I have to confess to a weakness: I generally detest transcriptions unless they are really, really unusual. Not too long ago I had occasion to praise a version of Beethoven’s Fifth on CPO arranged for a group of saxophones, but even that tour-de-force (and such it was) pales next to Bartók’s Fourth String Quartet arranged for a quartet of trombones. Sound sick, strange, or absurd? You betcha, but the playing of the New York Trombone Quartet is such that it’s impossible not to be awestruck with admiration for what the group’s almost inhuman virtuosity and sonic imagination conjures in this music. Sure, at times it may invoke in some listeners a sort of lurid, “horrid fascination”–but that in a sense is the point, and when all is said and done it’s simply great fun (imagine the pizzicato fourth movement played entirely by trombones!).
Of the other two works, Eugene Bozza’s entertaining Three Pieces certainly sounds more “normal”, but quartet member Edward Neumeister’s Suite Divertissement, consisting of three movements by Thelonious Monk and one each by Mozart and Bartók, is another adventure in the art of the “sublime grotesque”, and purely as an arrangement it’s a work of genius. Neumeister’s original composition, Collage, does everything an ensemble of this type can do, but in an amazingly enjoyable fashion. Love those pedal tones!
TNC’s super clear sonics easily accomodate every blast, grunt, and blurp, however loud or soft (and the dynamic range these guys command is huge). While this isn’t a disc for everyone, if you’re one of the select few with a taste for adventure, a good knowledge of the original works being transcribed, and a healthy sense of humor, you’re going to love taking this down from the shelf every so often and freaking out your friends. [7/26/2003]
