HurdAudio Rotation: Festliches Praludium

Torturing Nurse & Vertonen: Torturing Nurse/Vertonen. 2012. Rococo: 6784937576-8.

Torturing Nurse: "txnxtxnxt"
Junky Cao: voice, noise
Youki: turntable, guitar

Vertonen: "Allegiance Variance"
Blake Edwards: devices

Even with an aesthetic bent toward sonic extremes and a willingness to plunge into saturated textures, noise music is actually about restraint and a deliberate sense of how one manages sonic density over time.  With this split release from Shanghai's Torturing Nurse and Chicago's Vertonen the ears are presented with two different takes on restraint versus saturation as a means of shaping form.

"txnxtxnxt" is a crafted sonic canvas that systematically adds new sonic sources and ideas with a deliberate effort to avoid thick layering of materials.  Leaving an interaction between two performers that is startling in its ability to allow new materials to bubble up into the foreground.  The constant sense that the textures of "txnxtxnxt" could come unhinged at any moment and give into the waves of harsh noise constantly hinted at around the edges adds a delicious tension to the piece as a whole.

"Allegiance Variance" takes more of an installation object approach to noise.  Short movements strung together, each offering up a sound logic that is set in motion and allowed to run itself out.  It becomes a measured study of noise materials and the nature of drones and mechanical devices artfully mixed and realized.  This is mechanics with a pulse and a sense of shading and perspective.

Kronos Quartet: Nuevo. 2002. Nonesuch: 79649-2.

David Harrington: violin
John Sherba: violin
Hank Dutt: viola
Jennifer Culp: cello

with:
Luanne Warner: marimba
Alejandro Flores: vocals
Efren Vargas: vocals
Carlos Garcia: musical leaf
Tambuco Percussion Ensemble - Ricardo Gallardo, Alfredo Bringas, Claudia Oliveira, Raul Tudon
Rominko Patixtan Patixtan: harp
Pegro Lunes Tak'il Bek'et: guitar
Carmen Gomez Oso: vocals
Xun Perez Hol Cotom: vocals
Rominko Mendez Xik: vocals
Luis Conte: percussion
Anonymous: organillo
Gustavo Santaolalla: toys, percussion
Ariel Guzik: plasmaht
Cafe Tacuba -
Ritacantalgua: electric guitar
Emmanuel: programming, keyboards, jarana
Quiqui: jarana, concha, programming
Joselo: electric guitar
Alejandro Flores: violin, requinto

El Sinaloense by Severiano Briseno (arr. Osvaldo Golijov)
Se Me Hizo Facil by Agustin Lara (arr. Osvaldo Golijov)
Mini Skirt by Juan Garcia Esquivel (arr. Osvaldo Golijov)
El Llorar - traditional arranged by Osvaldo Golijov
Perfidia by Alberto Dominguez (arr. by Stephen Prutsman)
Sensemaya by Silvestre Revueltas (arr. by Stephen Prutsman)
K'in Sventa Ch'ul Me'tik Kwadulupe by Osvaldo Golijov
Tabu by Margarita Lecuona (arr. by Osvaldo Golijov)
Cuatro Milpas by Belisario Garcia de Jesus and Jose Elizondo (arr. by Stephen Prutsman)
Chavosuite by Ricardo Gallardo
Plasmaht by Ariel Guzik (arr. by Kronos Quartet)
Nacho Verduzco by Chalino Sanchez (arr. by Osvaldo Golijov)
12/12 by Cafe Tacuba (Ruben Albarran, Emmanuel del Real, Enrique Rangel, Jose Alfredo Rangel) (arr. by Osvaldo Golijov)
El Sinaloense (Dance Mix) by Plankton Man

At some point, Kronos Quartet releases became concept albums.  Which follows a certain logic as the string quartet that pioneered its identity as a chamber ensemble dedicated to contemporary works it soon broke that particular "niche" wide open.  And at some point Kronos Quartet releases broke loose from the confines of "string quartet" music in the formal sense and exploded into an expressive playlist that happens to involve the members of the quartet.  Here the sonic journey is unified by an exploration of the cultural vibrations of Mexico.  At times augmented by percussionists, voice and pre-rendered electronics, this is a rich sampling of the musical contours of Mexican culture.  And much to Kronos' credit, it is a vibrant mix of traditions both established and in flux.  But more than a sampler, this is a journey and a concept album that follows its own arc.  The vocals on El Llorar are astounding.  And the true gem of this collection is the riveting Silvestre Revueltas Sensemaya in the middle of the set.  The Cafe Tacuba collaboration loses me to a certain extent as a sequence of ideas of variable quality that don't always hang together for my ears.  The exuberant Plankton Man mix at the end ties everything back together to conclude the experience.  The focus on arrangements of music from various portions of Mexico's high and low-brow cultures almost leaves me wishing for string quartet compositions by Mexican composers.  But the sonic integrity of this experience snuffs out that fleeting criticism.  If anything, it's the brevity of these fleeting experiences that leave the ears breathless from so much breadth of experience without the satisfaction of depth.  Many of these pieces could stand to go longer at the risk of puncturing the pacing of the overall concept album.  But that is perhaps the takeaway of Nuevo.  As it serves as kindling for the curious to dig deeper into this realm.

