To European listeners probably their first - and possibly their
only – encounter with the music of Joseph Schwantner came when
Adrian Spillett won the title of BBC Young Musician of the Year
in 1998 playing his Percussion Concerto. It was not
only the exceptionally characterful playing that caught the
attention, but also the uninhibited zest of the writing in a
work that had been premièred only four years earlier. Yet, one
wondered, would the music stand up in purely aural terms divorced
from the unashamedly histrionic performance given by a player
with Spillett‘s infectious personality?
Well, now we can find out – and it does. The performer here
is Christopher Lamb, who gave that first performance in 1994
and also worked closely with the composer, who acknowledges
that he “helped shape and propel the flow of my musical ideas”.
This close association comes across well in this performance,
and although one misses Adrian Spillett’s cheerful abandon there
is ample compensation in the strictly driving rhythms that Lamb
propels forward with such verve. In the slow movement, Lamb’s
vibraphone sounds very different from the mellow timbre that
one would expect, much more metallic and somehow rather higher
pitched. Are American percussionists perhaps used to a rather
different instrument, less like the xylorimba-types to which
we have become accustomed over here? In the finale Lamb does
not indulge himself with the shout of sheer exuberant joy that
Adrian Spillett allowed himself at the climax of the cadenza;
even if it was inauthentic, one does rather miss it.
The two other works on this disc are receiving their recording
premières, and both are tone poems reflecting different aspects
of sunrise in New Hampshire. Morning’s embrace starts
slowly and meditatively, with an evocation of the calm before
dawn, but soon explodes into a variety of colour reflecting
sunlight through trees. It is all very nicely written, but one
does have a slight sense of unease about the predominance of
the percussion in the score – fine when the glittering tuned
percussion evoke an image of rays of light sparkling on dew,
but rather less effective in the use of drumbeats which consistently
underpin and sometimes dominate the more meditative music which
surrounds them; almost as if Schwantner were wishing to write
another movement of the percussion concerto.
The latest work here, Chasing light, was written as
part of a commissioning programme sponsored by the Ford Motor
Company, who receive credit not only in a half-page acknowledgement
on the back cover of the CD but also a two full pages of coverage
in the CD booklet itself, which might seem excessive for a work
which is the shortest on this CD and rather upstages four other
sponsors of the work whose various contributions are acknowledged
in a single line. On the other hand, one does not wish to discourage
sponsorship of the arts from any source, and presumably Ford
can claim additional tax advantages from the use of their sponsorship
for advertising purposes. The music itself is very worthwhile.
At first one again has the nagging suspicion that the percussion
are taking a little too much of the limelight. Soon a greater
variety of textures becomes apparent, leading finally to a beautiful
if slightly short-breathed chorale theme redolent of Copland
in his Appalachian spring mood which comes to dominate
the final section to thrilling effect. Thank you, Ford Motor
Company – keep up the good work, and take all the publicity
credit you want.
These works were all given their first performances by different
orchestras, and only Lamb in the Percussion Concerto
is therefore the creator of this music. The composer in his
booklet note rather ungallantly gives credit to another solo
oboist in Chasing light than the player here – but
the Nashville orchestra is a known quantity, and they give marvellous
readings under their music director. The recordings, made in
two distinct locations – the studio used for Morning’s embrace
and Chasing light is the former RCA Music Studio A
in Nashville – are beautifully balanced and the sound is both
warm and detailed.
Paul Corfield Godfrey
See also review by Byzantion
Christopher Lamb (percussion) (Concerto)