I wonder if the need of today’s “serious” composers to talk about their music reflects a fear that someone might suggest that they lack a fund of distinctive, purely musical ideas? Sometimes it seems so, while at other times the words really do illuminate the sonic experience. Take Pierre Jalbert’s Piano Trio, an attractive piece in two movements, the first of which is called “Life Cycle” and the second “Agnus Dei”. The former has its inspiration in the rhythm of the beating heart of the composer’s unborn child, the latter is dedicated to Mother Teresa, who passed away during its composition (but did not “inspire” it directly). This strikes me as fair game for musical treatment: the composer’s personal experience and spirituality find expression in these two effectively contrasted pieces that together make a satisfying whole. Indeed, you don’t need to know anything about the composer’s extra-musical thoughts at all. The piece works fine as it stands.
The same cannot be said for Stacy Garrop’s String Quartet No. 2, pompously subtitled “Demons and Angels”. This work purportedly tells a story–about a male schizophrenic killer (in these PC days, must it be a man?) who thinks he’s doing “good” but at the end of the third movement goes completely nuts and kills five people (five nasty chords à la “Psycho”, that also for some reason open the first movement). Then follows a long, dreary finale symbolic of total mental collapse. At its best, in the chaotic third movement (one in a long tradition of “crazy” scherzos), the music offers the sonic equivalent to seeing a B-rated slasher film. I could also find something to enjoy in the first three movements by ignoring the ridiculous program–but that miserable and musically irrelevant finale (“Broken Spirit”)? I don’t think so.
The other three works on the program are wholly enjoyable and show their composers exploring various aspects of popular and ethnic culture. Lorenz’s Bachengó is a five-minute piano work full of exuberant Afro-Latino rhythms. Carter Pann’s enjoyable music may be familiar to some listeners thanks to the Naxos recording of his Piano Concerto and other pieces. Differences, for cello and piano, is a series of delightful vignettes, including a baroque “Air”, a “Country Dance”, and a clever pop song finale. Vivian Fung’s Miniatures for Clarinet and String Quartet take advantage of her Chinese heritage to produce some non-traditional (in the Western sense) harmony and melody that’s quite compelling.
All of these performances do the music full justice, and they are very well recorded too. Collections such as this will always have hits and misses; it’s the nature of the beast, and part of the fun is listening and drawing your own conclusions. So by all means, listen and judge for yourself.
