Volume 30 Issue 4 | December 2024 & January 2025

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two tracks.Togni/Reilly’s Passages is a colourfulaccessible duet. Repeated lower organ notesform an accompaniment to a glamorousbass clarinet melody. The piece builds muchlouder and then, after a a short silence,birdlike clarinet sounds and organ flourishesare enchanting. Togni’s multi-sectionalBenedicite (To Alison Howard) opens withGailey’s calming cello lines above organsounds. A short silent break is followed byreflective slow clarinet and cello conversationsabove organ held notes. It makes forgratifying listening as organ chordal modulations,lyrical cello melody, clarinet flourishesand organ volume builds to anothersilent break. The next “orchestral” sectionis highlighted by lyrical cello and clarinetlines to an intriguing closing low organ stop.There are mysterious cello and clarinet lines,cello slides, hilarious low clarinet notes andheld organ notes in Togni’s To Look OutBeyond Oneself. Togni’s duet Silentio featurescontrasting lower clarinet below higherorgan notes. Togni/Reilly’s Feathery Spirit ismood-lifting, subtle jazz flavoured with slow/fast bass clarinet, and loud wide-rangingpitched organ.Blackwood performs their musical sectionsas one, creating calming, mesmerizing music.Tiina KiikEsfahan – Chamber Music of Reza ValiVarious ArtistsNavona Records NV6647(navonarecords.com/catalog/nv6647)! At the Universityof Toronto’s recentNew Music Festival,Reza Vali (b.Qazvin,Iran 1952),professor emeritusat Pittsburgh’sCarnegie MellonUniversity, wasthe Roger D. Moore Distinguished Visitorin Composition. This two-CD collection ofhis music is named for its longest work, therhapsodic 15-minute Esfahân (CalligraphyNo.17) for string quartet. Persian-infusedmodal melodies and rhythms celebrate thecultural riches and architectural splendourof everyone’s favourite Iranian city (mine,too; I visited there in 1996). The Carpe DiemString Quartet also performs Vali’s melismaticChâhârgâh (Calligraphy No.19) andthe drone-filled Dashti (Calligraphy No.18),featuring vocalises by the musicians andcontralto Daphne Alderson.The shortest work, the four-minute Zand(Calligraphy No.2) for ney (end-blownflute) and string trio is sweet and soulful. Ifound the over-repetitive, minimalist figurationsof Hajiani (Reality Music No.1) forkarnâ (valveless trumpet) and electronicsless pleasing. Four Persian Mystic Poems formezzo-soprano, guitar, percussion, harp andpiano are set to verses about “love,” “sorrow,”and “eternity” by Hafez, Rumi and Sepehri.They’re sung in Farsi by Kara Cornell, theinstrumentalists occasionally adding theirvoices to the fervent, ecstatic music.The five-movement Persian Suite No.2 forflute(s), piano and string quintet containslighter fare, suggesting cinematic traveloguemusic, except for the fourth movement,a mournful solo for alto flute. Winds andpercussion dominate Vali’s four-movementSornâ (Folk Songs. Set No.17) for Persianwind instruments and ensemble, ending thisintriguing collection with a richly exotic,colour-drenched sonic barrage.Michael SchulmanFrom the Sea to the StarsLindsay Flowers; Andrew ParkerNavona Records NV6666(navonarecords.com/catalog/nv6666)! In From theSea to the Stars,Americans LindsayFlowers andAndrew Parkerpresent a rich andvaried explorationof works for oboeand English horn.The album showcases both contemporaryand classical compositions, highlighting theexpressive potential of these often overlookedinstruments.Andrea Clearfield’s Daughter of the Sea, aseven-movement piece for oboe and Englishhorn, opens the album with quirky charm.The work is a fascinating blend of timbres,featuring moments where the musiciansvocalize to enhance the emotional depthof the piece. Flowers and Parker’s playingis beautifully expressive, with a rich tonecolor that allows the instruments to blendseamlessly.Alyssa Morris’ Brokenvention, accompaniedby pianist Satoko Hayami, offers alyrical, introspective moment in the album.This short duet is delicate, with subtle interplaybetween the oboe and English horn. ErinGoad’s Overheard on a Saltmarsh takes amore melancholy turn, with pensive melodiesand dissonant interjections. The work evokesthe imagery of nature, with the oboe andEnglish horn creating haunting, almost otherworldlysounds.Federigo Fiorillo’s Sinfonia Concertante is adelightful nod to the Classical era, showcasingthe technical skill and stylistic playing ofboth performers. The album concludes withEugene Bozza’s lush Shepherds of Provence:Sous les Étoiles, a beautifully