Zachary Wadsworth - The Far West

The AIDS epidemic of the late 1980s cut a wide swath through the arts community. It prompted the creation of many works in response, most of which -- to my ears -- remain music of its time.

The text for "The Far West" comes from the poetry of Tim Dlugos, written while he was dying of AIDS-related complications in 1990. Zachary Wadsworth set the poems to music in 2014. The resulting cantata, The Far West, effectively channels the raw emotions of Dlugos.

And I think part of that effectiveness is the distance of time. Wadsworth's setting, being removed from the immediacy of the events, makes the poems more universal. These are feelings that anyone with a debilitating illness, such as cancer, Alzheimer's -- or even just aging -- can relate to (I know I did).

Wadsworth effectively uses his forces to plumb the depths of Dlugos' poetry. Tenor Lawrence Wiliford gives voice to the poet, while the Luminous Voices serves as a Greek chorus, commenting on the action. The string ensemble provides the harmonic underpinning and subtly colors the emotions expressed by the text. Wilford sings in a clean, controlled fashion that's expressive without being overly so. That restraint adds a poignancy to the text that I found particularly effective.

As Wadsworth explains, the work "contains echoes of Bach's cantatas," and shares some structural similarities in the alternation of soloist and chorus. It's also a work with a purpose. The poems move from despair through acceptance to hope. This is the type of work that yields additional insights with repeated listening. If you purchase this digitally, be sure to get all the movements of this work and listen to them in order. It does make a difference.

Zachary Wadsworth: The Far West
Lumious Voices; Timothy Shantz, director
Lawrence Wiliford, tenor
Bridge Records 9466

Lio Traps a Capp

I admit I don't care much for Reg Smythe's Andy Capp. When it was launched in 1957, alcoholism was still a source of humor. But the era of the lovable lush is long over, I think, and I find little endearing about an unemployed freeloader who drinks up his wife's paycheck. 

I don't know if Mark Tatulli feels the same way. Regardless, Andy Capp makes a cameo in his strip Lio on February 6, 2016.

Tatulli's played with the panel borders before, and characters from other strips have entered through them. This one is especially nice because Tatualli's rendition of Andy Capp is spot on. And note the way the panel's layout. There's no border around Andy Capp because, of course, he's outside Lio's strip. Having one of the panel lines serve as part of the trap is just genius.

Diabelli Project 120 - Solo Marimba

The Diabelli Project is about offering my weekly flash-composition sketches freely to all. Like Antonio Diabelli's theme, these sketches aren't great music. But perhaps (as in Diabelli's case) there's a Beethoven out there who can do great things with them.

 Another week, another solo marimba flash composition sketch. At least, that's the way it feels. This is the thirteenth such sketch in the Diabelli Project series. I think its past time to join these sections together and get another work completed!

As always, you can use any or all of the posted Diabelli Project sketches as you wish for free. Just be sure to share the results. I'm always curious to see what direction someone else can take this material.

Spam Roundup, July 2016

There's spam, and then there's spam so oddly written it's somewhat amusing. Here's a roundup of some of the "best" comments I received this month from spambots around the world. 

Thanks... I think

- It's remarkable in favor of me to have a web site, which is valuable in support of my experience. [I'm not in favor of that. I mean you.]

- I'm amazed, I have to admit. Rarely do I come across a blog that's both educative and entertaining and without a doubt you have hit the nail ion the head. The issue is something which too few folks are speaking intelligently about. [Oh, we're all about educative process here.]

-Whoah this blog is magnificent really like studying your aritcles. Stay up the good work! [I promise to stay it up, pardner!]

- Somebody necessarily lend a hand to make critically articles I would state. [Say, are you saying I don't write my own stuff?]

Still lumbering along

My modest post, The Straco Express Layout, Part 23 - Lumbering Along continues draw comments. Remember -- this is a short post about an inexpensive tin toy truck made in Japan. It has virtually no collectible value or even interest in the toy community.

That green lumber truck -- that's what all the hubbub's about.

 - Have you ever considered about including a little more than just your articles? I mean, what you say is fundamental and all. Nevertheless think about if you added some great photos or videos to give your posts more pop. [ It HAD photos! What do you want from me?]

 - Plenty of useful information here. I am sending it to some friends ans also sharing in delicious. And naturally, thanks on your sweat! [Sure, no sweat! I mean...]

 - Hi there, this weekend is pleasant for me, because this point in time I am reading this enourmous informative piece of writing here at my home. [Amazing how a 200-word post -- enormous -- can just take up an entire weekend.]

And finally....

Now I know why the phrase "fastidious" is in decline. It's all my fault.

 - I think that everything posted made a great deal of sense. But, think about this, what if you added a little content? I me, what if you added a title that makes people desire more? I mean "Fastidious Spam" is a little plain

That's all for this month. Stay it up, and remember to thank your sweat.

Mozart: Music for Harpsichord Four Hands - an unusual choice

This is a somewhat curious album. Not because of the repertoire -- recordings of Mozart's 4-hand keyboard works aren't that rare. Some of the works represented here have over 40 different recorded versions currently available.

No, what makes this collection unusual is the instrument itself. Most of the recordings of this music are done with a modern piano. A significant percentage use a fortepiano of the era. This is one of a very few to use a harpsichord.

It's not an entirely inauthentic choice. The earliest works here -- the K 19d sonata, the K381 sonata, and the k358 sonata -- were all composed between 1765 and 1774. It was a time of transition when the use of the fortepiano became widespread. It's conceivable that there were plenty of places (maybe even somewhere Wolfgang and Nannerl performed) where the upgrade from the harpsichord to the fortepiano hadn't been made.

But by the time the Andante con Variazioni in G major, K501 (1786) was written, the fortepiano would have been the norm, rather than the exception in most venues. And the Fantasia in F minor, K608 was originally written for mechanical organ, and later arranged for piano four hands -- well after the heyday of the harpsichord.

That's my quibble with this album, but of greater importance than instrumental choice is the sound. And that's where Basilio Timparano and Rossella Policardo excel. The harpsichord doesn't have the subtle dynamic options of a piano (or even a fortepiano), but the changes in texture serve that function. Four hands playing chords on the instrument sound much louder than two hands playing single lines. And it works.

These are crisp, clean performances that are full of Mozartean energy and good spirits. The harpsichord is particularly effective in the fugal section of the Fantasia, making it easy to hear the individual lines as they interact with each other.

Timparano and Policardo also play expressively, with phrasing and minor variations in tempo that make these engaging performances. I was a little skeptical when I first got this disc. But after hearing it, I'm won over. In the end, it didn't matter to me if Mozart had originally performed all these works at the harpsichord or not. They just sounded right.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Music for harpsichord four hands 
Basilio Timparano, Rossella Policardo, harpsichord 
Sonata in D major, K381; Andante con Variazioni in G major, K501; Sonata in C major, K 19d; Fantasia in F minor, K608; Sonata in B-flat major, K358 
Stradivarius STR 37045