Nick PEROS (b.1963)
Soliloquies
Poeme no.1, for solo piano [2:54]
Poeme no.2, for solo piano [1:28]
Poeme no.3, for solo piano [1:17]
Poeme no.6, for solo piano [1:23]
Poeme no.8, for solo piano [2:41]
*Eden, for solo flute, op.1 (1987) [8:03]
Suite no.1, for solo cello [13:14]
Linda Shumas (piano)
Virginia Markson (flute)
Simon Fryer (cello)
rec. No details given. DDD. *AAD
PEROS MUSIC PHX 01201 [31:00]
This is the third CD by Canadian composer Nick Peros. It is strikingly short.
31 minutes, even at mid price, is a bit of a cheek. The review disc has no
barcode, and at the time of writing is only available through iTunes and Amazon,
where it is a good deal cheaper.
In an even more striking throwback to the early days of compact disc, one
of the tracks is in AAD quality - or more accurately, AAD lack of quality.
Eden, for solo flute, appears to be a decent piece of music - tunefully
atmospheric and mysterious. It’s a real work-out for flautist Virginia
Markson but the constant background of static robs it of most of its lustre.
No explanation is given in the booklet for this aberration. As "one of Canada’s
most successful independent record producers", Peros should never have okayed
this piece for inclusion. It would surely have been little trouble to find
a flautist to re-record it in acceptable sound.
Audio quality is not that impressive in the five fleeting Poemes either, where
the piano is too closely miked, giving a slightly clangorous sound. The Poemes
(no diacritics in the titles, apparently) are played by Linda Shumas, who
recorded them previously for her own CD, 'Paradise Reborn', in 2006. In fact,
this may well be the very same recording, as no information as to the wheres
and the whens have been provided by Peros. One or two of the pieces have a
New Age kind of feel to them, particularly the minimalistic first - the "beautifully
unexpected harmonic twists" promised in the notes never materialise. Others
are more interesting, but never much more than agreeable salon pieces. Again
the notes are over-emphatic in their insistence on the music's depth, complexity
and beauty, something not borne out by audition.
As a matter of fact, Peros is given an almost hagiographic write-up both in
the notes and on his website. Phrases like "wide acclaim", "high international
profile", "style characterised by great expressiveness", "born out of a unique
and original artistic vision" are strewn about like roses, yet the author
remains anonymous in both cases. Could Peros himself be the hidden hand? If
not, why not name the author?
It is not that Peros's music is bad - that is not the case. The Poemes may
not be anything to write home about, but they are attractive enough in their
low-key way to warrant inclusion as encore material by any number of pianists.
The five-movement Suite for solo cello, clearly modelled on those of J.S.
Bach, actually has quite a lot going for it - it is tonal with plenty of vivid
chromatic colour, animated, virtuosic, varied, stylishly performed by Simon
Fryer and at last a high-calibre recording. Eden, as mentioned above,
is all but ruined by its audio quality, but is otherwise worthy of anyone's
time.
The fact remains, however, that this CD contains barely 23 minutes of serviceable
music. This is Peros's first release in more than five years - if he is a
"prolific composer [...] fluent in symphonic, orchestral, choral, vocal and
chamber genres", as the booklet states, how can such a shortfall be accounted
for?
Byzantion
Collected reviews and contact at reviews.gramma.co.uk
Attractive enough in a low-key way.