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CHAMBER MUSIC REVIEW
Citywinds Blow in
June 10, 2001
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By Benjamin Frandzel
Citywinds made one of its always-welcome appearances Friday night at Old First Church, in an evening that explored many directions in new music. Along with that variety, their program shed light on the quality that can be found in the underrated wind quintet repertory.
Karel Husa's Five Poems, a work celebrating the world of birds, began the program. From the gradually unfolding lines of the opening, "Walking Birds," to the lovely, rather mournful chorale of the closing, "Bird Flying High Above," Husa's elegant exploration of the ensemble's colors and a range of moods was beautifully brought out by the quintet. A particular highlight was the crisp, lyrical horn playing of Zachary Limacher, often the central role. Even in the penultimate movement, "Fighting Birds," Husa's only unconvincing musical metaphor, the clarity and carefully shifting balances of the complex counterpoint were superbly articulated by the ensemble.
Until the closing work, the remainder of the concert was given over to smaller ensembles and solos. Jennifer Higdon's Rapid Fire, for solo flute, is exactly what the title suggests, a tour de force, one that received a sterling performance from Esther Landau. While Landau's command of the rapid overblown runs and other technical challenges was impressive, she also had a clear understanding of the work's often-harsh expression, shaping individual sections and the piece as a whole with great musicality. In attempting to comment on urban violence through the solo flute idiom, as Landau explained, Higdon set herself quite a challenge. I'm not sure this is the right instrument to do it, but Landau certainly made the most of the piece.
Rounding out the first half, George Rochberg's Trio for Clarinet, French Horn and Piano was a revealing glimpse into the composer's outlook before he turned to the neotonal writing that has occupied him since the late '60s. Rochberg revised this 1947 work in 1980 but still left much of the stormy and more dissonant expression intact. This early work shows just how fine Rochberg's craft was even early in his career, with very involved, highly idiomatic writing for each instrument. It also shows his great debt to the Second Viennese School, especially in the dissonant, intense chorale at the center of the work. Pianist Scott Pratt was a fine addition, and clarinetist Bruce Foster's sweet tone heightened the work's most expressive moments. Another trio, Belinda Reynolds' Turns, for flute, clarinet, and bassoon, also received a beautifully sculpted performance. Delving into a lyrical minimalist mode, the work has the quality of a travelogue, recombining, shortening, and lengthening phrases for different perspectives in a propulsive framework.
The full ensemble returned for a staple of the wind quintet repertory, Irving Fine's Partita. Although you're likely to encounter this work on almost any wind quintet recital, Citywinds' performance really was special. Their fine ensemble brought out the work's impeccable craft, but there was also a rare warmth and richness to their playing. The slow, concluding coda movement was especially memorable. It took on a touching, gentle quality that I've never quite heard in any other performance of this work. If there was any disappointment to the evening, it was the change in programming: Ligeti's masterful Ten Pieces, which had been planned, were absent without explanation. Still, though what was heard was relatively conservative, it was explored as deeply and fully as I could have hoped for. (Benjamin Frandzel is a Bay Area musician and writer. In addition to writing concert music, he has collaborated with dance, theater, and visual artists, and has written about music for many publications and musical organizations. He is currently a graduate student in composition at San Francisco State University.) ©2001 Benjamin Frandzel, all rights reserved |