Volume 31 Issue 2 - November & December 2025

Sean Clarke – A Flower

Sean Clarke – A Flower for My DaughterSean Clarke; Roger Feria Jr.; Talia Fuchs;Nathan BredesonNavona Records nv6743 (navonarecords.com/catalog/nv6743)! Being apublished poet anda dyed-in-the woolImagiste, this discregisters with mein the same way asthe poem A Prayerfor My Daughterwritten by the greatpoet William ButlerYeats. However, the composer of A Flower ForMy Daughter, Sean Clarke, has more of theimpressionist in him, leaning more towardsClaude Monet than Yeats. Clarke says “I wrotethis piece, slowly and late at night, in the yearafter my daughter was born. I tried to capturethe feeling of holding my tiny sleeping child,into the early hours, letting her rest whenshe couldn’t sleep by herself, deep in my ownthoughts, hopes, and fears.”But here, Clarke’s love for his wife is gloriouslyexpressed in the pain and joy of theexperience. It is both graphically and sonicallydepicted in the melodic and harmonicconception of the musical tapestry into whichit is woven, in textures that take us on a courseof music that references sacred flute works:Mountain Hymnal for solo flute and resonanceperformed by Clarke, Ballade featuring guitaristNathan Bredeson, and the Three Nocturnes,after Monet which are imbued with impressionistzeal by pianist Roger Feria Jr.Connecting these, A Flower For MyDaughter intertwines a chamber opera sungby Talia Fuchs titled Franey Trail – a silkenaria accompanied by Feria, wondrouslystrung out to adorn the birth of Clarke’s child.The fantastical world of David Lynch is alsobeautifully referenced.Raul da GamaLifebloodRaphael Weinroth-BrowneIndependent (raphaelweinroth-browne.bandcamp.com/album/lifeblood)! Thirty-threeyear old Ottawaraised,TorontobasedcellistRaphael Weinroth-Browne has alreadyhad a long anddiverse career, andthis latest offeringdemonstrates his rocket trajectory has noplans to slow down. Weinroth-Browne’s earlywork in contemporary classical music hasgrounded his solid technique, and his growthand expertise continue to be explosive. Fromhis early years with Norwegian prog-rockband Leprous in 2016, and studio albums toonumerous to mention, his experience andbreadth of skill defy description. Continuingfrom his early days with the duo Kamancello,Muskox, The Visit, and Glass Armour, whereWeinroth-Browne plays a multitude of instruments,this artist has refused to be stapleddown as a classical player. Often describedas a “Black Metal” cellist, his growing stagepresence and elevated production qualityin sound, film, dance compositions andlive performances has given him a cult-likefollowing.With Lifeblood, Weinroth-Browne pushesfurther into his Rock/Metal Opera journey,self-producing some of his best work yet.With a Goth-like presentation, includingartwork and photographs of body art bothdevoted to snakes, this album leaves no roomfor doubt as to where this artist is going.From the pulsating Neanderthal to thetranscendent, starry, restful motion ofWinterlight and the heavy-metal Possession,the precision of every composition keepsthe work taught, each piece expanding to anaudio version of wide-screen cinema. Thefinal Glimmering‘s freely phrased openinggives way to layered pizzicato lines overlainwith cello upon cello upon cello, paintingcolours over colours and topped with ferventmotion upon motion. Even being familiarwith Weinroth-Browne’s style, this track’smixing, panning and overall production reallyshines the album to a close.Cheryl OckrantThe Laws of NatureAndrew StanilandLeaf Music AS2025 (andrewstaniland.com/thelawsofnature)! A new releaseon Leaf Recordsfeatures the latestdevelopments on anew musical instrument,called JADE,developed overthe last decadeby the multifacetedcomposer and musical theoristAndrew Staniland. He has won manyawards in Canada throughout this centuryand was the TSO Affiliate Composer in2006. A professor at Memorial UniversitySt. John’s Newfoundland, he founded theirElectroAcoustic Lab where, with his crossdisciplinaryresearch team, he has beendeveloping the JADE concept. This is aradically new digital music instrument andone of its innovative features is that it willrespond to direct brain impulses transmittedthrough a band worn on the head.The sounds of JADE seem to have limitlesspotential and it contains myriad musicalvoices, textures and environments thatconstitute these pieces. There are six compositionsthat at first can elide into one another,and there is a six-movement piece called TheLaws of Nature, which