“The live performance of the “chamber symphony” provides all sorts of problems” says John Adams in the liner notes of a new CD released this week by Nonsuch Records. However, he proves the contrary with this recording as he effortlessly combines new and old sounds for a fresh arsenal of chamber music. The album includes Adam’s second chamber symphony entitled Son of Chamber Symphony, performed by the International Contemporary Ensemble, as well as a String Quartet performed by the St. Lawrence String Quartet.
Son of Chamber Symphony, a companion to his 1992 chamber symphony, opens the CD with a bouncy yet propelling rhythmic-feel (long-short-short) as the instrumental colors are enhanced by octave juxtaposition. As the solo instruments show-off their daredevil chops the ensemble indulges in Adams’ clever nod to Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. Higher instruments can be heard percussively with large “klacks” of color. The second movement contrasts this cataclysm with long, lyrical passages shared by woodwinds and strings. Written with the intention of it being performed as ballet Adams’ weaves the perfect mix of atmosphere and movement. I’ll allow you to assess the third movement for yourself…
Adams wrote the String Quartet for the St. Lawrence String Quartet who said “stimulated my imagination to write something tailored to their exceptional blend of rhythmic drive and high-drama lyricism.” Adams certainly delivered. Unlike many of his other works that have seemingly programmatic titles, Adams decided to be a little more “traditional” and stuck with the generic - a tribute to more classical forms. However, this work is far from a traditional. The piece is laid-out in two movements: rather “asymmetrical” as he describes it.
In this work Adams is able to deploy a wide variety of color choices along with fierce rhythmic and lyric episodes. The first movement starts off propelling like an “engine” a trademark characteristic of his “minimalist past.” This secure sounding motiv then begins to feel weak as the piece seemingly “erupts” with similar dance steps as the chamber symphony. The first part ends finally settling down from its sugar high.
The second part begins with a “nervous staccato” just waiting to unleash a burst of melodic material. Timbres and colors in this section and throughout the quartet seem almost uncharacteristic of many Adams’ works (more like Shostakovich) but never ceases to come back around with this own signature soundscape. Chamber music seems to be right in the ball park for John Adams as he departs from his normal operations - working on a “large canvas of orchestral and operatic forms.”
- Daniel
Christmases at my home are usually filled with music. My large Irish catholic family, after a few glasses of wine or whisky, like to stand around and sing songs or put on their favorite christmas CD. For sometime my family has been fond of The Chieftains, Nat King Cole, or sometimes the Charlie Brown Christmas for a background Christmas effect. While these songs have a sort of sentimental value, they’re not necessarily the most musically fulfilling. Unlike my family, I’m a bit more of a traditionalist. I love my Christmas hymns and old carols that you would most likely hear at a King’s College Lessons & Carols. This year, however, I’m trying to branch-out a bit (I’ve spent far too much time listening to church music my past four years in college).
Juan Blanco, my colleague over here at The Auditory sent me a few tracks from this wonderful Swedish choir. ‘Folkjul’ is a collection of Christmas songs and carols that are influenced by the Swedish folk music tradition. While the St. Jacob’s Chamber Choir is the staple on this album, it is the sublime, and sometimes surprisingly piercing, voices of Emma Hardelin and Sofia Karlsson that round-out the wonderful folk arrangements. Hardelin and Karlsson are also accompanied on many tracks by Lisa Rydberg on Fiddle, a fixture of a lot of Swedish folk songs.
While I’ll still be listening to the old family classics this year, I might try to sneak in some ‘Folkjul’ to see the odd looks on my family’s faces when they hear these less than popular Swedish Christmas songs. Either way, I find this CD to be a perfect Christmas album for someone who is looking for something more traditional as well as something a little bit out of the ordinary.
- Daniel
[Track: Veni, Veni Emmanuel (O Come, O Come Emmanuel) - St. Jacob’s Chamber Choir w/ Emma Hardelin, Sofia Karlsson and Lisa Rydberg. Gary Gradsen, Conductor]
The Westminster Choir in Princeton, New Jersey released its newest album this week. Noël is Joe Miller’s second album with the Westminster Choir and his first Christmas recording with the elite vocal ensemble. I am never too shy to give my somewhat critical opinions of the Westminster Choir of old but this recording along with the last one, Flower of Beauty, have been a pleasant surprise.