Richard Strauss: Tone Poems. 1957. Deutsche Grammophon: 463-190-2.

Staatskapelle Dresden
Berliner Philharmoniker
Karl Bohm: conductor

Eine Alpensinfonie, op. 64
Don Juan, op. 20
Der Rosenkavalier: Waltzes from Act III
Also sprach Zarathustra, op. 30
Festival Prelude, op. 61
Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche, op. 28
Salome: Dance of the Seven Veils
Ein Heldenleben, op. 40
Tod und Verklarung, op. 24

The music of the Romantic Era - particularly the late Romantic Era - leaves these ears cold with its excesses.  Music that emotes (and emotes, and emotes) through long-winded chromaticism and a tonal language that sounds dated feels about as remote as music can get.  Richard Strauss is often the exception, with traces of modernism creeping into his sound and helping to usher in the much more agreeable modern era.  Yet his tone poems possess very little that can be regarded as anything other than squarely Romantic.  And yet it simply blows this listener away.  This is not a sentimental attachment to this music (it was never part of my formative experience).  This is an appreciation of raw orchestration.  And an admiration of Strauss's ability to write music that was about something.  There's no abstraction here.  Eine Alpensinfonie is about the majestic Alps complete with stormy weather and breath taking altitude.  The Festliches Praludium strikes an irresistible majesty with its combination of pipe organ and orchestra.  Also sprach Zarathustra is a genuinely great orchestral work.  These Karl Bohm versions are a true indulgence and a reminder that not all Late Romantic works were over-indulgent.  Some hit the high marks that they aimed for.

HurdAudio Rotation: Storms and Conversations

Richard Strauss: Tone Poems. 1957, 1963, 1988. Deutsche Grammophon: 463 190-2.

Eine Alpensinfonie op. 64
Staatskapelle Dresden
Karl Böhm: conductor

Don Juan op. 20
Staatskapell Dresden
Karl Böhm: conductor

Der Rosenkavalier: Waltzes from Act III
Berliner Philharmoniker
Karl Böhm: conductor

Also sprach Zarathustra op. 30
Berlin Philharmoniker
Michel Schwalbe: violin solo
Karl Böhm: conductor

Festliches Praludium op. 61
Berliner Philharmoniker
Wolfgang Meyer: organ
Karl Böhm: conductor

Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche op. 28
Berliner Philharmoniker
Karl Böhm: conductor

Salome: Dance of the Seven Veils
Berliner Philharmoniker
Karl Böhm: conductor

Ein Heldenleben op. 40
Staatskapelle Dresden
Erich Muhlbach: violin solo
Karl Böhm: conductor

Tod und Verklarung op. 24
Staatskapelle Dresden
Karl Böhm: conductor

You have to give Richard Strauss credit. When he wrote a storm the orchestra booms with the thunder and lightning as the winds of an angry weather front rip through the ensemble. When he wrote pastoral settings or about transfigurement from death he tapped into a calm tranquility that barely ripples with each lyrical passage. Joys, defeats, battles and passions each get their due in watercolors painted with orchestral coloration. Poetry in tones. As one who rarely has much appetite for the late Romantic composers and their excesses this is one referential point that requires some familiarity from time to time. And you can hardly improve upon the interpretive details found under Karl Böhm's baton. Even when these details were often only recorded in glorious mono.

Elliott Sharp: Doing the Don't. Directed by Bert Shapiro. 2008. A Pheasants Eye Production. DVD.