is intended as a singlepiece although there is still great variety inthe different sections that make it up.The actual substance of the sounds usedstill seem to have been collected from realityin an impressive array of sampling techniques.Staniland has created a wide varietyof new voices and effects, in a basically tonalsetting. The ambient soundstage is an illusionof JADE, which gives the music an atmosphereto resound in. The effect is of beingin a complex musical environment, and thelistener is mostly unaware that the music isentirely electronic, although some sectionsare clearly electronically derived.Since it is so rich and varied, this CD can belistened to as a stimulating journey throughseemingly endless new vistas. Although thismusic was developed as an accompanimentfor the Kittiwake Dance Company, it alsostands as a piece in its own right, but you willnot necessarily go away humming the tunes.Michael DoleschellThe Honeybee TwistAndy Haas; Brian SkolResonantmusic 021 (andyhaas.bandcamp.com/album/the-honeybee-twist)! New York basedCanadian saxophonistAndy Haasis back with a “duo”release featuring hisdiverse sax playing,circular breathingtechnique, specialeffects, and improvisingbrilliancewith the equally gifted Toronto-based percussionistand drummer Brian g Skol. Recordedin Toronto in 2024, the two musicians createand combine their unique avant-gardeexperimental sounds.The slightly over 30-minute-long releasefeatures eight improvised, experimental tracks.The Eagle and Prometheus features ascendingmelodies and repeated saxophone notes andcrashing cymbals and drums. A bouncygroove is prevalent. The long-held saxophonenotes add variety with the intense percussion.The title track opens with a “crunching” saxophonesound, then repeated notes alongsidedramatic percussion and drums. Then a moremelodic, slightly atonal, detached melody islike hearing the bee flying. The two musicians’consistent, tight sense of time is especiallyforefront in Myth Hysteria Blues where themore melodic sax lines with percussion hitshave a quasi blues sound.To be expected in experimental improvisations,Haas and Skol incorporate numerousmusical elements which can create somedifficult and challenging listening. Theircomplex effects, shifting dynamics, atonalmelodies, subtle touches of grooves like jazzand blues, drones and wide-ranging percussionadd to the originality and beauty ofthis music, especially with each repeatedlistening.Tiina Kiik48 | November & December 2025 thewholenote.com

Gorécki’s World of the PianoJarred Dunn; Anna GoréckaATMA ACD2 2901 (atmaclassique.com/en/product/goreckis-world-of-the-piano)! To all the world,Henryk Gorécki’sbest-known type ofmusic is long-form– the symphonictemplate – themost celebrated ofwhich is his hauntinglymarvellousSymphony of Sorrowful Songs, the ThirdSymphony, that has become a million seller– made so by the breathtaking sonorities ofDawn Upshaw. It was matched – possiblymade more rich, transparent and meaningful– by the Kilanowicz National RadioSymphony Orchestra and a more spiritualreading by Zofia Kilanowicz.But for all the emotionally and powerfulsymphonic and choral works, little is known,much less performed, of Gorécki’s smallerofferings. Spanning 1955 to 2008, Gorécki’sWorld of the Piano presents his completeworks for one and two pianos, manycomposed in the dark and difficult context ofpost-war Poland. Jarred Dunn performs thesolo works and is joined by the composer’sdaughter Anna Gorécka for the duets.Toccata For Two Pianos Op.2, the brilliantoutburst of Four Preludes Op.1, theshimmering quietude of the Berceuse Op.9,the longest of the Chopinesque miniaturesin his Intermezzo, and the extended PianoSonata No.1, Op.6 testify to the diversity ofGorécki’s output. The music here gives fullreign to his characteristically high, shimmering,patiently sustained chords alongwith bell-like ones which mirror the intervalsconfined to shorter, more tentative melodiccells. Although Gorécki’s piano works aredifficult to give expression to, clearly Goréckaand Dunn play them with deep meaning andabsolute mastery.Raul da GamaGinastera – String QuartetsMiró Quartet; Kira DuffyPentatone PTC5187412 (pentatonemusic.com/product/ginastera-string-quartets)! Argentina’sgreatest composer,Alberto Ginastera(1916-1985), dividedhis career into threestylistic phases,composing onestring quartet ineach of them. No.1, Op.20 (1948) typifies whatGinastera named “Objective Nationalism,”evoking the vibrant melodies and rhythmsof Argentine folk