Mark Mellits is a post-minimalist composer whose music takes in a typically eclectic mix of elements: bits of melody ranging from Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring to TV-theme tunes, a touch of Steve Reich, rock and pop, and the occasional burst of original melody. A lot of it sounds like an accompaniment waiting for the tune to arrive, but to Mellits’ credit, even when it doesn’t arrive there’s usually enough rhythmic interest to keep you guessing, and none of the various movements comprising the larger works is all that long. As such, contrast is less within each piece than it is between them.
Mellits also makes a point of giving his pieces quirky titles. Examples include the title track, Tight Sweater, but there’s also Trans Fatty Acid’s Rein, Mechanically Separated Chicken Parts, Shagadellic, and so forth. These have little or nothing to do with the musical content, and I have to say that this device may have been adorable in the 1850s and ’60s when Rossini did it, but it’s pretty tired now. Anyway, the performances, by the trio Real Quiet (piano, cello, and percussion) and friends, are suitably brilliant and rhythmically hard-edged. They make the works sound significant, as does the very present and slightly dry sound.
Mellits’ music is self-consciously “in”, and not the kind of thing the general classical music listener will likely appreciate, so my rating is necessarily a bit cautionary. But if you’re one of the “in” crowd and enjoy minimalism and its more recent progeny, then you’ll want this. Others feeling adventurous should know that there’s nothing here that’s obnoxiously difficult or offensive. On the contrary, the music is often engaging if perhaps a bit texturally monotonous. The third movement of Tight Sweater, “Mara’s Lullaby”, is really quite beautiful. Indeed, Mellits seems to be pretty good at writing tunes; he should do it more often.
