Fresh to the Ear

by B.L.C. ©2004

‘Cutting Edge Concert’ (sixth series). Davide Zannoni: Quattro Quadri – Judith Shatin: Ockheghem Variations – Frank J. Oteri: circles mostly in wood – Jon Deak: The Bremen Town Musicians. Carsten Schmidt, piano; Sylvan Winds. Greenwich House Music School. April 8, 2004

This was another of Victoria Bond’s finely conceived programs in a series of chamber music concerts called aptly enough ‘Cutting Edge.’ It has thus far lived up to its name. Here was an assortment of pieces as fresh as the sound of the Sylvan Winds. In fact ‘Fresh Air’ was the specific program title and was identified as the next to last in this year’s series, though no mention was made as to how many preceded it. No matter, the music was there for all to enjoy.

Why ‘Fresh Air.’ True, the last two works on the program were patently "outdoorish." But, most likely, the programmers just liked the pun that goes with ‘fresh air.’ Speaking of the element of humor, the finale, Mr. Deak’s work, was our favorite of the evening. The perky themes were not only played to perfection by the ensemble, but they shared the spotlight with words spoken by the players when they were not huffing and puffing out musical notes. It is a hallmark of Deak’s style, and he has it down to a finely honed art which is indeed fresh and quite definitely different. Certainly this music must serve as a sort of holiday for him vis-a-vis the steady outpouring of symphonic classics to which he contributes his excellent double bass to the New York Philharmonic.

Before then, we heard some "outdoor" music with quite different roots. Frank Oteri, editor of NewMusicBox.org and an always interesting composer, offered three movements of his "circles," one of which was not ready for inclusion at the premiere concert of Composers Concordance in 2003. Mr. Oteri has been fascinated by the history of the isle of Manhattan and continues to add to his program notes with personal observations. The title is a cleverly ambiguous reference both to a journey taken on foot and his own harmonic approach, the progression of the full cycle of 24 quartertones in a carefully manipulated hexachord. The work is, of course, performed by a wind quintet, three of which are woodwinds. So that covers the title. Not surprisingly the musical suggestions are pictorial, the Houdini movement projecting a misty strangeness and an implied magic in its microtonal design. (See NMC, v11, #2 for comments about the premiere.)

Mr. Zannoni’s opening piece is in the tradition of Goya, Mussorgsky, Schuller et al. Four Paintings was indeed inspired by four painters – Mondrian, Magritte, Lucien Freud and Hopper. If one needs another clue to the program title, there is the Italian phrase, "al fresco" (outdoor), which touches on Mr. Zannoni’s earliest memories of the great art in his native Italy. The composer, who began as a jazz drummer, quite expectedly uses jazz in his impression of Mondrian’s "Broadway Boogie Woogie." But he also effectively fashions some eerie chromaticism in the other three movements.

Judith Shatin’s Ockeghem Variations was the most difficult work on the program to get a handle on. As reported in earlier reviews of her CDs, Dr. Shatin loves to reach deep into the annals of history and science and exploit the possibilities inherent in lesser known figures and their impact on current life. Her themes are selected very carefully, more or less to help her describe certain qualities that music can project, and yet not the kind that we hear all the time. So in deference to her, we feel it is best to allow her to speak for herself in her explanation of her intentions in this work:

Johannes Ockeghem was a masterful fifteenth-century Flemish composer whose music is a wonderful blend of elasticity and intricacy. When approached about a commission by the Dutch Hexagon Ensemble, I decided to create a piece inspired by Ockeghem's music. Allusions to his Prolation Mass come to the surface, especially in the first and fourth of the five movements. However, rather than creating a set of variations on a specific theme, I was inspired by Josquin’s Bois des Nymphes, itself a tribute to Ockeghem, to build the pitch world from a series based on Ockeghem’s name. The pitches and harmonies have their origin in this homage, though the five movements should be heard as a meditation on and personal response to the qualities of his music. This ranges from the gentle quality of the opening movement, Lustrous; to the church bells of the second, Ringing; to the intricacies of the third, Electric; the mystery of the fourth, Floating; and the intensity of the last, Resounding. Ockeghem Variations is dedicated to the Hexagon Ensemble, who premiered it at the Concertgebouw in March, 2000.