Volume 24 Issue 5 - February 2019

or breeze – aure – now lost in time.”
The most substantial work on this intriguing disc is a chamber
orchestra version of Saariaho’s violin concerto, Graal théâtre, a
28-minute work inspired by a novel of Jacques Roubaud of the same
name. Saariaho says “I was interested in the combination of the words
Graal (Grail) and theatre, thinking of an abstract search for the holy
grail – whatever it would mean for each of us – and the concrete art
form of the theatre. I imagined the violinist as the main character in a
play.” The work was originally written for Gidon Kremer in 1994. Koh
first performed it in 2006 with the LA Philharmonic and has played it
many times since. This recording features the Curtis 20/21 Ensemble
under the direction of Conner Gray Covington. It was recorded at the
Curtis School of Music in 2016. The concerto complements the smaller
chamber works to present a rewarding portrait of one of the most
successful composers of the generation born after the Second World
War. The playing is outstanding throughout.
The final disc, by Guelph’s Silence
Collective, is a bit out of my comfort zone,
but I found the premise intriguing enough
to want to have a go at it myself, rather than
assigning it to one of our more specialized
reviewers. The Apprehension Engine
is a unique all-acoustic instrument originally
envisioned by Canadian composer
Mark Korven for use in creating “an eerie
film soundtrack.” It was realized by master luthier Tony Duggan-
Smith and is a strange-looking contraption pictured on the cover of
The Murmuring (barcodefreemusic.com). It is comprised of various
strings, fret boards, a hurdy-gurdy-like rotator for sustained drones,
metal teeth for banging and bowing, thinner wire extensions that act
as flexitones, springs and a host of resonators, to mention just some
of its potential sound making sources. To get a fuller understanding of
this wondrous instrument, check it out on YouTube: Horror Musical
Instrument - The Apprehension Engine. It’s hard to tell the scale of
it from the image on the CD package, and I imagined the members
of the Silence Collective all gathered around the “Engine” and each
playing a different aspect of it. Before doing any further research I put
on the disc and marvelled at all the different sounds that were seemingly
coming out of this one source. It turns out my initial impression
was mistaken and that it is just the right size for one performer,
Korven himself. The other players – Matt Brubeck (cello), Gary Diggins
(trumpet and too many other things to enumerate), Daniel Fischlin
(guitar, also constructed by Duggan-Smith, and flutes), Lewis Melville
(pedal steel and banjo) and Joe Sorbara (percussion) – all brought their
own instruments to interact with Korven in three sets which took
place at Silence – an independent, not-for-profit venue in Guelph –
one evening in September 2017. The results are beyond my capacity to
describe but not to enjoy, and I urge you to do the same.
STRINGS
ATTACHED
TERRY ROBBINS
English cellist Natalie Clein and Norwegian
pianist Christian Ihle Hadland are quite
superb on a new CD of Sonatas by Rebecca
Clarke and Frank Bridge (Hyperion
CDA68253; hyperion-records.co.uk).
Clarke’s Viola Sonata – here in the alternate
cello version – is a sweeping, passionate
work completed in 1919, and seems to
benefit from the added depth the cello
brings. And what inspired playing it draws from Clein! Bridge’s twomovement
Cello Sonata in D Minor is also from the Great War period.
Begun in 1913, it was finished in 1917, the second movement reflecting
the darker times and the composer’s deep dismay at the course of
world events. Three brief pre-war pieces precede the sonata: the
Serenade (1903); Spring Song (1912); and the Scherzo (1901-03) that
was rediscovered in 1970.
Besides the obvious English connection there is another link with
Ralph Vaughan Williams here, his Six Studies in English Folk Song
having been written in 1926 for cellist May Mukle, Rebecca Clarke’s
longtime chamber music partner. They provide a lovely end to an
outstanding disc.
The German violinist Sabrina-Vivian
Höpcker is the brilliant soloist in Brahms
Hungarian Dances, a recital of all 21 pieces
originally written for piano four hands and
heard here in the arrangements by Joseph
Joachim; Fabio Bidini is a perfect collaborator
(Delos DE 3558; delosmusic.com).
Only a few of the dances were actually
written by Brahms, the remainder being
a mixture of contemporary Hungarian Roma compositions, some of
which were probably settings of traditional tunes. Höpcker’s playing
of these technically demanding pieces has everything you could
possibly wish for: stunning technique; faultless intonation; great
dynamics; passion; energy; style; and a tone that is brilliant in the
upper register and deep and warm in the lower. Bidini knows the
WE INVITE SUBMISSIONS
CDs and comments
should be sent to:
DISCoveries, WholeNote
Media Inc., The Centre for
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503 – 720 Bathurst St.
Toronto ON M5S 2R4
David Olds, DISCoveries Editor
discoveries@thewholenote.com
What we're listening to this month:
thewholenote.com/listening
AND
Visit thewholenote.com/listening
where you can hear tracks from
any of the recordings in these ads.
Johannes Brahms / Elliott Carter:
Clarinet Quintets
Phoenix Ensemble
The mission of New York
City-based Phoenix Ensemble
is resolute and clear: to bring
diverse chamber music to diverse
audiences.
Heroines in Harmony
Margaret Maria
Each track honours a Canadian
woman who has inspired
Margaret Maria. Who they are
and how the music embodies their
legacy, visit www.enchanten.com
Remember the Fallen: Ravel,
Debussy, Bridge
David McGory
Available on iTunes, Amazon and
CDBaby
thewholenote.com February 2019 | 67