoff symphonies.  His commitment to unique programming including new music is also fortunately getting a chance to appear on CD here with the orchestra’s Naxos contract.  Cindy McTee has a host of compositions that explore a variety of forms.  She was encouraged to explore jazz and improvisation as a young piano student and this also has followed her into her compositions.  Kryzsztof Penderecki was one of her influential teachers as well.  Until very recently, McTee was a professor at the University of North Texas.  Her connection to Detroit includes awards and commissions by the orchestra, and more recently she married Slatkin.

  There are four works on this release spanning twenty years.  The earliest opens the program.  Circuits (1990) was a commission by the Denton (Texas) Chamber Orchestra.  It explores concepts of short formal recurring sections and constant energy, somewhat influenced by jazz elements of syncopation and sudden harmonic shifts.  Small motivic ideas are tossed throughout the orchestra with the rhythmic thrust translated into rapid passage work.  There is a constant drive almost like a manic conveyor belt.  The ostinato pattern is reminiscent of “out-of-control” Warner Bros. cartoon moments.  The use of longer lyrical material helps provide some variety from this constant movement with splashes of orchestral color showcasing the orchestra.

  The more significant work on the program is the 2002 Symphony No. 1 with a subtitle “Ballet for Orchestra.”  Commissioned by Slatkin and the National Symphony Orchestra, the four-movement work comes from the practice of quotation.  Throughout the piece, various familiar pieces serve as source material though one would need to listen very closely to really hear these connections.  Beethoven’s fifth symphony is taken through the first metamorphosis alongside jazz inflections.  The movement bears some resemblance to the opening work with similar kinetic energy.  The second movement combines references to Barber’s Adagio for Strings and Penderecki’s Polish Requiem making for a rather interesting blend of tonal and atonal techniques.  It is also a deeply moving part of the piece.  The third movement is a fast waltz based on Ravel’s La Valse whose musical gestures are certainly easier to pick up on as the movement opens.  There are some interesting effects as well that add other sounds to the texture.  Finally, Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring makes an appearance as more jazz elements become important texturally alongside these other references.  Sometimes, the music seems like one big filom noir exploration in many positive ways.  The engaging work is made more so by simply brilliant orchestral writing that combines more accessible harmony with dissonance and flashes of color.  Though somewhat formally a symphony, the concept of dance and rhythm allows this overall structure to work.  Deeply personal dramatic moments lie alongside the movements of more energy and wit to create a rather engaging work with at times cinematic qualities.

  The final two works are balances to this central work.  The first of these is Einstein’s Dream (2004) commissioned by the Dallas Symphony to commemorate the World Year of Physics in 2005.  The piece is constructed of seven sections that flow continuously from one to the next.  In this work, we get to hear McTee’s approach to incorporating electronics and computers into her orchestral texture.  It seems like the perfect match to explore Einstein’s concepts of space and time.  This is also blended with her use of musical quotations.  The electronics are used more like a percussion instrument in terms of how the colors and sounds are explored, though there are certainly computer-like moments.  The piece feels a bit like a modernized concert approach to blending these elements and avoiding the sort of sound design tendencies that electronic music is used for in film.  Some may find it a bit gimmicky at times.  It certainly feels like an “older” sort of modern orchestral work.  Interestingly, it does illustrate another direction in McTee’s musical language that still manages to show off her penchant for rhythmic variation and jazz-like inflections, though here they are far more avant-garde.

  Double Play (2010) concludes the program.  The piece was a recent commission for the Detroit Symphony.  Each movement can be combined as they are here, or played as separate pieces.  These also make use of McTee’s quotation approach.  “Unquestioned Answer” is a play on a familiar Ives work whose theme is taken through its paces here.  A rhythmic idea from a piece by Leonard Slatkin is the basis for the second movement, “Tempus Fugit.”  The result is a sort of clockwork piece.

  The DSO does a great job exploring these unique pieces.  The Symphony is certainly the highlight of the disc with the opening Circuits being not far behind.  The other pieces are somewhat curious 21^st Century examples that one might find on a compilation of new orchestral music.  In the present setting, these are each carefully chosen pieces that manage to illustrate the variety and depth of McTee’s musical language.  The recordings were made on either end of the DSO’s labor dispute it appears.  Double Play seems to have been recorded shortly after its premiere which is interesting on the one hand for future recordings to see how they might evolve with more familiarity.  This is a great introduction to McTee’s music and one hopes other works will also come to light.

   

   

  • 11:52 am
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