Joe Miller, the somewhat new Director of Choral Activities at Westminster Choir College, has given the Westminster Choir a new identity while maintaining its reputation as a leader in the performance of choral music both old and new. Upon Miller’s arrival at Westminster, many wondered the direction he would take with these singers. It is refreshing to see that Miller’s approach seems akin to northern and eastern European choral conductors. This recording can compare to Gary Graden’s Folkjul: A Swedish Folk Christmas (St. Jacob’s Chamber Choir). While the repertoire and interpretation of carols are different they both maintain a certain dignity not given to Christmas music by even the most respected musical ensembles.
The album also includes tracks with Ken Cowan, Assistant Professor of Organ at Westminster and internationally recognized mezzo-soprano Jennifer Larmore, a Westminster alumna. The album is available for purchase on iTunes and would make an excellent Christmas gift for any lover of choral music.
After seven full-length albums, Animal Collective have finally sculpted their sound with great cultivation. The amount of detail, divided amongst the 3 (sometimes 4) band members, allows them to create a full, multi-dimensional, auditory experience. The abundance of texture, layers, and timbres used in their albums allows them to develop an image: allowing yourself to fully explore the soundscape which they have created. Throw Danny Perez, visual artist and director, into the mix and you’ve got yourself a vivid and imaginative world of oddity.
This past winter, Animal Collective and Danny Perez debuted ODDSAC - a self-proclaimed “visual album” - which was premiered at the Sundance Film Festival to a highly-anticipated crowd. With four years in the making, Perez and AC have collaborated to provide a perfect marriage of sound and visuals. Perez’s method is particularly effective, in that he uses AC’s music to draw the viewer/listener in to the film, in almost a trance, dream-like state. The visual effects are extremely intense, and are probably the most descriptive representation of AC’s sound. Even when psychedelic images are being produced, Perez is able to portray scenes which resemble those manipulated images. Perez executes this perfectly, as he allows the wild visuals to bloom organically from their real life origins.
The film features new songs which are used more for story telling than effects. AC’s ballad-like songs help to draw us closer to the characters, which speak very little during the film. The songs seem to be more closely related songs found on albums like Sung Tongs or Here Comes The Indian than their newer creations. This could be because Josh Dibb (Deakin) returned to the band after taking a hiatus from Merriweather Post Pavilion to pursue his own musical interests.
Comparatively, ODDSAC is more like AC’s live sets than any other album that they’ve released. In-between scenes is where we see most of the wild visual effects. This is cupeled with spaced out melodic fragments, which reminds me of interludes between songs when the band is playing live.
Perez and AC work extremely well at creating a vivid parade of colors, shapes, and odd, human-like, creatures. Without the images from Perez, this film would just be a string of shocking and odd images. But together their perfect in creating one multi-faceted piece of art. You can buy the film which was released on DVD just last week (Aug. 10). It comes fully packed with the film, a book and the audio soundtrack to the film.
It should come as no surprise if you’ve never heard Sun Kil Moon. Mark Kozelek’s solo material is so backwards looking, so nostalgic, so focused on a sentimental loss of the people, places and experiences of his past, that you’d be forgiven for thinking that he has spent the last ten years of his life in complete isolation doing absolutely nothing. But it is this emotional intensity that makes Sun Kil Moon unique, and if you’re willing to take an hour or so to submit to Kozelek’s fragility, then you will quickly realise that he is capable of producing some of the most beautiful acoustic music that you have ever heard. - JJA
Lyric coloratura soprano Patricia Petibon has released a new album on Deutsche Grammophon in the past few months entitled Rosso: Italian Baroque Arias. The French soprano sings selections from various composers of the Baroque period in Italian including selections from Scarlatti, Vivaldi, and Handel, as well as lesser-known composers such as Porpora and Sartorio.
