Volume 24 Issue 3 - November 2018

out to be his last concert – he died just a few
months later of cancer. The live CBC
recording was released as an independent
CD by New Music Concerts and later
reissued by Naxos (8.572450). Needless to
say I was pleased when I received a new CD
by 12 Ensemble, one of the UK’s leading
string orchestras, which features
Lutosławski’s Musique funèbre. Composed
in 1958 and dedicated to the memory of Béla Bartók, it was the last
traditional work he composed before incorporating aleatoric principals
into his writing, although it does employ 12-tone techniques. It is
a moving work, suitably dark, and is here performed with distinction.
The group, known for performing without a conductor, has a
homogenous sound and an innate sense of ensemble. The Lutosławski
is followed by Ulysses Awakes by John Woolrich, which seems to rise
from the shadows of the Lutosławski, and perhaps gives rise to the
album’s title Resurrection, released on the new Sancho Panza label
(SPANCD 001 juno.co.uk/labels/Sancho+Panza). It grows gradually
and with an almost medieval, plaintive solo melody fades again. This is
followed by Kate Whitley’s Autumn Songs, with whirling glissandi
and quiet tremolos in the ensemble once again, and a gentle, soaring
melody rising above. The final work, by far the longest, takes us full
circle with American rock guitarist Bryce Dressner’s Response
Lutosławski, a moving homage commissioned by the National
Audiovisual Institute of Poland. The five-movement work explores
various thoughtful moods and shows a command of the string
orchestra idiom, without a hint of Dressner’s pop-music roots. This
perfect bookend completes a stunning debut for both this impeccable
ensemble and a new label.
I was skeptical when I first came across the
disc The Scene of the Crime featuring Colin
Currie and Håkan Hardenberger (Colin
Currie Records CCR0002 colincurrie.com).
I was not convinced that the combination
of percussion and trumpet could sustain
interest over the duration of an entire CD.
But sustain it does, in many intriguing and
satisfying ways. In the words of Currie, “The
duo with Håkan Hardenberger is my musical safe space for maximum
risk-taking. From my earliest point of connection with this most
regal of musicians, what entranced me was the fearless audacity of
the endeavour. Envelopes pushed, or simply reinvented, boundaries
moved and canvasses recast.” They do this through interpretations
of some striking repertoire, from André Jolivet’s 1971 Heptade with
its unpitched percussion instruments, through Joe Duddell’s Catch
(with Currie on marimba) and Tobias Broström’s use of gongs and
vibraphone in Dream Variations, to Daniel Börtz’s mystical Dialogo 4
which begins in near silence, and the title track, Brett Dean’s 2017
composition ... the scene of the crime... written especially for the
duo’s “skill and infectious drive, scored for trumpet, flugelhorn and
drum kit.” The album never loses its grip on the listener’s attention. A
resounding achievement!
We invite submissions. CDs and comments should be sent
to: DISCoveries, WholeNote Media Inc., The Centre for Social
Innovation, 503 – 720 Bathurst St. Toronto ON M5S 2R4.
David Olds, DISCoveries Editor
discoveries@thewholenote.com
STRINGS
ATTACHED
TERRY ROBBINS
Hilary Hahn is one of the truly great violinists
on the world stage, so it perhaps comes
as something of a surprise to see that she
has never issued a complete set of the Bach
Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin, despite
her reputation for outstanding Bach playing.
Her 1997 debut CD on Sony, Hilary Hahn
plays Bach (Sonata 3, Partitas 2 & 3) when
she was only 17 drew rave reviews.
Now, 21 years later and with her first release on the Decca label, she
completes the set with Hilary Hahn plays Bach Sonatas 1 & 2, Partita 1
(Decca Classics 4833954).
What immediately strikes you is the smoothness of line, the warmth
(with full vibrato), the full measure given to the inner notes in the
multiple stopping and the brilliance of the definition in the numerous
presto movements. Complete technical assurance is a given, of
course, but the depth of her musical intelligence and insight is always
equally evident.
Hahn says that since the initial CD she has continually been asked
when she would be recording the remaining works, and that she felt
that “now was the moment” to do so. “What you hear in this completion
of my solo Bach set,” she says, “is therefore the best recording that
I feel I can offer at this point in my life.”
It’s hard to imagine how she could ever improve on it.
The Dreams & Fables I Fashion is the stunning
debut recording by the American
violinist Elicia Silverstein, considered by
many to be a rising star on the European
early music scene (Rubicon Classics
RCD1031 rubiconclassics.com). Noted for
playing music from the 17th to 21st centuries
on historical and modern instruments,
Silverstein demonstrates that extensive
range here with music that spans 300 years.
Two Biber works from around 1676 open the disc: the Crucifixion
Sonata X from the Rosary or Mystery Sonatas; and the solo
Passacaglia. The contemporary Italian composer Salvatore Sciarrino’s
Capriccio No.2 from his Sei Capricci dates from 1976, its technical
challenges handled here with ease.
Little is known about Giovanni Pandolfi Mealli (1630-c.1669/70),
but his Sonata No.2 “La Cesta” from 6 Sonatas for Violin and
Continuo Op.3 is really something, with some dazzling playing by
Silverstein in the opening section. Another work from 1976, Luciano
Berio’s Sequenza VIII provides yet another opportunity for the soloist
to demonstrate her complete mastery of contemporary technique.
A dazzling period-influenced performance of the Bach Chaconne
from the Partita No.2 in D Minor ends an outstanding debut release
that seamlessly combines period and contemporary styles.
Violinist Anne Akiko Meyers is in fine form
on Mirror in Mirror, her 37th album (Avie
AV 2386 avie-records.com). With the exception
of Ravel, Meyers has collaborated with
all of the composers or arrangers on the
album, several of the works being either
written or arranged for her.
An arrangement of the Philip Glass
Metamorphosis II by Glass collaborator
68 | November 2018 thewholenote.com