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Mark APPLEBAUM (b.
1967)
Magnetic North (2006) [14:18]
The Composer’s Middle Period (2007) [3:25]
Theme in Search of Variations I (2004) [3:46]
Theme in Search of Variations II (2007) [4:39]
Theme in Search of Variations III (2008) [4:33]
Variations on Variations on a Theme by Mozart (2006) [6:09]
Entre Funérailles I (1999) [2:21]
Martian Anthropology 7-7-8 (2006) [14:03]
On the Nature of the Modern Age (2005) [8:53]
Sock Monkey (2007)[9.22]
Florian Conzetti, Christopher
Froh, Terry Longshore (percussion); Mark Applebaum (electronics, prepared pianos);
Brian McWhorter (trumpet); Meridian Arts Ensemble;
sf Sound, The Paul Dresher Ensemble Electro-Acoustic Band; Duo Runedako; Stanford
Symphony Orchestra/Jindong Cai, Christopher Jones
rec. 2004-2008, PINK, Stanford University, Theater Artaud San Francisco and Skywalker
Sound DDD
INNOVA 706 [71:30] |
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It often surprises me how little contemporary music from other
countries reaches us here in the UK, and, how few of our very
talented composers are known abroad. In the world of the internet
one would imagine that international boundaries would be easily
crossed, and yet there are so many living composers working in
their own ways that it is impossible to hear them all. I always
enjoy the opportunity to hear the music of composers I have previously
not encountered, and this disc is a highly enjoyable and imaginative
collection of music which deserves to be heard.
Innova is the record label of the American Composers Forum, and
this disc showcases the music of Mark Applebaum, Associate Professor
of Composition at Stanford University. Previously a Ferneyhough
student at the University of California at San Diego, his music
contains the complexity one would expect without taking itself
too seriously. To quote his biography, “Some of his music
is composed according to painstaking and thorough, if dreary,
techniques defended by sober, sensible and defensible logic resulting
in characteristics like authenticity, integrity, depth, merit
and seriousness, qualities that tend to make modernists happy,
or at least comfortable.”
This well-presented disc, with bright green sleeve and detailed
liner-notes, begins with Magnetic North, a piece lasting
almost a quarter of an hour for brass quintet, percussion and
electronics. This piece explores different notions of making
music, with various modes of performance, dramatic effects and
experimental ideas. This is clearly an intelligently constructed
piece, which challenges the listener at philosophical and musical
levels. Applebaum discusses the difference between playing and
performing, and suggests that this is a piece to be played and
enjoyed. It is a piece I feel requires several hearings to be
able to develop a real understanding of its content. The overall
effect is theatrical, wonderfully modern and impressively fresh.
Applebaum has a distinctive voice as a composer and one that
I would like to become more acquainted with.
The Composer’s Middle Period is a relatively short
piece which was commissioned by sfSound to accompany Webern’s Concerto
op. 24. The sleeve-notes explain that five musical constructs
are repeated five times each; one has the sense that this is
an intricately put together work. As Applebaum says, however, ‘none
of this is particularly helpful information. The point is more
succinctly put thus: various materials of contrasting character
reappear at unpredictable tempi and for unexpected durations.’ This
apparent rebellion against intellectualism in composition is
refreshing. Applebaum seems to be making the point that intellectual
constructions exist on a compositional level, but do not necessarily
need to be detected by the listener, and they should not be the
sole meaning of a work. This attitude makes contemporary music
approachable to listeners who don’t happen to have composition
degrees and are able to take the music at face value, without
creating a barrier between the audience and the music. This is
to be applauded.
The first of three Themes in Search of Variations opens
with surprisingly gentle percussion sounds, which create an eerie
atmosphere, especially in contrast to the pieces already heard.
The concept is to create pieces which could be responded to by
other composers in some way. The first piece, a trio for percussion,
was composed as a challenge for his composition students to respond
to, by asking them to compose pieces of their own which were
then performed in a single concert. The second is heard as a
live recording of the premiere performance, and students were
given only a week to compose their responses. After a more explosive
opening, this uses some hypnotic rhythmic and melodic patterns
as the music calms and grows. The third is my favourite of the
group, with the combination of flute, trumpet, piano and percussion
creating a varied tapestry of timbres.
Variations on Variations on a Theme by Mozart is without
question my favourite work on the disc. Full of humour and a
magnificent prepared piano sound, Applebaum’s Variations
are based on Mozart’s Ah! Vous dirai-je maman (otherwise
known as Twinkle Twinkle Little Star). The success of
this work comes on many levels. For the well-versed contemporary
music listener, one can marvel at Applebaum’s mastery of
compositional technique and imaginative use of the material.
For the uninitiated and open-minded listener, Mozart’s
music provides a welcome route into the world of Applebaum’s
music, giving points of familiarity and comfort within a perhaps
unusual sound-world. The use of pre-existing material in this
way reminded me of Schnittke’s treatment of Bach in his Concerto
Grosso; it takes a special talent for this kind of treatment
to work well, and Applebaum has proved himself there.
The very short Entre Funérailles I for solo trumpet
is part of a series of solo works conceived as interludes to
Ferneyhough’s Funérailles, which are two
versions of a piece intended to be heard in the same concert
but separated by other works. Again with these pieces, Applebaum
is considering the nature of concert-giving and how music relates
to itself. This piece is once again imaginative and contains
much within its two and a half minute duration, providing a virtuoso
challenge for the solo trumpet.
Martian Anthropology 7-8-9 comes from another of Applebaum’s
thought experiments, which invites participants to choose three
objects which, on their own and with no outside references, may
give space explorers an idea of life on Earth. The idea, from
a compositional basis, is to give greater significance to what
the music itself communicates, outside the context of musical
history and traditions. It is hard to say how well this works
at a practical level, since every listener has their own cultural
references which are innately present in every musical hearing.
However, the philosophical concept is an interesting one, and
one that perhaps all artists and creators should give at least
some time to contemplating. Applebaum’s piece falls into
three movements, beginning with a duo for violin and bass clarinet
with electronic accompaniment. The second movement, for guitar
and MIDI controller has a wonderfully ambient and alien sound-world,
with long reverbs and an expansive sense of space. This is a
particularly enjoyable movement which seems to suspend time and
transport the listener into another dimension. The final movement
is centred on a vast array of found percussion, accompanied by
electronic sounds and live instruments. These three diverse movements
create what Applebaum calls ‘meaningful incoherence’ and
are highly successful, in terms of their individual merits and
their combined effect.
A piano duo with live electronics, On the Nature of the Modern
Age is a tribute to UCSD professor John Silber, a revered
mentor who encouraged experimentalism in his students. Through
a combination of live electronics processing and indeterminacy,
this work has multiple possible outcomes while the composer maintains
control of the sounds used, maintaining the work’s coherence.
Some wonderful sounds emerge from the pianos, with enjoyable
motivic ideas, such as a fragment of a plucked chromatic scale
and some percussive effects. The electronic treatments serve
to further enhance the sound and give an other-worldly dimension
to the music.
Sock Monkey, the title track of the disc, is an orchestral
work of almost ten minutes in duration. The title is inspired
by Applebaum’s young daughter, who watched the compositional
process with interest. The music falls into five short sections
heard in a continuous whole. With a composer like Applebaum,
it was particularly interesting to see how he would approach
the use of a full orchestra. The complexity of sound he can produce
from a relatively small ensemble could be exponentially increased
with forces of this size. But here economy of means is the order
of the day. The music is well-organised and clearly orchestrated
to allow transparency of sound and some beautifully poetic moments.
Carla Rees
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