Aleksander Nowak (b. 1979)
Syrena (Siren) – Eternal Melodrama to a text by Szczepan Twardoch (2020)
Ewa Biegas (mezzo-soprano) – Syrena (Siren)
Joanna Freszel (soprano) – Puella (Girl)
Jan Jakub Monowid (countertenor) – Puer (Boy)
Bartłomiej Duś (saxophones); Daniel Popiałkiewicz (electric guitar); Piotr Sałajczyk (piano)
AUKSO Chamber Orchestra of the City of Tychy/Marek Moś
rec. 2020, Concert Hall of the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music, Katowice, Poland
Polish text and English translation included
ANAKLASIS ANA017 [68]
Syrena, as far as I can make out from a translated note which negotiates a fine line between pretension and lucidity, is a piece of music theatre which incorporates three archetypal character-elements. It simultaneously trashes and takes advantage of antediluvian stereotypical tropes about the social roles of men and women and explores their ultimately futile attempts to control or at least harness the power of an immutable and uncompromising environment, represented in this case by the sea, personified as Syrena. Although I haven’t encountered his work before the composer Aleksander Nowak is apparently highly regarded in his native Poland for his contribution to this genre; Syrena was conceived along with one of Nowak’s regular collaborators, the Silesian writer and journalist Szczepan Twardoch. A read through of the libretto prior to hearing the piece reveals a tautly conceived and powerful tripartite structure: its three sections investigate in turn the impacts of seemingly uncontrollable psychological forces, subtextually represented by environmental ones upon a man, a woman and their fragile bond. The elemental concerns and stylised universality of the text put me in mind of the great Orcadian storyteller and poet George Mackay Brown. Parallel marine flavours are omnipresent in Nowak’s intriguing sound-world. Unsurprisingly, Syrena is a product of the global pandemic and themes of mankind’s impotence in the great scheme of things, inevitably predominate.
On paper Nowak’s choice of musical forces seems irresistible; three high voices (a soprano, mezzo-soprano and countertenor) supported by an instrumental ensemble comprising saxophones, electric guitar, piano and string orchestra. The opening textures, a blend of fragmentary sax and gentle guitar enveloped within a bed of oscillating strings are superbly captured in a recording which proves to be warm in ambience and richly detailed throughout. Despite the intermittent presence of feedback drenched electric guitar and occasionally bluesy saxophones, Ewa Biegas’ powerful, crystalline soprano will leave the listener in little doubt that this is serious art-music rather than some kind of crossover. In contrast the countertenor Jan Jakub Monowid’s tone bends effortlessly between fragile and declamatory according to the demands of the text. The two voices are absorbed into Nowak’s instrumental textures most convincingly, although the slow procession of the music requires considerable concentration on the part of the listener. The piece is described as an ‘eternal melodrama’ and its reliance on atmosphere and timbre rather than dramatic contrast in the opening section of Part One seems to justify the timelessness implied by this nomenclature. In due course the calm is shattered by a deafening evocation of sea-roar which emerges spectacularly at the 15 minute mark; at this point a tempestuous exchange between the two vocal protagonists seems to signal a measured and deliberate change of pace which slowly dissipates during the section’s final bars of the section during which Nowak’s sea music is at its most bewitching.
From this haze Part Two emerges without a break – a rather jazzy piano break and some improvisatory sounding guitar suggests that there maybe a little more rock or jazz influence to follow, but the thought is swiftly dispelled as the pianist Piotr Sałajczyk’s adopts a more overtly accompanying role for the terrific soprano Joanna Freszel who immediately cultivates a mood which is certainly more dramatic and even operatic. Nowak’s music is most impressive here, surprisingly lyrical and superbly arranged. The contributions of all the principal vocal and instrumental protagonists exude commitment and credibility. By way of contrast, about halfway through this section Freszel (Puella) engages in a brief but riveting aria describing the apparent return of her Puer’s vessel from his interminable voyaging. The subsequent interaction between the two female voices is arguably the most emotionally charged episode in the whole piece. The sax interjections of the excellent Bartłomiej Duś become spikier, jazzier and more histrionic as Syrena and the Puella reflect on the apparent purpose of the Puer’s travels, his quest for power and the ultimate futility of this endeavour. This second section also subsides languorously and most atmospherically.
There is a brief pause at this point. The concluding third part takes the form of a dialogue between Puer and Puella; the Siren only appears towards the conclusion in a final soliloquy which is mired in philosophical ambiguity. The dialogue itself comprises one of those question/response episodes one might encounter in a bleak Harold Pinter double-hander where the characters appear to be addressing each other but are in reality probing themselves and seeking to rationalise their own behaviour and reveal their unconscious motivations. At the outset Nowak creates an unidentifiable but ingenious electroacousic effect which seems to mimic the wind most uncannily before single sax notes and sustained guitar feedback merge to form a rather creepy foreground. As these effects fade, Puer and Puella are left to contemplate their own and each other’s dislocated thoughts. Instrumental effects begin to reappear and coalesce to forge a troubled dream-like sonic collage for the protagonists’ musings. The impact is compelling and apposite; Nowak’s craftsmanship is constantly apparent, his pacing masterly, Brief hints of musical and dramatic acquiescence emerge, fade and return as the inevitable force of thanatos approaches inexorably. It’s all rather intense but surprisingly moving, despite the incorporation of some rather cheesy chord progressions and modulations.
The performances are exceptional. The three singers are vocally secure and dramatically compelling, their voices aptly complementary and contrasting when required. Monowid’s countertenor is unusually forceful. The instrumentalists are as in tune with the spirit of the piece as they are technically equipped for Nowak’s precision writing. The strings of the AUKSO Chamber Orchestra are splendidly captured in a spacious ambience which suits the style and the mood of music which is imaginatively designed, often beautiful and always accessible. The conductor Marek Moś collates these seemingly diffuse elements most convincingly in a coherent account which never sags, despite Syrena’s predominantly slow pace. Aleksander Nowak is evidently another major talent to be plucked from a conveyor belt of exceptional Polish contemporary composers which shows no sign of slowing.
Richard Hanlon
Published: October 31, 2022
