This is a slim and handily packaged CD of music by a composer little
known in Britain but important in his native America. He was born in
New York and, like Copland, raised in Brooklyn but there the similarity
ends. In fact, to me, there is nothing particularly American about this
music at all. He is described in the notes (written in c.1985) as a
tireless protagonist of American Music and as "one of our four
most distinguished creative musicians."
Alan Mandel who plays so eloquently and who appears
to have masterminded this CD writes "His studies in theory and
composition- including with Wallingford Riegger and Nadia Boulanger
– led to a three year conducting fellowship at the Juilliard school."
I would suggest that it was mainly the latter teacher that helped formulate
his language. The early ‘Theme and Variations’ for solo piano is a remarkably
assured and powerful work for a 23 year-old. Its antecedents seems to
be more Prokofiev than anyone. It is dissonant and unrepentant. I suppose
that it is the Copland, also a Boulanger pupil at this time, of the
‘Piano Variations’ of 1930 that may also be a model.
But it is nevertheless interesting that Siegmeister
is one of those composers that, once he established his musical language
at a young age, more or less stuck to it, rather like Ruggles. The notes
comment that the music has "consistency and yet variety of style"(!);
so much so in fact that when he comes to attempting what the booklet
calls "a lighter work", the ‘Songs of Innocence' he signally
fails to come to terms with the simplicity of the text and what is required
in creating a vehicle for its expression. The melodic line remains angular
and the harmonies resolutely refuse to gel into cadences and still,
and the scansion of the poetry is lost. I have to say that I have never
encountered such an insensitive setting of Blake. And its not the performers
that are to blame, they do their best and are on top of the notes and
sing with passion and belief. To me the composer in this piece makes
little attempt to vary his harmony and melody which, in the end, sound
not unlike ‘City Songs’. These constitute a set of eight settings of
the poet Norman Rosten. The booklet contains all of the texts (no translations)
and I can’t help but feel that the poetry is finer than the music, although
the second song ‘Clouds’ has a suitably wispy accompaniment; the vocal
line though lacks any distinguishing features.
The ‘Prelude, Blues and Finale’ is an interesting work,
scored for two clarinets and piano, the opening of which for solo clarinet
reminded me of Varèse. Perhaps one could describe the language
as chromatic modality, however when the piano enters we are exposed
to violent cluster chords. Don’t get too carried away with the title
‘Blues’ for its 2nd movement; it is only inflected with blues
notes and rather languorous rhythms. It develops briefly on two occasions,
into a rather unconvincing ‘jam session’; nevertheless it makes a nice
foil to the opening movement. The lively Finale is marked by rather
austere counterpoint on the clarinets at the beginning and virtuoso
piano writing. On the whole this is a good piece as is the ‘Theme and
Variations’ but the rest of the CD, for this listener was a disappointment.
Gary Higginson
The
entire Gasparo Catalogue may now be purchased
through MusicWeb
Elizabeth Kirkpatrick, soprano with Alan Mandel, piano