music. The 6/8 syncopationsof the melambo, a traditional gauchodance, dominate the first and fourth movements.The second movement, Vivacissimo,is a gossamer, quicksilver scherzo, whilethe third, Calmo e poetica, is a melancholymeditation.In No.2, Op.26 (1958, rev.1968), reflectingGinastera’s “Subjective Nationalism”period, he superimposed Schoenbergiandodecaphony upon what he called “constantArgentine elements such as strong, obsessiverhythms… the quietness of the pampas,magic, mysterious sounds reminding oneof the cryptic nature of the country.” Theopening Allegro rustico alternates aggressionwith uncertainty; Adagio angosciosowanders through dark labyrinths; Prestomagico is another diaphanous scherzo; Liberoe rapsodico is an intense set of variationson Ginastera’s song Triste el dio sin sol; thefinale, a perpetuum mobile, is appropriatelytitled Furioso.Ginastera added the human voiceto the extravagantly emotional No.3,Op.40 (1973, rev.1978), a product of his“Neo-Expressionism” period. AmericanKiera Duffy’s shining soprano illuminatesverses by 20th-century Spanish poets JuanRamón Jiménez, Federico García Lorca andRafael Alberti that embrace musical andsexual ecstasy, violent death and the silenceof eternity.The Texas-based Miró Quartet effectivelyproduces textures from ethereal to caustic inthese powerfully expressive quartets, eachvery different, each very rewarding to hear.Michael SchulmanJAZZ AND IMPROVISEDPurposing the AirIngrid LaubrockPyroclastic Records PR38/39 (ingridlaubrock.bandcamp.com/album/purposing-the-air)! Music is poetic,poetry is musical,theirs is a magicalmarriage when ithappens. IngridLaubrock personifiesthis alchemy,but also shows thatthere is immense beauty and depth to befound in small things. On one hand, familiarizingoneself with the source text here –Erica Hunt’s Mood Librarian – would greatlyenhance its sense of proximity and connectionto Laubrock’s piece. On the other hand,there is something to be said for movingin the opposite direction, short-circuitingorderly chronologies, escaping the pagebefore again setting foot squarely within itsperimeter. This work’s library defies chronology,it is not a curation of order and sequentialnotions, but rather of words that cater tothe expressive tendencies of improviser pairings,with four singers interacting with eithercello, piano, electric guitar or violin.These duos range from those playingtogether for the very first time to pairs establishedenough to have their own name (DuoCortona), which is a fascinating spectrum ina vacuum but in practice it is striking howimperceptible these differences are. Beyondresponding to Laubrock’s compositionaloutlines, the musicians allow each word ofHunt’s koans their own space to embody fullness,leaving room for boundless rendering offeeling. There is so much feeling in fact, thatit is all too easy to overlook that for each koanonly about two lines are being read. Everyvoice is an instrument and every instrumenta voice. Trajectories are charted, butthe intersecting currents influence them justas palpably.Yoshi Maclear WallDéjà vuCarlos Jimenez; Alexandre Cote; PierreFrancois; Dave Watts; Alain BourgeoisCAJ Music CD005 (carlosjimenez1.bandcamp.com/album/d-j-vu)! What we arelooking at is arollicking albumof eight songswritten in the styleof contrafacts (newpieces based onthe chord changesof existing works).Its many styles include forays into jazz, folk,Berlin cabaret, Middle Eastern and chambermusic of the post-serialist 20th centuryconservatoire. But to describe it as such givesthe impression of overcooking when in factthe whole project is a masterpiece of subtlety.Carlos Jiménez’s take on the spacy andthe cool rippling horn-like tones from hisguitar summon woodwind-like tones fromAlexandre Côté’s alto saxophone which,along with Pierre François’ piano, DaveWaltz’s rumbling bass, and Alain Bourgeois’world of drums, makes for something magicallydifferent. This is the contrafact-world ofCarlos Jiménez’s Déjà vu. The performers’long-limbed dreamworld of narratives craftedinto glassy sheets of harmonic soundscapeswith earthy melodies and rolling rhythms liftup these songs to elevated heights.Jiménez pilots a tall ship that navigatesdeep and shallow waters. He rings in themoods and changes with compositions andimprovisation; he dashes his music intorocks, breaks free and glides rippling throughDeep Blue ink-black seas, with a Look At TheStars in a brave new sound world all his own.Raul da Gamathewholenote.com November & December 2025 | 49