Volume 30 Issue 3 | December 2024 & January 2025

Mid-winter, and the set

Mid-winter, and the set ends on a lively note with The Joy of Autumn.Bessette is captivating throughout.I have also had several epiphanies when it comes to choral music, thefirst being an Angel LP recording of Carl Orff’s Carmina Buranaunder Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos when I was still in high school.Some years later, as an amateur cellist on my first trip to CAMMAC’sLake MacDonald summer program, I was sitting in the orchestraplaying the pedal note and facing the conductor, when suddenly thechoir at the back of the room burst into the glorious “Herr, unserHerrscher” opening phrase of Bach’s St. John Passion. I wasgobsmacked! Several years later at the Elora Festival presentation ofCarl Theodor Dreyer’s silent film The Passion of Joan of Arc accompaniedby a live performance of Richard Einhorn’s Voices of Light,again my soul soared at the beauty of a choral creation.There are moments in FrançoisDompierre’s Requiem that take me backto the feeling of elation and exhilarationI experienced during those formativeyears. The performance featuresMontreal’s Orchestre FILMhamonique,Ensemble ArtChoral, soloists MyriamLeblanc, Andrew Haji and Geoffroy Salvasunder the direction of Francis Choinière(LABE Records LABECD-24007 francoisdompierre.com/discographie).Dedicated to the memory of Dompierre’s mother Yolande andfather Frédéric, the Latin texts of the gorgeous near hour-long workare taken from traditional liturgical verses: Introit-Kyrie; Dies Irae;Tuba Mirum; Lacrimosa; Hostias; Recordare; Sanctus; Benedictus;Agnus Dei; Lux Aeterna; Libera; In Paradisum. The varied movementsrange from dramatic and dynamic with full chorus and orchestra,to contemplative, even haunting, moments where the soloists arefeatured with sparse accompaniment. The musical language is mostlytonal and accessible, but there is enough range and contrast to satisfyeven my somewhat jaded palette. The performance is nuanced andwell balanced from the quietest moments to the occasional bombasticoutbursts. The recording, made at la Maison symphonique de Montréalin January 2024, is outstanding. My one quibble is that the booklet,including Dompierre’s introduction and the translations of the Latintexts, is entirely in French. Fortunately, you can hear the composertalking about his Requiem with English subtitles here: youtube.com/watch?v=gFLPvPLux3E.I like it when my reading and my music making overlap. Whileworking at CJRT-FM I read Vikram Seth’s An Equal Music and wasintrigued by the narrator’s quest to find Beethoven’s String Quintet inC Minor Op.104, the composer’s rearrangement of an early piano trio.I set out on my own search for the music, fortunately not as onerousas the one described in the novel, and one of the highlights of my“career” as an amateur cellist was spending an afternoon with aquartet of friends under the tutelage of violinist extraordinaire MarkFewer reading through the fabled work. That was a thrill onlyexceeded by the time I got to play Mozart flute quartets with RobertAitken! (But enough about me, for now…).Speaking of Mark Fewer, Alikenessfeatures the Newfoundland SymphonyOrchestra Sinfonia under Fewer’s direction(Leaf Music LM 296 leaf-music.ca/music/lm296). Soprano Deantha Edmunds,a singer-songwriter who has the distinctionof being the first Inuk professionalclassical singer, is active in the fields ofopera, throat singing and drum dancing.The CD opens with Edmunds’ performanceof her Angmalukisaa (“round” in Inuktut), four songs aboutpersonal connections arranged for the orchestra by Bill Brennan,Andrew Downing, Jeff Johnston and Robert Carli. This is followed bya “concerto grosso” with Fewer as violin soloist, Episodes by SergeArcuri, written in 1998 for the Montreal Baroque Orchestra. Whilereferencing the baroque origins of the form,Arcuri’s three movement work incorporatesa romantic sensibility and some modernturns of phrase. Matt Brubeck’s solo workThe Simple Life appears next in a lusharrangement by Downing for violin andstrings, followed by the third movement ofCarli’s “C” from his suite B-A-C-H, anothercontemplative work featuring Fewer’s violin.The title work, composed in 2015 by Jarosław Kapuściński, associateprofessor of composition at Stanford University, for the St. LawrenceString Quartet (ensemble in residence at Stanford) and percussionistAiyun Huang. The mostly quiet work, a bit surprising for a percussion“concerto,” is heard here in an arrangement for Huang and stringorchestra by Yoshiaki Onishi. The various percussive instruments areeffectively juxtaposed with pizzicato accompaniment at times, and atothers with lyrical lines or catch-me-if-you-can chase scenes with thestrings. This very effective piece, lasting almost 25 minutes, completesa satisfying disc of unusual repertoire for chamber orchestra.