January 28, 2015

  • Superb New Cello Release from Zuill Bailey

     

    Bloch: Schelomo; 3 Jewish Poems; Muhly: Cello Concerto
    Zuill Bailey, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra/Jun Markl
    Steinway & Sons 30049
    Total Time:  64:53
    Recording:   ****/****
    Performance: ****/****

    Zuill Bailey is one of the more soft after cello virtuosi of his generation and this new Steinway and Sons release pairs him with the Indianapolis Symphony for a world premiere concerto recording and a standard repertoire work in Bloch’s Schelomo (1917).  Bailey’s performance of this significant rhapsody is perhaps one of the chief reasons for fans of the work and performer to seek out this disc.  This signature work has many fine recordings in the catalogue and serves as a sort of rite of passage perhaps.

    Bailley’s performance features very warm thematic statements and some truly gorgeous playing that allows him to explore the expressive long lines of Bloch’s lyricism in the opening section.  The orchestra tends to interject with more force in these opening moments but never really overpowers the soloist.  The central section here is quite beautiful with a recitative-like solo line.  The third portion of the work has a bit more impassioned feel that builds upon previous motifs ending on a low D in the solo line.  The Indianapolis players acquit themselves well here with crisp articulation when needed and moments of great lyricism to match the soloist.

    Another work of interest is a new Cello Concerto by Nico Muhly.  Muhly has been working with the Cincinnati Symphony which has premiered a number of his works and he has a couple of film scores to his credit as well.  He studied with Christopher Rouse and John Corigliano and some of his textures are certainly in the line of those composer’s styles.  The concerto is set in three parts.  The first feels a bit tongue-in-cheek at times with its wah-wah trumpet ideas.  The cello line is a bit angular and Muhly explores interesting textural details that merge in and out of one another.  The opening bar is a direct quote from Dutilleux’s Metaboles whose sensibility the composer seems to explore, albeit in quite personal ways distinct from the French master.  The second movement is a rather delicate, and often very beautiful landscape created with the experimental approach of maintaining a drone idea at first with subtle orchestral colors that float in and out of the picture against the cellist’s somewhat wandering search.  The final movement explores another compositional technique of “process music” often employed in digital recording where lines of counterpoint can be delayed.  The ongoing pulses and forward drive helps propel the music forward with brass punctuations providing added excitement as it moves along. The exploration of these different ideas works quite well and the solo line does a good job of maintaining an insistent dialogue.  The style essentially flirts with the 1980s resurgence of modern “Impressionist” orchestration of Dutilleux; though the final movement also feels as if it takes a little from modern minimalism as well.  The solo line allows Bailley to explore the register of the instrument a little bit, but really allows more for interesting shifts from jagged angular lines to more lyrical ones creating an interesting interpretive challenge handled well.

    Both these cello works sit well beside one another here.  Bailey’s performances are excellent and worthy to sit alongside other great cellists of the last century.  Some of the depth of emotion one might feel in a more mature artist seem to be here too.  The bonus of coupling this with a modern work, allows the disc to be equally desirable for fans of modern music.  As to Schelomo, personal favorites are those by Emanuel Feurmann, Steven Iserliss, and Yo-Yo Ma, but the good thing is that each of those recordings comes with unique repertoire as well thus making this new performance worthwhile as well.  Both works help expore Bailey’s virtuosity and point out his technical command of the instrument as well as his ability for beautiful lyric playing.

    Lest we forget the very apt ability of the Indianapolis symphony, Jun Markl concludes this disc with a beautiful performance of the Three Jewish Poems.  The drama and exploration of color in the music makes for a perfect companion to the previous works on the release.  The pieces are performed rather stunningly and well-captured in this recording.  The sound throughout the release is fabulous, though Bailey’s recorded pretty closely enough to hear him play which is not a distraction recreating a live sense of the performance.

    Steinway and Sons’ release is in a cardboard CD package though with a plastic holder.  The booklet is a well-produced document providing just enough information for the music here.  The overall design and layout is stellar.  Overall, a very surprising, and beautiful new release of the Bloch, and a good addition to the cello repertoire in Muhly’s interesting new concerto.