National radio institutions
have for some years been amongst the
most prominent promoters of new music;
often with a highly nationalistic bias,
but nonetheless the number of recordings
of contemporary music made available
through radio broadcast recordings,
and which would never have been possible
in a purely commercial environment,
is a constant credit to such corporations.
With the current popularity of ‘in house’
record labels there is an additional
outlet for this material, creating an
easily accessible way for the listener
to become familiar with composers whose
reputation does not yet necessarily
extend far beyond national borders.
The Swiss composer
Max Keller benefits in just this way
from this compilation of recordings
largely made by Swiss Radio DRS2 over
the last 15 years. A product of the
German compositional teaching process
of the 1960s and 1970s, including study
at the famous Darmstadt summer courses
in the early 1970s and at the electronic
music studio of the conservatorium in
Basel from 1976-7, Keller’s music resounds
with the rigorous structural elements
so characteristic of the period. This
is not to say that Keller is stuck in
a time warp, however; merely that he
brings to his own compositions a background
of theoretical and compositional strictness
that gives his works, although often
quite long, a strong sense of organic
growth and direction. How often one
laments contemporary composers’ wealth
of ideas left to wander in an uncoordinated
muddle. The irony behind this, in Keller’s
case, is that for some years he was
a prominent exponent of free jazz, that
most unstructured of musical activities.
It is this breadth of experience that
seems to imbue most of Keller’s music.
The opening Mondlandschaft
(Moon landscape) is an atmospheric work
in which the winds of the Zurich Tonhalle
Orchestra are excellently marshalled
by David Zinman. Bold, block chordal
gestures contrast with a variety of
subtle quiet noises, sometimes unpitched,
sometimes more melodic. The three movements
are based on the same pattern of durations,
although employing different tempi.
The juxtaposition of contrasts makes
for a strongly ordered composition,
and yet the overall feel is almost impressionistic.
The sense of dialogue
that comes in Dialoguefelder
(Dialogue fields) is generated more
by the similarities and differences
of the two instruments – double bass
and percussion. Frequently the percussion
is used in the subtlest ways, gentle
brushes stroking a surface, while the
double bass is treated almost aggressively
in a percussionistic manner. This area
of similarity and difference "shows
that a dialogue starting from a point
of contrast can become just as intensive
an ensemble-passage as a dialogue using
homogenous means" (Keller).
Progressionen
for three winds, three strings and piano
is the oldest work on the disc and has
an aspect of almost classical balance
about it. Dating from 1981 it largely
eschews extended techniques and makes
greater use of traditional melodic structures.
The cleanliness of the performance by
the Gruppo Musica Insieme di Cremona
is admirable, especially in the balance
of wind, string and piano textures.
As the piece forms contrasts of smooth
melodic material and short spiky gestures
there is a constant issue of background
and foreground presentation, which is
clearly resolved in this performance.
Far more modern in
impact is agieren und reagieren
(action and reaction) [the lack of capitals
is an unexplained oddity] although the
compositional processes are strikingly
similar. A juxtaposition of two contrasting
tonal elements forms a synthesis of
electronic and acoustic sounds that
Keller then manipulates in varied ways.
The electronics involved are a readily
accessible (although powerful) synthesiser
of a kind used by jazz and rock guitarists.
Unfortunately the otherwise comprehensive
booklet notes do not actually say what
the instrument is. The idea behind the
synthesiser is that the electronics
are not a passive reaction to the piano
sound, but an active duo partner. Once
again structure is a driving and unifying
force in the work. Six sections correspond
to six types of electronic transformation
and use a particular selection from
six piano figures. Thus, although this
work is nearly 15 minutes long, it does
not, as so often, appear to ramble.
Susanne Stelzenbach plays with controlled
panache throughout and the recording,
which can be a real challenge with both
acoustic and amplified sounds present
in a live situation, is clean and warm.
Another recent work
is Deformationen from 1998. Using
texts by the composer and the subtle
instrumentation of soprano, flute and
guitar, this work is a relatively conservative
song cycle in something approaching
the traditional manner, put also showing
elements of being a miniature opera.
Functional harmony is employed, the
flute is largely melodic and the vocal
writing wisely avoids the "leap-randomly-about-and-add-screeching"
school of text setting. The result is
a work showing less of Keller’s interest
in contrast, but more in a sense of
unity of intention to powerfully convey
meaning. From the idea of Deformation,
Keller’s texts focus on the perversions
of contemporary global ideas. As Keller
puts it "freedom becomes boundless
consumerism … schooling becomes an economised
education market; Olympic Games become
a means to hide social problems."
The strongly theatrical aspect of the
songs works particularly well in pointing
out these uncomfortable features of
our modern, somewhat smug, comfort.
The Second String
Quartet is almost entirely an exercise
in rigorously structured composition.
Five very different ideas form the material
and these are subjected to a (not always
apparent) process of variation. Each
of the variations has a different ‘topic’;
the first being essentially a deception,
the second having to do with incompleteness,
the third distortion, and the forth
the fragmentary. The impression given
to the listener is not necessarily one
of apparent structural rigour, but of
ensemble virtuosity. Although the four
players act more independently that
in a classical quartet, there are still
areas of ensemble uniformity, but these
remain essentially islands within a
disparate musical seascape. The Schlesisches
Streichquartett give a performance of
considerable conviction and confidence
and the recording (a live performance
from 1996 recorded in the Studios Aga-Ton
in Krakau, and the only recording on
this disc not from DSR2) is admirable,
even to the extremes of dynamic without
distortion of the recording levels.
Altogether this disc
is varied and interesting. Not the usual
run of burbling noises that lasts for
too long doing the same thing, but intelligent
and highly crafted music. Certainly
this music demands something of the
listener; it is not dinnertime background
music – but the careful listener will
certainly find something to think about
on this disc.
Peter Wells
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich; David Zinman
– Gruppo Musica Insieme di Cremona – Schlesisches
Streichquartett – Johannes Nied (double bass)
– Victoria Ifrim (percussion) – Susanne Stelzenbach
(piano) – Eiko Morikawa (Soprano) – Sarah Hornsby
(flute) – Daniel Göritz (guitar) – Ralf Hoyer
(live electronics) 