Reviews of Concerts

The Boston Conservatory presents a tribute to Larry Bell's 25 years of teaching
Monday, May 2, 2005 at 8:00 PM
St. Cecilia's Church, Boston , MA

The Piano Music of Larry Thomas Bell
Wednesday, May 25, 2005 at 8:00 PM
Keller Room, New England Conservatory of Music, Boston , MA

Tonemeister Larry Bell, faculty at the Boston Conservatory and the New England Conservatory's Preparatory Division, has been a longtime presence on the Boston new music scene, and these two events were designed as showcases for his sizable compositional output.   Both contained a wide-ranging selection of works that varied in quality, though the best proved first-rate.

The May 2nd concert was devoted to chamber and solo works for nearly every instrument imaginable.   The three preludes and fugues selected from the Well Tempered Klavier -inspired piano collection Reminiscences and Reflections, Op. 46 (1993-98) are extraordinarily fine, casting this older approach into fluid structures brimming with imagination.   There's not an ounce of textbook dryness here; rather, there's plenty of contrast in texture, color, and emotion.   Likewise, Mahler in Blue Light, Op. 43 (1996), heard here in a rescored version for clarinet (not the original's alto saxophone), cello, and piano, elegantly reinterprets such hoary constructs as intermezzos, rondos, and variation sets into convincingly personal statements.   This accomplished selection derives its material from a quoted passage from the title composer's Das Lied von der Erde while never letting the source material become a shackle.

Reminiscent of Luciano Berio , Bell has penned several solo works under a catch-all appellation-- Caprice in this case--and three of these appeared on the program.   The best was Caprice #4 for Solo Marimba, Op. 56 (2001), which revels in the instrument's sonic possibilities--a rich, irresistible bonbon of surprising depth.   Caprice #2 for Solo Flute, Op. 51 (1999) is a well-written work awash in strong Debussy-like perfume, while the jaunty yet repetitive Caprice #6 for Solo Clarinet, Op. 73 (2005) tries to evoke elements of gospel-inspired audience participation with questionable success.

The Eight Poems for Brass Quintet, Op. 48 (1998) are rearrangements of an earlier choral piece.   Along with the marimba Caprice , these were the most dissonant sounding works encountered.   They're attractive enough if a bit cramped and reserved.   For soprano and piano, Songs of Time and Eternity, Op. 64 (2002) are standard American vocal fare, redolent of Daron Hagen and Ned Rorem , that unfortunately benefit little from singsong vocal rhythms and block-like piano writing.

With two exceptions, the performers were students, most being based at the Boston Conservatory.   Several of these did a creditable job, with percussionist Nick Tolle and flautist Jaclyn Foley being particular standouts.   Pianist Jonathan Bass, faculty at the same institutions as Bell , played Reminiscences with flamboyant ardor while not neglecting the more intimate and expressive aspects of this score; his finger work and sound were splendid.   Bell himself took to the keyboard on Mahler in Blue Light , performing with an ideal mix of soloist prowess and chamber music sensitivity.

Like the earlier event, the May 25th piano recital proved a mixed bag.   It's a pleasure to report that Sonata No. 2 " Tala ," Op. 61 (2002) was a slice of sheer joy.   The piece's harmonic language and rhythmic material show a strong affinity for Messiaen's piano oeuvre, but Bell effortlessly pushes the music from here into Art Tatum-like jazz figuration, deftly outlining the similarities between these seemingly disparate idioms.   And despite being a one-movement selection, this is truly a sonata in the Lisztian sense, with clear analogues to exposition/development/recapitulation procedures, expressed here in an inimitable way.

Two smaller works had their merits as well.   The four-movement Miniature Diversions, Op. 15 (1983) is a charming collection distinguished by Charles Ives inspired polytonality, subtly tricky rhythmic procedures in its even-numbered movements, and an engaging manner of speech.   Elegy, Op. 72 (2005), written in memory of both Edwin G. Olmstead (Bell's father-in-law) and William A. Silverman, was the most obviously triadic composition heard, a work that shines brightest in its lovely outer sections, which mildly suggest Edward MacDowell and similar American composers of that era.

Both Revivals, Op. 21 (1983-84) and Four Chorale Preludes, Op. 67 (2003) are sizable multi-movement listens that co-opt church hymns and sacred folk songs for harmonic, rhythmic, and linear basis material.   They continue Bell's fascination with Ives's compositions heard in Miniature Diversions and range in sound from clangorous multi-tonality to unadorned functional harmony.   Neither piece proves wholly successful, though the later piece can be positively noted for its ambitious symphonic overlay, featuring fast outer entities and a scherzo-plus-slow movement center. But the Preludes' pervasive orchestral sound and the persistent rhythms of its first two movements ultimately prove taxing.   Revivals , while clearly a sincere work, suffers from loose construction, recondite textures, and non-distinctive unfolding.

Bell 's piano playing was commendable--not flashy, but brimming with musicality, intelligence, and desire to communicate.   Tone quality was fetching and finger technique clean.

--David Cleary