Roger
Smalley was born near Manchester and along with Tim Souster
and a host of thrawn stalwarts was at the keen edge of
the electronic avant-garde in the late 1960s and early
1970s. His and Souster’s Intermodulation ensemble championed
the music of Cornelius Cardew, Terry Riley, Frederick Rzewski,
Karlheinz Stockhausen and Christian Wolff. Time and his
move to Australia in 1974 have dealt a transformational
effect on his music. Smalley's works now strike an accommodation
with melody as his Piano Concerto - there is a second now
- and Symphony have shown (see
review).
These
three chamber works, written around 1999-2003, provide
further confirmation of the creative energy he finds in
a free and modified embrace with tangy tonality. Start
with the Piano Quintet with its first movement in constant
torrential motion and its language caught in Mennin-like
fury between Beethoven and Shostakovich. The skittering
Bartókian Intermezzo leads to a skeletally eerie scherzo
accommodating much magically quiet writing. The finale
is a potently atmospheric piece and is the longest of the
four movements. It's haunted, yearning music - always troubled,
never at peace. The notes tell us that the Chopin Mazurka
op. 68 no. 4 is referenced. Indeed Chopin is a shadowy
presence in all three of these pieces. You can hear this
in its most frank if refracted form in the Quintet’s final
Chaconne and Variations which ends the piece in a Szymanowski-like
trembling whisper. It's very affecting. The Trio starts
with a jewelled torrent of writing for piano and violin
redolent of the Intermezzo of the Quintet but more vehement.
And vehement is the word for the horn line here which is
celebratory, melodic and ardent - not at all difficult.
The Mirror Variations central movement is pleasing indeed.
The three movement Trio was commissioned by the horn player
in this recording. It struck me that this piece could also
work very well as a Horn Concerto. It is full of intriguing
incident as is the single movement String Quartet No. 2
which in fact includes some of the most thorny writing
of the three works featured here. If you would like to
hear more from Smalley in the same vein then try the
NMC
disc.
The
String Quartet no. 2 was premiered at the Adelaide Festival
in 2002. The Trio is dedicated 'to Darryl & Paul' and
was first performed by at the Perth, Octagon Theatre on
1 August 2002. The Piano Quintet was a John Bishop Memorial
Commission for 2004 and was premiered at the Adelaide Festival,
Adelaide Town Hall on 10 March 2004. The performers at
these premieres are the same as those who made these recordings.
Two of the works involve the composer as performer. In
years to come this disc will also have documentary historic
significance.
The
booklet with generous notes is bound into the stiff card
cover. Melba provide an answer to the criticism of the
fragility of these digipacks by supplying a sturdy transparent
sleeve into which the ‘pack’ slips.
A
stunningly vivid recording of three rewarding contemporary
works from a one-time wolverine of the wilderness who is
now a lion of a different temperament.
Rob Barnett
Roger Smalley website
Interview with Roger Smalley