February 8, 2016

  • Getting Torke-d

     Torke: Concerto for Orchestra; Music
    Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra/Vasily Petrenko; Quad City Symphony/Mark Russell Smith;
    University of Kansas Wind Ensemble/Paul W. Popiel; Camerata NY/Richard Owen
    Ecstatic Records 92261
    Total Time:  64:33
    Recording:   ****/****
    Performance: ****/****

    For some casual classical music listeners, their first exposure to the music of Michael Torke might have been Javelin (1994), which had a wide-release on an Olympic-themed album with no less than John Williams and the Boston Pops.  In this Ecstatic Records release, Torke has pulled together four works composed mostly between 2013 and 2014 and featuring forces involved in their premieres.

    The first of these is his Concerto for Orchestra (2014).  It is one of several new works commissioned by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.  The work is cast in seven brief movements focusing on a somewhat distinct motivic cell that is then interwoven throughout the work.  It is not quite a variation treatment, each shift is more connected to the sort of mood created by tempo, dynamics, and orchestration.  The latter is a richly-varied, often semi-romantic approach that makes the piece highly accessible.  At about 22 minutes, it certainly allows for one to become more familiar with the engaging style and overall structure upon repeated hearings.  The performance here is excellent as well.

    Oddly, Oracle (2013), appears second, though at about five minutes it feels more like a fun overture-like opener.  Here, it is specific phrases that are used, first appearing in brass, to help provide a general overall flow to the piece in fanfare-like moments that grow into semi-close intervals.  Meanwhile, the orchestra tends to swirl in and around these ideas.  The performance here by the Quad City Symphony (Iowa), is really quite good, even if the hall feels just a tad overly ambient at times.

    We are off to a rather delightful wind ensemble piece, Bliss, originally from 2003, but revised in 2013 and premiered by the University of Kansas Wind ensemble which performs it here.  This piece has a rather delightful jazz-like feel at times which is also quite playful.  One of the unifying features here is the sound of clapping which continue while the main melodic idea is tossed about with rich harmonies.  It is really a stellar work that feels like it stands out even more than the more substantial orchestral works, but at just over eleven minutes, this is still a significant band piece.

    In Iphegenia, which appears to have been a commission by the New York RIOULT dance company, we have seven movements where Torke is playing a bit of a musical game again.  Here we get an opening phrase.  As the piece evolves, new notes are added into this theme creating additional music and impacted by the counterpoint that also results.  Here is an example of the more dramatic writing Torke is capable of creating and in this case it is a more intimate, chamber style for six winds and 2 string instruments.  Even here with its starker forces, Torke’s style still comes through with its interesting shifts in instrumental color, and always an interesting rhythmic connection to the music.

    Each of these works are quite engaging.  When one finishes, it is hard not to go back and listen to each of them again.  The music is often quite infectious in its tonality and rhythmic ideas.  Most of the time these ideas manage to maintain a very easy surface accessibility where even more interesting discoveries can be made at a later date for each hearing.  This is an important release worth tracking down for lovers of contemporary American music!

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    Zanelli, Geoff                                                                                   (1974 - )

    Disturbia (film score)

    Hollywood Studio Symphony/Bruce Fowler                                                                                                                        ·Lakeshore 339352

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