Editorial Board
MusicWeb International
Founding Editor Rob Barnett Editor in Chief
John Quinn Contributing Editor Ralph Moore Webmaster
David Barker Postmaster
Jonathan Woolf MusicWeb Founder Len Mullenger
Karl JENKINS (b. 1944) The Concertos Sarikiz, for violin (2008) [21:16] Quirk, for flute, keyboards and percussion (2005)
[21:24] La Folia, for marimba (2004) [10:39] Over the Stone, for two harps (2002) [22:45] Allegretto from Palladio for two violins
(1996) [3:46]
Marat
Bisengaliev (violin), Gareth Davies (flute), John Alley
(keyboards), Neil Percy (percussion and
marimba), Catrin Finch (harp), Carmine Lauri and David
Alberman (violins) London Symphony Orchestra, Karl
Jenkins
rec. 2007 and 2008, Angel Recording Studios, London;
Acapela/Kissan Studios, Pentrych, near Cardiff; EMI Abbey
Road Studios, London DDD EMI
CLASSICS 5002352 [79:50]
In
his brief note, Jenkins writes, about the final piece, “It
is in a retro–baroque style.” This could be said of the
first movement of the first work Sarikiz, albeit
suffused in a Kazakh haze. The middle, slow, movement
has a real feel of English pastoral music – Vaughan Williams
and Delius – and the finale is a wild dance with a contrasting
section reminiscent of Trevor Duncan’s famous March from
his Little Suite (the title music for the BBC
TV series Dr Finlay’s Casebook). Jenkins’s music
isn’t derivative, it just suddenly throws up these allusions.
It’s a most attractive piece, very colourful and exciting.
Quirk is more urban in its sound world. Starting with some very bold writing
for strings and brass, the soloists enter with more easy–going
music but Jenkins doesn’t lose sight of his purpose and
the forward moving orchestral music keeps returning as
a ritornello, until it turns into a vamp–til–ready accompaniment.
There is a cadenza for the piano, which starts as a blues,
becomes a bit of Gershwin, then cool jazz, until the
music of the opening returns and makes a big finish.
The slow movement begins in the manner of the music Jerry
Goldsmith wrote for City Hall – a New York based
political thriller – and this is certainly nocturnal
downtown New York music. There’s a cadenza for flute
which is at odds with the surrounding music, which keeps
interrupting and ultimately calms the soloist. The movement
ends with the most beautiful, relaxed sounds. The finale, Chasing
the goose, is an hilariously lop–sided square dance
which is decidedly un–square.
La
Folia is a tune published in the middle of the 17th century,
but which is probably much older, and which, like Paganini’s 24th Caprice,
has held a fascination for composers ever since. Incidentally,
in his note Jenkins mistakenly attributes the tune
to Corelli, as did Rachmaninov, who wrote a set of
variations on the tune, for piano (1931). More recently,
Vangelis used the tune in his music for the film 1492
Conquest of Paradise (1992). Jenkins’s set of variations
features the marimba, these days an occasional Concerto
soloist, and the music is gentle and very pleasing.
Over
the Stone was commissioned
by the Prince of Wales for Catrin Finch, who was Harpist
to the Prince of Wales from 2000 to 2004. On this recording
Finch, thanks to the wonders of modern technology,
plays both harp parts. It’s the largest work on the
disk and the most interesting, having a well considered
layout for both harps and orchestra and the six movements
have much variety and there’s a good deal of attractive
music to be found here – I defy you not to enjoy the Vamp
Latino finale.
Then
we’re back to the retro–baroque of Palladio. It’s
a light end to an interesting disk of recent Concertos
written in an accessible style by a composer whose background
includes playing reeds and keyboards in the progressive
rock band Soft Machine, and Ian Carr’s Nucleus. Although
there’s reminders of the Jenkins of Adiemus, his
cross–over breakthrough disk, there’s more personality
to these pieces, more of the man himself, so to speak.
There’s
nothing deep, or profound here, just well crafted, very
enjoyable music.
Reviews
from previous months Join the mailing list and receive a hyperlinked weekly update on the
discs reviewed. details We welcome feedback on our reviews. Please use the Bulletin
Board
Please paste in the first line of your comments the URL of the review to
which you refer.