Having already given
us several excellent discs of Samuel
Barber for Naxos, Marin Alsop now turns
her attention to the music of another
fellow American, John Adams.
How does one define
Adams? In his liner note Daniel Felsenfeld
states that Adams "has earned his place
in the mighty triumvirate of American
Minimalist composers alongside Philip
Glass and Steve Reich." If one takes
that statement at face value I would
respectfully have to disagree. I mean
no slight on either Glass or Reich;
though Adams’ music speaks much more
powerfully to me than does theirs, but
that’s a subjective preference. Adams
has gone way beyond minimalism and in
the process has become a much richer
composer (not in the monetary sense)
and a much more interesting and communicative
one. In his recent Penguin Companion
to Classical Music Paul Griffiths
describes Adams brilliantly as "a post-minimalist
master of exuberance and intricacy."
The adroitly-chosen programme of this
CD gives us a glimpse of some of the
stages on Adams’ evolutionary journey
from minimalist beginnings.
The earliest piece,
where minimalist influences are at their
strongest, is Shaker Loops. As
Mr. Felsenfeld points out, this work
started off as a string quartet with
the title Wavemaker. In this
form it was withdrawn after a single
performance. What is not mentioned in
the note is Adams’ subsequent revision
of the score into a string septet (3
violins, 1 viola, 2 cellos and a bass).
This is the 1977 ‘edition’ which remains
a completely valid version. What we
have here is the 1983 re-working of
the piece for full string orchestra,
the form in which I strongly suspect
it is most frequently heard nowadays.
Ms Alsop leads a quite
splendid performance. The athletic,
at times pounding "shaking" of the first
section is very well done. I love Mr.
Felsenfeld’s description of this section
as "fast and wildly caffeinated." The
eerie atmosphere of the second, more
subdued episode is delivered very well
and Ms Alsop also responds very acutely
to the more serious introspection of
the third part. The final section brings
the work full circle with a revisiting
of the idea, if not the material, of
the opening "shaking." This very fine
reading stands up very well in comparison
with the composer’s own superb recording
(on Nonesuch) though not even Alsop
can match the truly formidable climax
that Adams achieves in the third section
just before the link into the final
section.
Chronologically, the
next work in the programme is A Short
Ride in a Fast Machine. Adams has
said of the title of the work: "You
know how it is when someone asks you
to ride in a terrific sports car, and
then you wish you hadn’t?" Well, Marin
Alsop has the top down and her foot
firmly to the floor in this exhilarating
reading of what is a tremendous showpiece.
The recorded sound here is bright and
in your face, very appropriately. The
performance matches in quality the pioneering
account by Edo de Waart and the San
Francisco Symphony (Nonesuch) although
the Nonesuch recording managed to combine
brightness with just a little more bass
depth than the Naxos engineers achieve.
However, it’s a marvellous reading nonetheless
and makes an ear-catching opening to
the CD.
The Wound Dresser
is one of Adams’ masterpieces. It’s
a setting of part of a poem by Walt
Whitman in which the poet describes
his experiences as a nurse during the
American Civil War. The text is pretty
uncompromising and is not for the squeamish.
I’m not certain what motivated Adams
to write the piece. There’s been a lot
of speculation that it is a response
to the AIDS crisis. In the notes accompanying
the composer’s own recording of the
work the annotator points out that at
the time of composition Adams’ mother
was tending his father who was dying
of Alzheimer’s disease. And, of course,
the work may also be inspired by a revulsion
against violence. Whatever the inspiration,
the music is deeply eloquent and moving.
Mr. Felsenfeld rightly notes that Adams
employs "admirable restraint". It’s
a trait that I‘ve remarked on, before
reading this comment, in reviewing
recently Adams’ On the Transmigration
of Souls. It’s not all restrained.
There’s a searing passage, featuring
manic bugle calls between 11’00" and
about 12’30" at the words "I dress a
wound in the side, deep, deep". But
for the most part the music is sombre
and excess is tellingly avoided. The
piece is, effectively, a soliloquy for
baritone and orchestra.
In Nathan Gunn we have
a superb soloist. The dignity and compassion
of his singing suit the music to perfection.
He has a rich, full tone and he employs
just the right amount of vibrato. His
diction is excellent. He is given first
rate support by Marin Alsop and her
Bournemouth players. The poignancy and
passion of such passages as "Come, sweet
death!" (8’46") and "some are so young,
some suffer so much" (16’46") are beautifully
delivered. There’s strong competition
from Sanford Sylvan, for whom the work
was conceived, singing with the composer
conducting (Nonesuch). Sylvan has a
lighter, slightly more forward baritone
which some may feel suits the music
even better. Personally, I wouldn’t
be without either version. This is a
masterly score and this newcomer is
fully worthy of the quality of the music.
One word of warning.
Naxos print the text of The Wound
Dresser. Inexplicably, however,
they’ve missed out the first stanza
(nine lines). However, Gunn’s diction
is so good that I don’t see this being
a major inconvenience.
Oddly, the most recent
work on the disc isn’t even mentioned
in the notes. This is Adams’ arrangement
for chamber orchestra of an orchestral
work by Busoni. The original, his Op.
42, dates from 1909 and its full title
is Berceuse élégiaque
(des Mannes Wiegenlied am Sarge
seiner Mutter) or Cradle Song
(of the Man at his Mother’s Coffin).
Here again, perhaps, we see evidence
of Adams’ restraint in the face of suffering
in that this sombre but subdued piece
by Busoni clearly exerted a strong appeal
to him. In a note accompanying his own
1995 recording Adams commented that
the work is "of the most hushed intimacy.
Here the cradle rocks with barely perceptible
movement while the musical ‘narrator’
sings a song of dolorous, resigned sorrow."
Adams’ own recording is very fine but
by a short head I prefer Alsop’s version.
The Adams performance is recorded a
bit more closely and, dare I suggest
it, perhaps Alsop exerts even more control
over the dynamic range. In any event
it is she that best conveys the "hushed
intimacy". The Berceuse is a splendid
homage by one composer to another and
Naxos have very sensibly ordered the
CD so that this work follows The
Wound Dresser to which it is a most
effective foil. Incidentally, in the
heading to this review I’ve given the
composition date as stated on the CD
packaging. However, the documentation
accompanying the Adams recording states
that the Berceuse was first performed
in November 1990 so I suspect that date
may be the correct one.
All of Marin Alsop’s
discs that I’ve heard to date have impressed
me but I fancy that this disc may be
her most important achievement to date
in the studio. Quite apart from the
excellence of the performances, all
given good recorded sound, this CD offers
an ideal and very inexpensive introduction
to the music of one of the most interesting
and stimulating composers currently
before the public. For the newcomer
to Adams’ music this is well-nigh ideal.
Those who are already enthusiasts for
his music should also add it to their
collection, even if this involves duplication,
for it is a top quality release. Urgently
recommended.
John Quinn
*Nathan Gunn (baritone) 