Album Shows Three Facets of Kaveli Aho

 

In some ways, this release is a study in contrasts. It shows three contrasting forms of Aho's creativity. There's a work for soloist and orchestra, and one for soloist and string quartet. Plus there's a collaboration with an earlier composer.

The Concerto for Guitar and Chamber Orchestra was completed in 2018. Aho wrote the work for Ismo Eskelinen, who performs it here. Aho had collaborated with Eskelinen before. 

Aho is best known as a symphonist, and this work is symphonic in scope. His demands on the guitarist push technique to -- and perhaps a little beyond -- its limits. 

No matter. Eskelinen knows Aho as well as the composer knows the performer. He easily navigates the music and renders an exciting performance in the process.

The Quintet for Horn and String Quartet was written a year later. And yet, to me, it seems an earlier work. Aho studied with Einojuhani Rautavaara. Several string passages reminded me of the older composer's style. 

Ilkka Puputti commissioned the concerto and performed it on this release. As with Eskelinen, the horn player had worked with Aho before. So there's a true collaboration between composer and performer. As with the guitar concerto, Aho demands a lot from the solo player. And Puputti delivers at every turn.  

Johann Sebastian Bach left the final fugue in "The Art of the Fugue" unfinished. Aho isn't the first composer to complete it. But he's one of the more skilled to do so. Aho manages to extend Bach's ideas without slavishly adhering to them. It might not be a historically accurate rendition. But it is distinctive and shows Aho's skill at counterpoint.

John Storgårds directs the Lapland Chamber Orchestra. This is their fifth recording of Aho's music, so they know what they're about. The orchestra has a nice, clean ensemble sound. It's not a big sound, but it's big enough for Aho's music.  

Aho's compositions don't sound quite like anybody else's. They're complex and multi-layered, yet direct and appealing. 

Kaveli Aho: Guitar Concerto
Quintet for Horn and String Quartet
Bach/Aho: Contapunctus XIV for String Orchestra
Ismo Eskelinen, guitar; Ilkka Puputti, horn
Lapland Chamber Orchestra; John Storgårds, conductor
BIS 2666 SACD

Maria Herz -- Ripe for Rediscovery

Maria Herz was another artist whose career was derailed by the Nazis. In the 1920s Herz was a brilliant pianist. Her own music was well-received. But Herz was a Jew, and her career ceased in 1933. Jews were banned from performing in Germany, and their music was pulled from the market. 

Her family assets were seized -- including her manuscripts. Herz moved continually over the next six years. She searched for refuge for herself and her children. Herz eventually landed in Britain, where she would wait out the war. She stopped composing in 1933 when she left Germany. She had written about 30 works.

This album features four of her compositions -- all world premiere recordings. And they all show what the world lost when her voice was silenced. Herz's manuscripts were presumed lost. So Herz was unable to get her music performed after the war. Her manuscripts only recently came to light, so we can finally hear them. 

The works presented here show a composer fully immersed in the changing music scene of the 1920s. Herz's 1927 piano concerto straddles the transition from Post-Romantic to Modern. In some ways, it reminded me of Paul Hindemith. Tonal, but with new thoughts about what tonality meant. Oliver Triendl plays with authority and swagger. This is a concerto that demands attention -- and Triendl rewards that attention.

The 1930 Concerto for Cello and Orchestra, Op. 10 shows Herz's development. This work sounds less like Hindemith, and more like, well, Herz. Cellist Konstanze von Gutzeit gives a fine reading. Her playing of the double-stop passages is exceptional -- and moving. As with Herz's piano concerto, the solo instrument is the star here. And von Gutzeit doesn't disappoint. I would love to see her perform this live. 

The Four Short Pieces for Large Orchestra, Op. 8 have a different character. To my ears, this 1929 work resembles Schoenberg's "Verklärte Nacht." It has a dreamlike quality to it. Subtle cross rhythms give the orchestra a smeary sound. And the climaxes never quite deliver until the end. Christiane Silber leads the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin in a moving performance.

The same is true of their performance of the Orchestra Suite, Op. 13. This was composed in 1931, and shows where Herz was heading. The work is both fluid and complex. And while it has a tonal center, shifting harmonies continually blur it. I wish Herz had been allowed to continue growing as a composer -- instead of scrambling to survive.

Maria Herz: Piano Concerto

Cello Concerto; Ochestral Works

Oliver Triendl, piano

Konstanze von Gutzeit, cello

Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin; Christiane Silber, conductor

Capricco C5510

#ClassicsaDay #ClassicalMexico Week 5, 2024

Mexico has a long classical music tradition, extending back to the late 1500s. Composers emigrated from Spain to supply the great Mexican cathedrals with music. Within a generation, native-born composers assumed those roles. 

The Classics a Day team realizes that Cinco de Mayo is more of an American than a Mexican holiday. But it is an opportunity to celebrate Mexican culture. And so, the challenge for May is to post examples of Mexican classical music on your social media platforms.

Right from the beginning the traditional music of the native population influenced the classical composers. As a result, Mexican classical music has become a natural expression of the national character.

Here are my selections for the fifth and final week of #ClassicalMexico.