(And here I am again…) Back in my days as a music programmer atCJRT, a favourite selection was Claude Bolling’s wonderful “chamberjazz” creation Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano Trio as recorded byBolling with Jean-Pierre Rampal. Somehow it escaped my notice thathe had also written a Suite for Cello and Jazz Piano Trio composedand recorded in 1984, with Yo-Yo Ma as soloist. The Suite recentlycame to my attention on 1Q84, a new recording by Montreal cellistSahara von Hattenberger (Odd Sound ODS-36 saharathecellist.com)who performs with pianist Joanne Kang, bassist Adrian Vedady anddrummer Jim Doxas. Whereas in the original recording the rhythmsection was confined to pretty much just that, in this new renditionthe piano, bass and drums are given improvisatory sections in each ofthe six movements. While we expect it from jazz journeymen Vedadyand Doxas, classical pianist Kang also shows herself right at home in“uncharted” waters and the end result is exhilarating.Regarding the unusual name of the album, although the bookletnotes don’t go into it, the press release explains the significance ofthe title, borrowed from the well-known fantasy novel by HarukiMurakami set in 1984. The protagonist in the novel refers to theparallel universe in which she finds herself as 1Q84 (Q is pronouncedthe same as the number nine in Japanese). Van Hattenberger notesthat 1984 was also the year Bolling completed his cello suite.The “parallel universe” in this case is the second CD of the set,where van Hattenberger performs new works for the same ensemblefrom composers Remy Le Boeuf, Malcolm Sailor and Jeffrey Fong.Le Boeuf has also contributed a quartet arrangement of Kate Bush’sRunning Up That Hill (a particularly fond earworm for me). The pressrelease also states that Bolling’s famous crossover suite “acted as anantidote to the angst of the era. Massive inflation, the AIDS epidemic,financial unrest and overwhelming fear of and obsession with technology…”and goes on to suggest that “Van Hattenberger’s re-imagining[…] maintains the same sense of joy and wit as the original […] Thisalbum is a welcome respite from the pressing darkness we often findourselves in today.” I must say I have to agree as I write this in the daysfollowing the U.S. election.One caution: It seems there was a mix-up in the pressing of thesecond CD. It was intended to be heard in the order printed on thepackaging (Sailor, Le Boeuf, Bush, Fong), but the actual order onthe physical disc is Le Boeuf, Bush, Sailor, Fong, easy enough tore-program on a CD player. For digital purchase, the order of thetracks is correct.I don’t know where to start with this next one. Brandon Seabrook’sObject of Unknown Function (Pyroclastic Records PR 37 brandonseabrook.bandcamp.com/album/object-of-unknown-function)isunlike anything I’ve heard before (a few familiar sound fragmentsnotwithstanding). The album is meant to convey the extreme physicalityof Seabrook’s solo performances. It is a mixture of singleinstrumental lines supplemented by layers of similar or disparateinstruments, juxtaposed with four-track cassette recordings from a44 | December 2024 & January 2025 thewholenote.com

variety of sources. The mix of instrumentsis somewhat unusual: an early 20th centurysix-string banjo, a tenor banjo played with abow, an electric 12-string guitar and a classicFender Telecaster. Six-string banjos are variouslyknown as banjitars, guitjos and ganjos,Seabrook simply refers to his 1920 WilliamO. Schmick instrument as a guitar banjo andit is tuned like a guitar.Tenor banjos, popular in the early 20th century in traditional jazzensembles such as Dixieland bands, have four strings tuned in fifthslike the viola and cello, or alternately in Chicago tuning, pitched likethe four higher strings of a guitar. They are most often strummedrhythmically rather than plucked like their five-string counterparts,but Seabrook treats his differently, playing with a bow resulting in asound similar to a Chinese erhu, or picking individual notes to createcomplex melodies. His Neptune 12-string electric guitar, built byNashville luthier Jerry Jones in 1998, is naturally lush but Seabrooktakes this to the nth degree when he layers four tracks of it along withseven bowed and two pluck tenor banjos in Melodic Incidents for anIrrational World producing a virtual wall of sound.Although there are moments of respite, such as the track SomeRecanted Evening (one 12-string electric guitar) or the closer TheSnow Falling, Falling (four bowed and one plucked tenor banjo), Imust emphasize that this is not easy listening and at times borders onpainful with its abrasive, ruthless energy and dissonant