Each of these works illustrates a different aspect of Robert Erickson’s (1917-97) determinedly avant-garde but ever-shifting aesthetic. White Lady (1975) for wind ensemble consists of changing dissonant chords bereft of any suggestion of melody. Garden (1977) for violin and orchestra is an ecstatic, consonant, freely unwinding 19-minute-long melody as might be imagined by a latter-day Delius with minimalist leanings. The Piano Concerto (1963), for soloist plus seven instruments, involves a great deal of improvisation and often sounds like much of the atonal jazz of the same period. Pacific Sirens, perhaps the program’s most interesting work, fuses instrumental sounds with taped and processed wave (as in surf) noises, making for 14 very imposing and majestic minutes of music.
The Cleveland Chamber Symphony plays all of this music with impressive concentration and commitment, and New World’s recording is excellent. Violinist Laura Martin does an especially good job in Garden, offering lovely tone and hushed concentration. Still, it’s hard to get a handle on this composer’s multiple idioms. Perhaps he just had a curious nature, but there’s a feeling here that in being “leading edge” Erickson has wound up sounding like no one in particular and has left behind four examples of a sort of generic modernity. Of course this is not necessarily a bad thing if this is what you enjoy, but listeners looking for a strong (or at least consistent) compositional voice may find this disc a tough nut to crack. In sum, this release constitutes an affectionate tribute to a respected voice in modern music, but one that very likely will find favor only with a select few.
