Heard Again For the First Time
Paul Cohen, alto saxophone.
Eastern Wind Symphony/Todd Nichols;
Roger Nye, bassoon; Rebecca Cypress, harpsichord;
Kathleen Nester, flute; Lynne Cohen, oboe; Allison Brewster Franzetti, piano;
Brett Deubner, viola; Kaoru Hinata, flute.
Ravello Records 8057
Total Time:  70:06
Recording:   ****/****
Performance: ****/****

Ravello records has pulled together several performances by alto saxophonist Paul Cohen for this release of rare works for the instrument.  The music here is an interesting collection of mostly 20^th Century works with a more recent piece by Steve Cohen (1954-) helping to round things off.

Of particular interest to many will be the opening work on the album, Ingolf Dahl’s (1912-1970) Concerto for Alto Saxophone.  Dahl revised this work several times but this recording gives us a chance to hear it in its original version for wind band.  Composed for Sigurd Rascher between 1948-49, the piece would receive a number of performances but Dahl would then tweak the piece.  First, he changed up the orchestration and simplified the solo part, and later would come back and cut seven minutes of the piece which is the version in publication today.  Cohen unearthed the original version and has brought it back to make this world premiere recording of the piece.  It does indeed feel like a quite involved work to play presenting a variety of challenges both technical and interpretatively.  A good sense of rhythmic precision is needed as well as a careful balancing of the different sections of the band against the soloist.  The recording here is a bit dry acoustically which actually aids the music and lends it a bit more clarity.  The high altissimo register of the instrument can seem a bit harsh, but Cohen manages to overcome this with some rather touching lyrical playing.

Swiss composer Marguerite Roesgen-Champion (1894-1976) is perhaps less well-known but was an early champion of the harpsichord and wrote a number of works for the instrument.  She was one of the most highly-regarded performers on the instrument and equally respected as a composer.  Her Concerto No. 2 (1945) shows off some of the Neo-Baroque interests that were resurfacing mid-century with equal touches of post-impressionism.  The work is for alto sax, bassoon, and harpsichord which makes for a rather fascinating collection of sonorities to explore across the four brief movements.

Though well-respected as a composer in his lifetime, Charles Martin Loeffler (1861-1935) was overshadowed by the shift of musical tastes after his death.  His music tends to be quite colorful and brilliantly orchestrated.  His Ballade Carnavalesque (1903) is one of the earliest chamber works to include the alto saxophone which makes it of historical interest.  It is a rather episodic 13-minute work also apparently receiving a recording premiere (?) here.  Loeffler never published this piece and actually reused some of it for his A Pagan Poem, so we have Cohen to thank for dusting off this unique work that is like a piano quintet for winds where the sax takes over the role from the clarinet. Also included is the brief The Lone Prairie (c. 1930) for viola, sax, and piano.  One can see here that Loeffler continued to be quite aware of current interests in Americana which makes this a fascinating curiosity.

The final work on the album is Steven Cohen’s Trio (2018) which Cohen commissioned for one of his students.  Cast in three movements, the work pairs the sax with flute and piano.  There is an interesting arch-like opening movement.  The central movement is a “Slow Blues” exploring song form and interesting duet between the wind soloists.  The finale provides for an exciting conclusion with its incorporation of Afro-Cuban music.

There are plenty of things to recommend this release beyond the repertoire itself, though that should be enticement enough.  Cohen’s performances are all quite engaging.  The Dahl is not an easy work, but he certainly convinces us otherwise.  The balance in the chamber pieces also helps further illustrate the versatility that these composers recognized in the alto saxophone.

Paul Salerni: People, Places, & Pets
Bowers Fader Duo
Miranda Cuckson, violin.
Miles Salerni, percussion.
Bridge Records 9559
Total Time:  60:58
Recording:   ****/****
Performance: ****/****

Composer Paul Salerni has gained notice with several of his one-act operas, one released on the Naxos label in 2010 (The Life and Love of Joe Coogan).  Albany Records has also released some of his songs and chamber music.  The former are part of this new Bridge release featuring the Bowers Fader Duo which performs works for mezzo-soprano and guitar.

The album presents a wide variety of Salerni’s songs which feel a close kin to Bernstein musical theater pieces in their texts and jazz qualities.  There is a nice sense of wit in the musical settings for the texts that make them a lighter invitation into occasionally more serious themes.  You can get a sense of that in the titles as well right from the start with the opening “Golden Retrievals” from the cycle Bad Pets—three songs that serve as both bookends and a center pivot point on the album.  The four songs from City Scenes are also disbursed throughout the album and provide little windows on different cities.  There are three additional cycles here.  The slightly jazzier Something Permanent which focuses on texts that reflect Depression Era photography by Walker Evans.  Four poems by David Ferry comprise the cycle Finding One Self that focus on themes of identity.  The song “Repentance” is a reflection on a Vemeer painting by the poet Natasha Trethewey.  The final Ekphrastic Songs are also featuring poems by Ferry and connect to paintings by Watteau and Millet.

Each of these song texts in a way is “ekphrastic” in that they tend to connect to some other work of art.  Salerni uses these connections to inspire his musical accompaniments and often these are quite moving lyrical moments that move us in often understated ways.  The guitar makes for an interesting companion here and Salerni uses it both as harmonic accompaniment but also to play directly with the vocal line in unison.  There are some amusing effects that are also used to emphasize the text’s direction and implications.  It makes for a unique collection of songs.

The sound here is also quite good, though one does wish the guitar could come forward a bit more.  The program seems to be arranged to give an overall recital-like shape to the program.  But at its core, the album really highlights Salerni’s text-setting and musical style and those who have come to appreciate his larger-scale works will find the same sense of humor and winks alongside deeply-emotional pieces in this unusual collection.