Reviews

Composer Edward Cowie has found the alchemical formula for transmuting various bird cries into duets for clarinet and piano. Played mellifluously on E-flat and B-flat clarinet by Anna Hashimoto, with Roderick Chadwick at the keyboard, this group of four “songbooks” are a series of short explorations of various birds’ musical identities. I can’t decide whether it’s better to know which bird is singing as the disc plays or to simply enjoy the walk while trying to guess.

It is unusual for a project like this to arise with the poet, but here [Chinwe D.] John’s fine words are giving shape by two rather different but equally talented [Stuart MacRae, Bernard Hughes] composers. The result is a disc that is satisfying in many ways, from the composers’ imaginatively intelligent lyricism and ability to create songs both satisfying to sing and musically expressive, to the fine performances from all the artists involved.

This disc serves as a dual portrait of [John] Buckley and of [Emma] Coulthard, and provides an enjoyable introduction to their work, both individually and together. The repertoire is a significant collection which is deserves to be better known. For Emma Coulthard, this debut disc is an important step in her career development and it’s wonderful to hear contemporary music performed with such dedication, care and passion. Highly recommended.

We always like Östlund’s work but this one is really good, ranging from other-worldly ethereal sounds to more traditional chamber orchestral sections and lovely instrumentals. It’s almost true to say no two tracks are the same. Music is often used to take the listener to a different place, and Östlund does this better than most.

This is something of an avant-garde affair — it explores the Macedonian composer’s search for “chroma” (colour) in music (the title from the Greek, “poly” for many and “chroma” for colour, but you knew that) — but it’s never hard on the ear and is most interesting.

From the grand, rolled chords of the “Sinfonia” of Bach’s Second Partita, several things become clear: this is an interpretation of conviction and clarity, caught in ideal sound and performed on a phenomenally well-prepared piano. This is a dream of a performance: one revels both in the loveliness of the piano and in Schliessmann’s playing. Schliessmann’s questing mind and solid technique present us with interpretations that convince at every level. Recommended

Why have I put the lyricist above the composers? Firstly because Chinwe D. John, a Nigerian-American poet and lyricist, is responsible for all 10 songs while the two composers are not. Then because it was she who sought out the composers, not as is frequently the case, the other way round. She made sure to choose composers who would make her words paramount, creating music for piano and voice that would make her often challenging words shine. That is exactly what they have done so successfully.Here is music to enjoy but to make you think as well!

Is it recommended? Yes. The all-round excellence of these performances is matched by the focus and immediacy of the sound in each instance, together with detailed while not unduly abstruse notes from the composer. Those coming to his music afresh are not likely to remain emotionally uninvolved.

The exclamation point, part of the group’s name (Ensemble ö!), fits well with its handling of Pritchard’s music, which has an exclamatory feeling about it…that gives every work an underlying (if not overt) feeling of intensity. The audience…will find this collection of Pritchard’s piano and chamber works a worthwhile exploration.

His voice is pure…I enjoyed Shaw’s performances very much. The recordings are admirably clear, and the overall production standards are excellent.

Violinists will find Muresanu’s playing well worth contemplating, perhaps even emulating in comparable repertoire.

Lore Amenabar Larrañaga has quite clearly mastered this accordion and its quirks…for listeners already interested in up-to-the-minute compositions, and with a taste (or an ear) for solo playing on a less commonly heard instrument, the CD will certainly be of considerable interest.

This is a fine collection of American choral works. There is sufficient variety of style in the program to hold the listener’s interest, and the choral singing is beautifully balanced. Alban Voices is a British choir who convincingly capture the spirit of these American pieces.

There is no denying that beautiful music is played and recorded beautifully on this CD…this is gorgeous, sensitive playing. Phillips can play Bach’s music for me whenever he likes.

Listeners… will find surprises here and there, as in the calls of the broad-tailed and blue-throated hummingbirds, the gentle swaying of the portrayal of the yellow crowned night heron, and the chordal quietude associated with the Virginia rail. In fact, anyone inclined to listen to this music with the same attentiveness that Cowie brought to its creation will find a great deal of diversity of sound and approach within the basic similarity of timing and instrumentation…this carefully made but highly rarefied bird study will prove very appealing…

Who knew there was a bird called the ‘Say’s Phoebe’ or the ‘Common Loon’? This two-disc survey of American ornithology is full of characters and each is brought to vivid life by Hashimoto with three different clarinets. Cowie is an endlessly inventive composer and this is a treat.

The music embraces the rolling landscape and its endless natural variety.  We can be in open fields and wooded valleys, beside fresh bright streams and rolling waves. The music is both evocative and grounded in this verdant environment. Listening to Flint Movement 2 on a dull and rainy afternoon, I was transported to a forest watching the sunbeams dance through the leaves – and then in the next movement I am on the bank of a fast-flowing stream. Such is the magical power of Ed Hughes’ music. 

Roderick Chadwick and Anna Hashimoto are inspiring in these recordings, both for the precision and clarity of their playing, and for their perfectly co-ordinated ensemble performances.

The musicians are specialists in this type of music – they would have to be – and present the music as far more than just notes.  Their endeavours are beautifully captured by the engineers.

Today we have an especially important new pairing in Romanian composer Violeta Dinescu’s Solo Violin Works as played with great finesse by violinist Irina Muresanu. The composer Violetta Dinescu fits right in with a long series of solo violin works that as experienced here really take on a lengthy and effective post-fiddle narrative, and at that violinist Irina Muresanu has a great feel for the music at hand and interjects an intuitive feel for the violin in its local excellence.