September 16, 2019

  • Common Patterns in Unique Combinations

     

    Patterns: Chamber Works
    David William Ross, Adam Levin, Santiago Korda, guitars.
    Robert McCormick, Lee Hinkle, marimba.
    McCormick Percussion Group
    Bama Players
    Janet Underhill, Meryl Summers, Naho Zhu, bassoons. Susie Tesley, contrabassoon/bassoon.
    Navona Records 6243
    Total Time:  60:24
    Recording:   ****/****
    Performance: ****/****

    Patterns brings together the work of seven composers, several who will be familiar to other Navona releases.  The music in this eclectic collection of chamber music includes works for guitar(s), marimba, percussion ensemble, string trio, and a bassoon quartet.

    Music for guitar makes up the opening part of the program.  First is a guitar duet by James William Stamm that is evidently part of a larger work.  Asymmetry is somewhat in rondo form and features fun asymmetrical rhythms with beautiful lyrical writing.  Technical challenges give the performers a nice work out as well.  It makes for a gentle entry into the album.  David William Ross featured a number of Swiss composer George Raillaird’s music on a wonderful 2017 release (Butterflies in the Labyrinth).  Here he has chosen a work called Disintegration which is, as its title suggests, a piece that introduces a melodic idea only for it to gradually be deconstructed into more dissonance.  Across the seven-minute work Raillard gives the listener tantalizing references to motives and gestures from the opening which make this a rather fascinating work.  The three movements of Santiago Korda’s Two Lords explore ideas of texture, color, and rhythmic cells, respectively.  The first movement makes for a fine transition from the previous work with its emphasis on repeated motives and sounds.  The movement though gradually moves towards additional sounds that can be created percussively on the instrument.  “Of Colors” allows for splashes of intriguing harmonies created by allowing the strummed notes to decay naturally in what becomes a more reflective moment.  The final “Of Mechanics” in some respects pulls together both aspects of the previous movements adding some additional performance techniques.  The tonal work is quite accessible with plenty of energy to intrigue the listener.

    Next are two works for percussion instruments.  Road Traversed and Reversed by Daniel Adams is for two marimbas.  Written for Robert McCormick’s Percussion Group (he performs here), the piece explores texture and interaction between the players in a manner that is paralleled in those opening guitar pieces.  The rather unusual work Four Snares by David Arbury invites listeners to gain a deeper appreciation for the versatility of the snare drum and its timbral shades and possibilities.

    Finally, two multi-movement works bring us back to slightly more traditional territory.  The Suite for Sarro by Bunny Beck is a brief two-movement work for string trio.  The composer pays tribute to her friend Christ Sarro through a tango movement and then a reflection of his unexpected death which occurred while the composer was composing the tango that opens the work. It is a rather moving piece.   Jan Jarvlepp’s Bassoon Quartet closes off the work with three movements for this rather unusual combination.  It is filled with Jarvlepp’s witty writing that explores the range of the instruments with some rather humorous moments cast alongside dramatic energy and an almost Middle-Eastern quality amidst the honks of the opening “Cadillac” movement.  It also features some rather extensive lines for contrabassoon.  At the center is an almost sensual exploration of tone and color.  The final movement is a rather delightful “Jig”.

    What appears at first as an odd collection of unrelated chamber pieces soon becomes a rather fascinating collection of ways composers explore specific rhyhms and textures across different instrumental combinations.  This helps open up an album to appeal to different types of listeners while also inviting each person to explore something they may have never considered listening to before.  This is what makes Patterns a fascinating collection of new music that will reward repeated exploration of the different music included here.