atmosphericduet that complements the unique timbres ofthe two instruments.From the Sea to the Stars is a captivatingcelebration of musical diversity, demonstratingFlowers and Parker’s artistry and theversatility of the oboe family.Melissa ScottThe Dawn of the Bicameral ClarinetistGary DranchNavona Records nv6693 (navonarecords.com/catalog/nv6693)Pulse-TideLiam HockleyAural Terrains (liamhockley.bandcamp.com/album/pulse-tide)! What have wedone with music?We didn’t inventit, but we havecertainly messedaround with it.Music is a way wehave of organizingsound (I oweJohn Cage a beer); sound is pervasive, evenmaddeningly so. No wonder humans takestimuli and organize them, visually or sonically,even kinetically, and often all at once.Such deep thoughts help me cope with myown prejudices, especially my dislikes, whenit comes to assessing the discs I have beforeme. The Dawn of the Bicameral Clarinetist isa survey of works for solo clarinet and electronicmedia, dating between 1968 and 1979,by composers whose names may be familiarto those who pay attention to this type of art.Comprehensive accompanying notes aboutperformers, composers as well as performancedates, fill out the story. Clarinetist GaryDranch demonstrates commitment and virtuosityin service of this niche (one decade, allclarinet, plus or minus electronics), or as heputs it, “time capsule.” It’s interesting, evenfascinating. My aesthetic sense is rewarded,and my skepticism about the value of such aretrospective is forced to sit in the back andlisten.By preference I gravitate to the traditionalform of James Drew’s St. Dennis Variations,the most recent work with the most ancientroots. Dranch is an expressive and able player;these recordings may sound a bit raw but it’sbecause they were initially recorded live oncassette tape! Talk about ancient.More up-to-date,and yet less satisfyingin terms ofrecording quality,is Liam Hockley’sPulse Tide. TheB.C.-based Hockleyperforms spectralworks forthe hound of theclarinet family, the basset horn. Ana-MariaAvram exploits the wolf-ish tone of thissomewhat balky beast in Penumbra. Hockleyproduces a hypnotic, ASMR-inducing qualityfrom a series of multiphonics, flutter and slaptonguing, key clicks and vibrato-laden micromelodies. The dry recording environmentsponges up any reverb, which works in a wayand seems artificial at the same time; roombouncehas been sponged up.62 | February & March 2025 thewholenote.com

Artifice also characterizes the charmingEgress, by Thanos Chrysakis. An overlay offive tracks all played by Hockley. What anoddity, a humoresque of argumentative fowl.Next, Hockley plays un-self-accompanied,i.e. solo, in Aura by Iancu Dumitrescu. I havetrouble connecting the title to the series ofnew-music-y effects. A second listen mighthave been in order, but life is, after all, short.On content, I think 75% is a good average,and who can account for other tastes thanone’s own?In contrast, Horatiu Radulescu’sCapricorn’s Nostalgic Crickets, is the capperat 25+ minutes. Not content to provide a merefive voices, Hockley here plays seven overlaytracks. I wonder whether a Basset choir(pack?) would be possible in practical terms(few owner-operators, fewer gigs). In thisincarnation it’s not easy to discern separateparts, or whether he overlayed the samematerial seven times, the overlap generatingthe interest. Imagine a slow repeated kind oforganic instrumental respiration. This one isthe oldest work by more than two decades.It serves, like Avram’s, to induce a meditativeBeta state. The crickets are certainlyextra-terrestrial, but benign. Perhaps they’reangels? Give this track time and space, it’s thecoolest.Max ChristieHush – New Works for Flute andElectronicsRoberta MichelNew Focus Recordings FCR422(newfocusrecordings.com/catalogue/roberta-michel-hush)! Roberta Michel’sintrepid musicianshiphas caught theattention of avantgardeartists andgroups such asthe Art Ensembleof Chicago, Bangon a Can, the WetInk Ensemble andothers. On Hush she takes the flute – herchosen instrument – out of the confines of thechamber (or orchestral) context on solo flightsfollowing, unfettered, wherever this audaciousmusic beckons.Ditching what certainly appears to be areliable technique, she puts paid to predictablefinger movement and conventionalbreath controls to seemingly turn her body’swhole cardio-pulmonary machinery into asystem plotted around the efforts and exertionsrequired to make a multi headedmonolith of pure sound made from mouthfulsof air.The whirling ellipses of Jane Rigler’sRed are eminently suited