As the music of Elliott Sharp began to catch my imagination and grow increasingly important to me I used to scour and devour what scraps of interviews and information I could about this unique and highly individual composer/musician. A full length documentary about him felt improbable. Just finding an interview or write up that was sympathetic was difficult enough. So many writers were (and are) quick to dismiss him as "too heady" or "too cerebral" and often imply or state outright that the reader would be put off by his music. Here we are allowed to hear Elliott Sharp in his own words and view him in action. The heady, cerebral qualities of his music and personality are an asset. For curious minds willing to take on challenging sounds and ideas rather than interpreting them as hostile this is a body of music that deserves its due even as it continues to evolve. The extras on this disc alone make it worth the time to take it all in. Archival video of Sharp's legendary staging of Larynx at the Brooklyn Academy of Music "Next Wave" festival in 1987! (Is there a revival of that composition in the works?) A full recording of Orchestra Carbon performing Quarks Swim Free. Plus an examination of Sharp's homemade instrument designs. Excellent and completely overdue.

Lee Konitz: The Lee Konitz Duets. 1967 (re-released in 1990). Milestone Records: OJCCD-466-2.

Lee Konitz: alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone, Varitone saxophone
in duets (and ensemble) with:
Marshall Brown: trombone
Joe Henderson: tenor saxophone
Richie Kamuca: tenor saxophone
Ray Nance: violin
Jim Hall: guitar
Dick Katz: piano
Karl Berger: vibraharp
Eddie Gomez: bass
Elvin Jones: drums

One of the great jazz records from an artist responsible for so many unassuming gems over his thankfully long career. The focused, conversational interaction between improvisers unfolds sequentially as each track adds a new instrumental voice along side Konitz's confident lyricism. The quality of these players is difficult to overstate. These "conversations" - often draped along a predetermined chart - are generous in their inventive give and take. Bringing in the full ensemble (minus the incredible Ray Nance) at the end takes on the feel of a final curtain call after being afforded glimpses into each individual component.

HurdAudio Rotation: Quarters, Poems and Duets

Charles Ives, Ivan Wyschnegradsky: Quarter-tone Pieces. 2006. Hat Hut: hat[now]ART 143.

Josef Christof: piano
Steffen Schleiermacher: piano

24 Preludes in Quarter-Tone System (excerpts) (1934/70) Wyschnegradsky

Three Quarter-Tone Pieces For Two Pianos (1903-23) Ives

Three Page Sonata (1905) Ives

Etude sur le "Carre Magique Sonore" op. 40 (1957) Wyschnegradsky

The language of microtonal discourse is caught within a peculiar deference to the displacement of writing a music that so thoroughly exposes the conventions and weaknesses of both notation and instrument design. The quasi-spiritual assertions of just intonation advocates Lou Harrison and Ben Johnston as "prophets in the desert" as found in the liner notes of this 2006 release serves to reinforce the cult-like mystique of deliberately throwing the 12-tone-to-the-octave order into disarray.

Furthering this sense of spiritual isolation we have the deeply mystical pronouncements and compositions of Ivan Wyschnegradsky. The fact that recordings of his music are frustratingly rare and hard to obtain only enhances the image of a wise seer perched at the highest mountain top. When the music is rendered audible in recordings such as this, I am struck by how transcendent it truly is. The microtonal qualities gives Wyschnegradsky's music an added profound chromaticism that is striking and irresistible. Here, 12 of the 24 quarter-tone preludes are presented. When will a full set be available on record? The hunger to feed these ears a more complete representation of Wyschnegradsky's musical universe grows with this sampling.

With the Charles Ives quarter-tone pieces we find a different attitude toward expanded harmonic materials, something less steeped in mystical overtones. In Ives' universe the quarter-tone serves as expansion, period. The sound is changed by the additional harmonic possibilities. But that sound is still rooted in a world of familiar melodies and idiomatic styles. The allusion to rag-time piano music or unorthodox harmonizations of "My Country 'Tis of Thee" keeps an earthiness in the sound that suggests a healthy alternative to the mystical detachment or righteous assertions of breaking with prevailing harmonic conventions.

Richard Strauss: Tone Poems. 1988 (Collector's Edition of recordings from 1957, 1958). Deutsche Grammophon: 463 190-2.

