Review of Concert

Multiverses

Wednesday, November 3, 2004, 8:00 PM
Jordan Hall, New England Conservatory, Boston, MA

Going to a concert the evening after a bitterly divisive Election Day proved necessary not only from an aesthetic but also a therapeutic standpoint. Fortunately, this event satisfied on all possible counts.

Pozzi Escot's Jubilation—Fourth String Quartet (1991) possesses the brevity of Webern and ferocity of Varese without echoing either composer. Its first three movements tellingly outline simple ideas while the finale deftly combines elements of all that came before. Her Clarinet Concerto (2004) uses only six players to back the soloist and makes good use of subtle variance in what might otherwise be a too-uniform backing. Clarinet writing here is raw, yet idiomatic. And like the Quartet, this piece demonstrates that conciseness is a virtue.

Like all of Robert Cogan's work, Utterances for Solo Voice (1977- ) and CelanPortrat/Celan Portrait (2004) liberally employ indeterminacy and exist in various guises. These versions proved especially enjoyable to hear. Despite superficial similarities to Luciano Berio's solo vocal items, Utterances puts forth a unique personality that engages greatly. And the latter work, a setting of Holocaust-inspired poetry by Paul Celan scored for soprano and piano, is not unrelentingly monochromatic—there’s tremendous variety and nuance imparted to the overall anguished feel. It's riveting, arresting stuff.

Spins (2004), a solo viola opus, showed Matthias Truniger sharing Escot's compact manner of expression. Gruff, warm, and skittish ideas tumble together effectively without seeming haphazard or jarring—a tight and tasteful tour-de-force of organization. Singer/composer Panaiotis opened the program with his Conversation Piece (1989) for vocalist alone. Its two sections are delineated by how the solo voice is treated: first traditionally executed while the performer strolls through the audience, later intoned into a microphone and electronically altered while the singer stands onstage. There's a certain West Coast ambient feel to the work's single-mindedness and leisurely unfolding. Happily, it doesn't even come close to wearing out its welcome.

Performances were excellent throughout. Violist Jessica Bodner performed Spins with full-throated confidence. Members of the Second Instrumental Unit (David Fulmer, Nathan Schmidt, Bodner, and Joseph Kuipers) put forth all the gutsy energy contained in Escot's Quartet. Eric Hewitt expertly led the Callithumpian Consort through a sensitively conceived presentation of Escot's Clarinet Concerto, furnishing the ideal platform for Michael Norsworthy's excellently shaped and controlled lines. Of the singers, Joan Heller exhibited flexible technique, a refined sound, and well-executed diction in the pair of Cogan works (intrepidly backed by pianist Jon Sakata in the Celan cycle), while Panaiotis's splendid enunciation and wildly flexible instrument (including a stunning ability to sing long chains of patter seemingly without taking a breath) perfectly suited his own composition.

While folks may not see eye to eye on politics, anyone with a perceptive mind and pair of ears will agree that Cogan, Escot, and company presented a winning concert.

--David Cleary