textures. Thatbeing said, I find myself drawn to it repeatedly, especially the abovementioned Irrational World (which puts me in mind of the complexlayers of acoustic instruments in the music of Paul Dolden), and inUnbalanced Love Portfolio, a contemplative solo for one guitar banjo.Not for the faint of heart, but a rousing ride for the more adventurouslistener.I will close with a shout-out to an old friend,Sandy Bell, who was my counterpart asmanager of Arraymusic for most of the 20years I spent in the same capacity at NewMusic Concerts. Sandy has now retired fromthe heady world of arts administration tolive the good life in rural Nova Scotia andconcentrate on the things that matter. Shehas always been a singer, trained in choirsin her youth, but found her personal voicein the world of country music. While in Toronto she co-founded aband called The Wanted which played in such hallowed halls as theGladstone Hotel and Cameron House. It seems her life’s dream was toproduce a solo album and now she has done it. Break of Day – Songsfor Colin (sandybellcreative.com/music) is a beautiful collection oforiginal songs commemorating the life of her son who died tragicallyat the age of 20. There are some laments, including a chilling renditionof I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry, the only cover version on the album,but the overall feeling is of hope and celebration. Sandy’s sopranovoice with its country twang is complemented by a backing band oftraditional fiddle, pedal and lap steel, acoustic and electric guitar,banjo, bass and drums, with harmony vocals by Kristin Cavoukian,Max Heineman and Sofia Harwell, all produced by Andrew Collinswho also contributes mandocello lines. Although this may not be thealbum Bell began dreaming of before the death of Colin, it’s neverthelessa lovely fulfillment of that dream.We invite submissions. CDs and DVDs should be sent to:DISCoveries, The WholeNote c/o Music Alive, The Centre for SocialInnovation, 720 Bathurst St. Toronto ON M5S 2R4. Comments anddigital releases are welcome at discoveries@thewholenote.com.STRINGSATTACHEDTERRY ROBBINSTwo monumental sonatas from the early20th century are presented on Dialogues,the superb new CD from cellist NoémieRaymond and pianist Zhenni Li-Cohen(Leaf Music LM295 leaf-music.ca/music/lm295).Rachmaninoff’s Cello Sonata in G Minor,Op.19 from 1901 is a glorious four-movementwork full of the rich sentimentalityand Romanticism so typical of his music.Raymond has a wonderfully deep, warm tone that perfectly illustratesthe comment in the booklet note that Rachmaninoff gave thecello line “an expressiveness and intensity previously unheard in therepertoire for cello and piano.” The piano is certainly an equal partnerhere – in fact, it’s hard to think of a duo sonata in which the pianopart is more demanding and more crucial, and Li-Cohen delivers anoutstanding performance.There are times when Rebecca Clarke’s Viola Sonata from 1919,heard here in her own transcription for cello, inhabits the sameRomantic world as the Rachmaninoff, but influences of Debussy,Ravel and Vaughan Williams are also there. Again, superb playingand ensemble work – a true dialogue indeed – make for a terrificperformance.Recorded at the beautiful Domaine Forget concert hall in Saint-Irénée, QC the exemplary sound quality completes as fine a cello andpiano CD as I’ve heard in a very long time.American Sketches is the remarkable debutsolo album from the Korean-Americanviolinist Kristin Lee, brilliantly supportedin all but one of the tracks by pianist JeremyAjani Jordan (First Hand Records FHR147firsthandrecords.com/products-page/upcoming/american-sketches-kristen-leeviolin-jeremy-ajani-jordan-piano).From the moment that John Novacek’sdazzling Intoxication, the first of his Four Rags from 1999, explodesfrom the speakers you know you are in for something very special,and the standard never drops throughout a mesmerizing and beautifully-recordedCD. The duo swings through Jordan’s arrangements ofGershwin’s But Not for Me and Joplin’s The Entertainer, melts yourheart with J. J. Johnson’s lovely 1954 Lament and Henry ThackerBurleigh’s gorgeous Southland Sketches from 1916, and acknowledgescontemporary works with Jonathan Ragonese’s fascinating nonpoem4 from 2017/18 and Kevin Puts’ Air from 2000. The final trackis Thelonious Monk’s sultry Monk’s Mood from 1943/44, Lee notingthat Jordan improvised throughout the Gershwin, Johnson, Joplin andMonk recordings.The only track on which Jordan is not the pianist is Amy Beach’slovely Romance Op.23, recorded with Jun Cho in 2023; all othertracks were recorded in November 2019 and March 2020. I’m not surewhy we had to wait so long but boy, was it ever worth the wait!thewholenote.com December 2024 & January 2025 | 45