05/27/24 Carlos Chávez (1899–1978): Chapultepec Obertura Repulicana

Chávez was a founder of the Mexican Symphony Orchestra. His use of native Mexican music in his works influenced the course of Mexican classical music -- and brought it to the world stage. 

 

05/28/24 Silvestre Revueltas (1899–1940): Sensemayá

Sensemayá is Revueltas' most popular composition. It was based on a poem describing an Afro-Cuban religious ritual and sacrifice. Revualtas originally wrote the work for a small orchestra in 1937. A year later he created a version for a standard symphony orchestra. 

 

05/29/24 Higinio Ruvalcaba (1905–1976): Cuarteto de Cuerdas No. 6 in D major

Ruvalcaba was a violinist and composer. He replaced the founder of the Léner String Quartet when he retired.

   

05/30/24 Blas Galindo (1910–1943): Sones de mariachi

Galindo studied with Carlos Chavez and Aaron Copland. He eventually became the director of the National Institute of Fine Arts and the music director of the Symphony of the Mexican Institute of Social Security.

 

05/31/24 Melesio Morales (1839–1908): La Farfalletta

Morales was born in Mexico City. He had a successful career as an opera composer in Florence and eventually returned to Mexico City. Morales is best known for his vocal music, which includes 10 operas and two cantatas.

 

Next month:

Living in Greg Caffrey's Environments

Irish composer Greg Caffrey is better known in the UK than in America. Perhaps this release will change that somewhat. It features four orchestral works by Caffrey, all written within the last 12 years. 

I'd call Caffrey's style "post-tonal." He uses dissonance effectively, and his melodies seem angular at times. Traditional chord progressions are absent. And yet there's still a sense of motion -- that the music has started at a point and will eventually return to that point.

Aingeal opens the album. It's the most recent composition (2021), and according to the composer, the most personal. The early death of a close friend inspired the work. Caffrey channels his loss and pain into something ethereal, disturbing, and ultimately comforting. 

Caffrey composed Environments I and Environments II in 2011 and 2012 respectively. Environments I is for solo piano and orchestra. It's not a concerto, where the soloist is showcased. Rather, it's a study in contrasts between a single instrument and an ensemble. Caffrey's unusual orchestrations blur the distinction between soloist and group. Daniel Browell's performance is both nuanced and engaging.

Environments II seems similar in intent. Here though, the forces are solo guitar, string orchestra, and percussion. The limited palette of the string orchestra throws the guitar into greater relief. Craig Ogdon has made several great recordings of contemporary guitar works. Add this performance to the list. 

 According to Caffrey, A Terrible Beauty was a long time coming. He conceived each of the three movements as a stand-alone work. Caffrey spent eight years composing the parts and then piecing them together. 

The title comes from a poem by WB Yeats. The music isn't an illustration of Yeats' poetry. Rather, it's an emotional reaction to it. Caffery's orchestration gives the ensemble an unusual blend.  It effectively communicates the unsettled nature of the poems. Yeats' poetry tells us something's not quite right -- Caffrey's music confirms it. 

These are powerful orchestral works. The Ulster Orchestra directed by Sinead Hays does a superb job. This music doesn't sound easy to play. And yet every note sounds authoritative and assured.

This might not be the music for your next dinner party. But if you're looking for music of substance that can communicate true emotion -- well, this might be for you.   

Greg Caffrey: Environments
Craig Ogden, guitar
Daniel Browell, piano
Ulster Orchestra; Sinead Hays
Divine Art

David Leisner Charms with New Album

Seldom has a classical album been more appropriately named. "Charms to Soothe" delivers on its promise. Guitarist David Leisner presents a program of favorite 19th-century guitar works. And without exception, they are a delight. The program mixes music by familiar composers and lesser-known virtuosi. 

Touring instrumental virtuosi of the 1800s were often composers. They primarily wrote music for themselves to play in concert. They also wrote instructional guides to further the artistry of their instruments. Fernando Sor and Mauro Giuliani were two such artists. And their music has remained in the guitar repertoire since it was introduced. 

Leisner presents a few composers whose reputations didn't survive. Johann Kaspar Mertz was a contemporary of Giuliani. He toured mostly in Eastern Europe and Russia. Merz' wife was a concert pianist, and he may have drawn inspiration from the music she played. Included here are two selections from Bardenklänge, Op. 13. One is titled "Lied Ohne Worte," which suggests at least a nod to Mendelssohn.

Giulio Regondi was a Swiss guitarist who spent most of his life in London. His Études for guitar are perhaps his best-known pieces. And while they do have their challenges, they're also enjoyable to listen to. Another London-based guitarist was Leonard Schulz. Most of his music has been lost, but his 12 Studies, Op. 40 survive. They're well-crafted and deceptively complex works. 

All the selections are favorites of Leisner. His talent could easily carry him through the challenges of these works. But there's more going on here. Leisner shows his affection for this music in his playing. The melodies do more than sing, they emote. These are intimate performances. And ones that both charm and engage (well, at least they did for me). 

Well-recorded, and superbly performed. If you'd like to spend time with a friend sharing some of his favorite music get this release. It does indeed have charms to soothe.

Charms to Soothe: 19th Century Music for Guitar
David Leisner, guitar
Azica Records ACD-71368