to Michel’s restlesscreativity, and it surges in a mad rushof blood to the head, and her flute. VictoriaCheah’s edifice, And for you, castles seesMichel mindfully abseiling through its sonicarchitecture. Jen Baker’s piece, The GreatBridge and a Lion’s Gate is painted in washesof muted and vivid coloured brushstrokes byMichel. Mert Morali’s Quintet sends pungentsonorities through Michel’s bass flute echoingthrough four speakers. Meanwhile AngélicaNegrón’s Hush echoes the silvery quietudeof Michel’s father Fred’s plant photographs.Cheah, Morali and Negrón join Michel toperform on their works.Meanwhile the conventional meaningof the word “hush” apart, metaphoricallyspeaking Michel blows her way through herflutes right past the sound barrier.Raul da GamaInk TracesJulia Glenn; Konstantinos ValianatosNavona Records NV6670 (navonarecords.com/catalog/nv6670)! Americanviolinist Julia Glennhas lived, taughtand performed inChina, immersingherself in China’slanguage, music,dance and poetry.Together withAthens-born pianistKonstantinos Valianatos who, like Glenn,has taught at Tianjin Juilliard School, sheplays works by composers who embrace bothChinese and Western classical idioms.Chen Yi’s Romance and Dance (1995-1999) begins with the very Chinese-soundingRomance, the violin’s bent notes wailingplaintively over sporadic pianistic water-droplets.Dance is a wild ride, with frenzied violinflourishes and rapid piano ostinatos. Chen’sMemory for solo violin (2010) movingly mixesChinese and Western elements, progressingemotionally from apprehensiveness todetermination.The fragmented melodies and rhythmicinertia of the other solo violin pieces – YaoChen’s Air (2015) and Pan Kai’s Ink Traces ofSigh (2017/2022) sound thoroughly European,as does Gao Weijie’s The Road (1996), thoughwith longer violin melodies and somemomentum from the piano.Much more enjoyable are Sang Tong’s NightScenery (1947), the violin ruminating abovethe piano’s irregular walking bass, the lovelymelodies of Nostalgia from Ma Sicong’s InnerMongolia Suite (1937) and, most of all, ChenGang’s delightful, unmistakably ChineseDrum and Song (1974-1976) in whichrollicking jollity frames blissful dreaminess.Whining Chinese glissandi and martialWestern propulsion clash violently in theCD’s longest work, Chen Yihan’s 11-minuteEHOHE for baroque violin and electronics(2022), commissioned by Glenn. Happily, thedisparate cultures eventually reconcile andthe disc ends in peaceful serenity.Michael SchulmanPlayfair SonatasEthan IversonUrlicht Audiovisual (musicalconcepts.net/recording/ethan-iverson-playfair-sonatas)! Ethan Iversonis a pianist andcomposer whohelped found theAmerican jazzgroup The BadPlus in 2000. Hehas performed jazzwith a diverse groupof musicians over the years (Lee Konitz, RonCarter, Ingrid Jensen etc.) and composedfor a variety of groups along with writingon music for several magazines. PlayfairSonatas is named after Piers Playfair whoagreed to pay Iverson’s studio’s rent for sixmonths in exchange for him composing sixsonatas where Playfair would choose theinstrumentation.Along with piano accompaniment, the sixinstruments are: violin, marimba, clarinet,trombone, alto saxophone and trumpet. Allthe works are lively and take advantage ofeach solo instrument’s unique characteristics.For example, Violin Sonata is relativelyclassical sounding while Alto SaxophoneSonata includes classical, Broadway and jazzylines. One of the most intriguing aspects iswhere Iverson dedicates a movement to wellknown musical figures. For example, ClarinetSonata II (Music Hall) is dedicated to CarlaBley and it has a sultry and ironic melodicismwhich matches Bley’s musical personality.Violin Sonata II Blues (for OrnetteColeman) is melodic with brief forays intoatonal territory which matches Coleman well.Playfair Sonatas is an elegant and innovativeaddition to the world of chamber music.Ted ParkinsonJAZZ AND IMPROVISEDForever Stories of Moving PartiesPeggy Lee; Cole SchmidtEarshift Music (peggyleecoleschmidt.bandcamp.com/album/forever-stories-ofmoving-parties)! Cellist Peggy Leeand guitarist ColeSchmidt have beenplaying togethersince 2017 and theirdeep trust and easycommunicationnaturally extend totheir communityof exceptional improvisors, many of whomadd their voices to the conversations on thisalbum. “The initial concept for the record hadto do with hosting a party,” remarks Schmidt,“[one] that included all kinds of people andcharacters connecting on different conversationsin different rooms of the house.”thewholenote.com February & March 2025 | 63