The first aria on the album is “Quando voglio” from Sartorio’s Giulio Cesare in Egitto. Maestro Andrea Marcon leads the Venice Baroque orchestra in a lively, rambunctious interpretation — beginning our auditory experience with the sounds of castanets, guitar, and harpsichord tirades. Petibon then sings with excellent élan, using her vocalism in a perfect fit to Maestro Marcon’s instrumental interpretation. Imbuing the singing (and even speaking, yes!) with raw emotion seems to be Madame Petibon’s goal in this aria, leaving a more reserved, tradionalist technical and interpretational approach to come in arias such as the famous “Lascia ch’io pianga” from Handel’s Rinaldo. Later we also hear other favorites such as Alcina’s showpiece “Tornami a vagheggiar” with an exciting new approach to the da capo ornamentation.
Overall Petibon takes a daring new look at several old favorites and introduces rarer arias to a wider audience on this album. A combination of the wise choices of traditional performance and edgier interpretations keeps the listener pleased with her success of walking the fine line of the avant garde.
Gogol Bordello released their new album, “Trans-Continental Hustle”, on April 26th. Gogol is a group whose music has been placed in many categories by many different people; it has been described as being “punk”, “world music”, and “folk”. However, the band can more accurately be placed in the off-shoot category of “gypsy punk”—this term is used for music that combines traditional Romani (Gypsy) music with punk-rock. Gogol is the most well-known band of the few that can be placed in this eccentric category; however, due to Gogol’s success this is an ever-growing genre.
Gogol has a proverbial laundry list of previous members. Currently, the band has nine members, including their frontman, singer-songwriter /guitarist Eugene Hütz. Hütz is essentially the face of Gogol, writing all of their original songs. Hütz hails from the Ukraine, but fled the country with his family upon hearing about the Chernobyl incident of 1986. Following leaving the Urkraine, Hütz and his family lived in several places all across Europe, and eventually settled for good in Burlington, Vermont. Hütz moved on his own to New York, where Gogol would have its beginnings.
Hütz’ history is as much of a part of him as it is a part of his music. His songs often contain underlying messages of peace, love, and acceptance—and while we’ve all heard these ideas being preached at us by musicians before, Hütz takes a much different route. Hütz’ voice is the opposite of peaceful—it is raw, quavering, and is often off-pitch. To listen to Hütz sing is not necessarily a calming experience—but there is something special about the way he embraces the roughness. If anything, his voice has a certain novelty to it. Through Hütz’ gravelly voice, the listener can hear the passion and excitement in every song—it is clear that he is a man who truly loves his art.
In addition to Hütz’ raw vocal power, Gogol’s music takes a different approach at conveying the message of peace and love. The fast-paced, guitar-heavy characteristics that are often heard in punk music, combined with the accordion, the heavy Romani/ethnic music influence, and Sergey Ryabtsev’s mellifluous violin playing work together to accentuate the profundity of the lyrics.
“Trans-Continental Hustle” seems to be Gogol’s most politically-driven album to date. A sense of Gypsy pride has always been present in their music; however, it has often been balanced by other less serious tracks such as “Start Wearing Purple”, “American Wedding”, and “Alcohol”. “Trans-Continental” carries with it a more direct approach by Hütz to make the world aware of the discrimination against those who are different, which still exists today.
The track “To Rise Above”, off of the new album, is a good example of Hütz’ recently strengthened political agenda. The song speaks of his desire to “rise above” what is “godless and misleading” and to help others who feel the same way. The music is triumphant, if anything—saying something of Hütz’ spirit. The song is similar to a Woody Guthrie folk ballad, in that it is strong and unwavering. There is a sense of both certainty and joy in both the words and the music; there is never a sense of defeat.
The title track, “Trans-Continental Hustle”, presents yet another bold political statement. Hütz sings that he and his “contaminated” friends are on a “quest” to find a fictional placed called “Never Never-est”. Hütz’ hopeful (and in some ways, certain) message conveys the way he wishes to see our world in the future; he jubilantly states, “contamination, amalgamation, cross-pollination is on the way”.
In a recent interview, Hütz explained his music by saying, “What we’re making isn’t folk music, but savage intellectualism. We speak a language of a new world community that understands cultures can relate. So people who still speak of nationalism and racism or what separates us, they are inadequate for this time. Evolution goes on.” Hütz is notoriously unashamed of where he comes from. His lyrics reveal his not-so-perfect grasp on the English language; his music reveals that despite his moving to the United States, he has no desire to conform to the standards of this country. He is who he is, and many people have embraced him and his music for this reason.
-Leah Creary
