The only trouble with
recordings with this kind of title,
is that one immediately starts listening
for echoes of the great teacher, to
whom all of these composers went as
students at one time or another. There
are indeed a very few slight references
on which one can draw, but in general
the one thing each composer has in common
is a carefully refined approach, idiomatically
sympathetic to the instruments and with
only occasional forays into the ‘avant-garde’
(or ‘squeaky gate’) – as if such a thing
could still be said to exist.
One of the most memorable
and substantial works on this disc is
Michèle Reverdy’s Concerto
pour Orchestre. Beginning and ending
quietly with flute solos, the piece
is constructed around the idea of "[giving]
everyone a voice", and indeed there
is some delightfully contrapuntal wind
writing, percussion both delicately
colourful and punchily rhythmic, chamber-like
strings: this is surely highly rewarding
music to perform, let alone to experience
as an audience. Ideas and sequences
are presented, developing and weaving
into textures of ever-increasing complexity.
Rhythmic ostinato takes over in a central
section around which variations build
to a climax which is a little like an
accelerated moment from ‘Oiseaux exotiques’.
This climax could well be the end of
the piece, but there are another ten
minutes in which another organic movement
is allowed to grow out of some gorgeous
low percussion sounds and extended bass
clarinet and bass flute conversations.
The piece is somehow dark without being
at all gloomy, and I found it a fascinating
musical journey.
Conductor Nicole Paiement
has been the Artistic Director of Ensemble
Parallèle since 1993. Ensemble
Parallèle focuses on the performance
and recording of lesser-known works
of the 20th century and the music of
today, and with this professional ensemble
Paiement has recorded and performed
many world premières. Since 1999,
Paiement has also been the Artistic
Director of the San Francisco Conservatory
New Music Ensemble, whose members reinforce
Ensemble Parallèle in the Concerto.
Tristan Murail is a
name some will have seen as Ondes
Martinot player in many works by
his teacher, Olivier Messiaen. He was
greatly influenced by Messiaen’s research
into resonance and instrumental timbre,
and Attracteurs étranges is
a work for cello solo which explores
the instruments range through "spirals
that always seem to return to one or
several identical points, but in fact
always follow differing, warped or diverted
trajectories." The title (and quote)
refer to the fractal patterns to which
Murail applies poetical analogy to create
an interesting, if sometimes angular
and fragmentary study.
Qigang Chen was born
in Shanhai in 1955 and moved to Paris
in 1984 to study with Messiaen. Instants
d'un opéra de Pékin
is a piano solo written for the Messiaen
Contest in Paris in 2000. Chen uses
famous instrumental extracts from the
Beijing Opera, which, treated to some
‘Messiaen-style’ modulations can end
up sounding a little like Debussy’s
more exotic piano works. After a mystic
opening, a more openly rhythmic character
introduces a ‘theme and variations.’
The resulting virtuoso elements turn
up some fun, if rather eclectic moments,
superbly performed by multiple-prizewinning
pianist Mick McCray.
The title Croissant
of Gilles Tremblay’s string quartet,
derives from ‘croître’ – to grow,
and not a butter-rich breakfast delicacy.
I think I would have preferred fresh-baked
treats to this ‘evolution of one main
idea’, but the piece is not without
its merits. Wandering glissandi and
a feeling of directionless see-sawing
don’t however really hit the spot for
me, and I longed for some moments of
reflection and relief from that rather
empty ‘main idea’. Towards the end of
the work there are some impressive unisono
effects, and a brief, almost invisible
quote from the second movement of Mozart’s
K458 quartet which grows out of a nicely
crafted coda.
This is an interesting
collection of pieces, showing how many
and varied are some of the voices which
have emerged from the Parisian ferment
which orbited one of the greatest names
of 20th century music. The recording
is good, the large ensemble sounding
dry but in an acoustic which is responsive
to the solo works and generally appropriate
to such repertoire. All of the performances
have been carefully prepared and professionally
performed, and anyone interested in
exploring some new and engaging repertoire
will find much to enjoy in this recording.
Dominy Clements
Jean-Michelle Fonteneau (cello Murail)
for
details
