Elliott Carter is one
of the masters of contemporary composition:
a constructivist composer whose highly
intellectual works are both award-winning
and critically acclaimed. Collected
on this disc are many of his works that
he wrote either in tribute to or as
a vehicle for other musicians throughout
his long and storied career, performed
by the Nieuw Ensemble. Like much of
his work, these pieces are complex,
abstract, and highly academic in nature,
but as each of these works were written
with different people in mind, the instrumentation
is widely varied and stylistically distinct.
He puts his stamp on works for instrumentation
as different as solo clarinet and an
ensemble consisting of mandolin, guitar,
harp, vibraphone, trumpet, and trombone.
The varied instrumentation allows for
an interesting variety where one could
become inured due to the driven intellectualism
that pervades Carter’s brand of musical
constructions.
His guitar works presented
are very intelligent and, as they use
the guitar in very non-traditional ways,
quite interesting. As he is not a guitar
player by nature or by training, but
did learn how to read and write guitar
tablature in order to see what is endemic
to the instrument, he brings freshness
to these works that is quite unexpected.
Unlike the American Minimalists, such
as Steve Reich and Philip Glass, these
works are built without static repetition
as the construction vehicle. Instead
they are through-composed with each
instrument operating independently inside
of the constructed constraints, which
causes interesting interactions that
are brought out when the performers
are meticulous and talented enough to
show the composer’s intended purpose.
The Nieuw Ensemble
is well suited to the task, with a collection
of plucked instrumentalists at its core.
The lack of literature for mandolin,
guitar, harp, and percussion has historically
caused it to rely on commissioned composition.
Many of these works were written specifically
for this group, and where they were
not the other musicians (such as Boulez)
were often familiar with the group and
had been in contact with them at different
times. They do an excellent job of interpreting
these largely cerebral works and infusing
them with sensitivity, compassion, and
understanding. So often when performers
are given works of this nature they
mechanically go through the motions
rather than exploring the emotions that
are bound inside of these works. Without
musicians of this caliber and bent,
this type of music would never be given
air. Carter should be grateful for the
treatment he receives.
The liner notes may
be the most interesting part of this
collection, as they include an interview
with the composer where he describes
the motivations behind each work, including
which pieces were written for players
and which were written in homage. It
includes where he gets his tone rows
when appropriate, such as when he describes
his musical rendering of the name "Boulez"
in his work Esprit rude, Esprit doux
II. As much of his work is often
best understood only when viewed through
the eyes and ears of the intellectual,
and not simply through the ears of the
casual listener, this interview aids
in both the enjoyment and understanding
of these works.
While this album is
certainly not for the casual listener,
very little of Elliott Carter’s music
would be in any other category. He will
never be given the mass popularity of
Beethoven or Stravinsky. This disc is
a good example of his small-group works,
and performed in an exacting and methodical
way. If you are a fan of contemporary
composition, atonal works or esoteric
intellectual works, then you will adore
this album. It is Elliott Carter’s work
presented as it was intended.
Patrick Gary
Nieuw Ensemble/Ed Spanjaard