Karl Bohm: conductor
Staatskapelle Dresden
Berliner Philharmoniker

Eine Alpensinfonie op.64
Don Juan op.20
Waltzes from Act III
Also sprach Zarathustra op.30
Festiches Praludium op.61
Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche op.28
Dance of the Seven Veils from Salome op.54
Ein Heldenleben op.40
Tod und Verklarung op.24

There was a time when I'd be lost in these sweeping, long narrative symphonic works. A younger version of myself had written off the romantic syntax and rejected the notion that an abstract sequence of sounds could convey image and story. As I revisit that impression with more wisdom in the ears I find the scope of these epic tales to be human and surprisingly easy to understand and follow. Three discs of Strauss tone poems is a heavy dose of Germanic music to take in one sitting (which is exactly how I've approached them as an avoidance of the spectacle playing out on American television this Sunday). I am struck by the orchestrations Strauss applies to these works. Particularly the use and incorporation of organ in Eine Alpensinfonie (heralding the storm) and Festival Prelude (presumably calling the masses to celebrate).

Lee Konitz: The Lee Konitz Duets. 1967 (Re-released in 1990). Milestone: OJCCD-466-2.

Lee Konitz: alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone, varitone saxophone
in duets with:
Marshall Brown: trombone
Joe Henderson: tenor saxophone
Elvin Jones: drums
Karl Berger: vibraharp
Eddie Gomez: bass
Richie Kamuca: tenor saxophone
Ray Nance: violin
Jim Hall: guitar
Dick Katz: piano

In the middle of this collection is "ERB," possibly the most exquisite free improvisation between alto saxophone (Konitz) and guitar (Jim Hall) ever recorded. The presence of this three-minute, atonal gem would be startling in midst of any collection of duets - especially one with as many bop oriented tunes as this one - except that the same quiet, shimmering inventiveness of Hall and Konitz is found on every track no matter how "free" each piece may or may not be. "Tickle Toe" presents a focused, sparkling two tenor take on the Lester Young classic (performed by Konitz and Richie Kamuca) while "Struttin' with Some Barbecue" offers up a spirited slice of soulful sax and valve trombone (Marshall Brown) complete with some light overdubbing on the final chorus. "Alphanumeric" closes out this set with a full ensemble of players unloading all the restraint that makes the duets so taut, lean and brimming with verve. These players are so good, even Konitz's typically understated excellence nearly boils over. This is a great album and one well worth dusting off and rediscovering.

In Praise of Decoration Day

National Orchestra Institute Chamber Orchestra @ Elise & Marvin Dekelboum Concert Hall, Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD - Saturday, June 16, 2007

James Ross, conductor
Jon Spelman, narrator

Symphony No. 4, op. 60, B-flat major by Ludwig Van Beethoven
Decoration Day (from New England Holidays) by Charles Ives
Eine Alpensinfonie, op. 64 by Richard Strauss

I've always imagined the first movement of Beethoven's Symphony No. 4 as being a bit of a music box composition. One can wind it up and it moves under its own momentum. Under the baton of James Ross I can now appreciate just how much effort it takes to keep the dynamics under control as those familiar themes churn. He did a great job with a well thought out program of music. The juxtaposition of Beethoven and Ives in the first half made for an exceptional presentation of two giants separated by just a single century. And with performances like these one can expect more opportunities to hear their music in concert halls in the years ahead.

Decoration Day was moving in ways I hadn't anticipated, even for an Ives' work. Jon Spelman's narrative contribution to this performance was well within the spirit of the piece and added a contemporary dimension to the overall substance and subject of this work. Before the music started, Spelman read Ives' original postface to the score, which is a colorful description of the childhood Decoration Day observances of Danbury, Connecticut that Ives reproduces in sound. Ives depicts parades and respectful memorials to the sacrifices made by fallen Civil War soldiers not yet forgotten. After allowing the music to set the tone, Spelman then worked in spoken descriptions by soldiers fighting in modern day Mesopotamia and the anguished accounts of loss written by their loved ones.

Decoration Day - the holiday - has since become Memorial Day. A paid holiday without even an echo of the observations Ives described in words and music. The tradition of proud service and self sacrifice is starkly different to what it was at the time of Charles Ives' childhood. And yet so many who practiced a tradition of avoidance have since ordered others to serve. Even as these lame duck chicken hawks stand at hollow photo ops every Memorial Day, the substance of real loss and real sacrifice is the same as it was a hundred years ago. In the foolishness of invading another country under false pretenses and thoughtlessly asking others to make the sacrifices they were unwilling to make in their own day the need for the substance of a true Decoration Day grows.

The post-intermission half of the evening belonged to Strauss' epic tone poem, Eine Alpensinfonie. I'm rarely a fan of late-romatic program music. But this one works. The sweeping depictions of the Swiss Alps rendered in orchestral colors is convincing and succeeds because of the quality of the orchestration. The addition of the organ through the "storm" sequence was a particularly nice touch. I'd like to hear this one again.