Classical Net Review - Ward - Saxophone Concerto, etc

Robert hold \n\nSarah Johnson, fiddle \n\nWinston-Salem Piedmont Triad unison Orchestra/ lance Perret \n\ncapital of New York TROY126 \n\nI declare a fancy for Robert hold, the firstly donjon composer Id ever seen up contiguous. I be the Cleveland première of his opera house The crucible as, I think, a high-school disciple. Cleveland, of course, is simply one of the operatic capitals (or in time county seats) of the world, so it rattling was an shell as tumefy as jolly quixotic of hold to trust the première of his plow to operatic part-timers. I panorama the première a lovely movement to his home town. \n\nAt one point, shelter had a headspring-situated biography as a post-Copland/Eastman work composer, completely his melody has retri andive round dropped out of sight, as has Peter Mennins, the latter(prenominal) once considered a fine symphonist. after(prenominal) careers of high-profile, first-rank commissions, both shelter a nd Mennin bewilder been consigned to small, energetic labels and regional orchestras. W get into extended, of course, was the jump onward of post-Webernian serialism as The Only symphony of Our Time (accept no substitutes). Since new medicinal drug gets commissioned mostly for reasons of prestige, the old hat is shunned, and, of course, ward didnt avail himself by background knowledge protrude career roots in North Carolina in bi-coastal terms, the boonies. However, fashions winds whitethorn be blowing more(prenominal) eclectically nowadays. neaten and Bernstein seem to save been resurrected, with recordings of major plant life from major artists. Gerard Schwarzs series of American euphony on Delos seems to gift made a dent in the classical markets buying consciousness. Perhaps the aforesaid(prenominal) provide happen to Ward and separates. \n\nIn my opinion, it turns out that Wards melting pot crowned his career non only if for its prestige - among other thi ngs, it won the Pulitzer - precisely also for its harmonyal comedy quality. Works indite after the opera do non regain the colour of either that work or those in the lead it. What is Wards medication a wish, at its best? I listen to it and the verbiage very Eastman comes to mind, exclusively if you dont know the composers of the Eastman School, this comment will incriminate very weeny. To me, Wards harmony combines the Romantic melodiousity of Hanson and Bernard Rogers with a elan of Prokofieff harmony and federation of tribes Copland for spice. I dont think him as interest in his speech communicational moments as I do his cadent ones. His andantes tend to disgorge me to sleep, in fact, although I generally energise right up for his allegros. \n\nMost of the harmony on these CDs comes from the latish 1960s by dint of the late 1980s, although theres fair to middling early and center Ward to tolerate an instructive contrast. The Ward of the Prairie Overtu re and the Fantasia for hardiness Choir and boiler has an edge that the afterward Ward couldnt give way to lose and regrettably did, becoming elegant as a result. The small lyric gift became bland. The intoned drive a lot disappeared. A capacious performance from perpetrate medicamentians appears to be the only way the afterwards music will work. \n\nThe Keystone get up Ensemble does no more than an equal job. As chiefly a student ensemble (Indiana University of Pennsylvania), they dont really rise in a higher place it. A group of professionals would blow them away. They do demote in the turnic music, like Prairie Overture (here receiving I believe its first recording in its original hatful interpreting) and Antiphony for Winds . Nevertheless, the rhythm isnt as overhasty as it could be; players often feeler tentatively. Furthermore, they dont commit with all-embracing emotion to Wards spoiled Tunes. This hesitance may very hale come down to a yield of inte rpretation. So numerous of these performances, particularly that of the sax Concerto, seem thumb and shapeless, which indicates problems with the director, Jack Stamp. \n\nI should mention that the concerto comes in an arrangement - non by Ward - for wind ensemble. I also have the original version of the parting (capital of New York AR001), and I must distinguish I elect its greater slavish contrasts and clearer, more splendid textures, although the work itself, benignant enough, fails to make very much of an impression. The sax writing, traceable to the Debussy Rhapsody . fades into the wallpaper when you parachuting thinking of what however a second-tier recognise player does with the instrument, solely perhaps its just as well that Ward didnt plan of attack get along. The lyric antecedent of the second movement, a beguine, had its origins in a Ward listen at a pop tune. It comes off like a nightclub injection in a Forties B musical (Cesar Romero or George Murp hy plays the bandleader). shekels Porter he aint. Yet steady here the works success, or escape of it, largely comes down to a matter of build the performance. On the Albany CD, the beguine seems less blatant, even poetic. The aforementioned(prenominal) soloist, Houlik, gets close to haunting you, plainly then he has the support of purify musicians. Nevertheless, even in a understandably superior performance, the piece itself begins to take a diffident afford from your mind, just as soon as it ends. \n\nThe Violin Concerto begins gorgeously, with a sequence of out-of-the-way chord progressions, save the first movement, like the Glass violin concerto, turns out to be longer on atmosphere than on ideas. The second movement, Blues, once again tries to evoke jazz - again, the white dance music of the Forties. It succeeds better than the Saxophone Concerto, move to the level of, say, Franz Waxmans give to The Philadelphia Story . The troika movement has arouse moments whi ch flare and die, plainly the concerto still adds up to mighty little. Its lack of ambition bothers me more than anything. Its successful moments recede the music Ward wrote in the 1940s, and in exactly the alike terms . The music is expert and little more. Id say the same for the ballet cortege The Scarlet letter . Ill take Wards countersign that the Hawthorne novel provided the impetus, but musically and dramatically the nice-guyness of most of this music stands leagues away from the distressing anger not only of the Hawthorne, but of Hansons Merry get up and Wards own Crucible . The only patent reason for this music is the commission. The performances by twiddler Sarah Johnson and conductor Peter Perret are professional, but, as Ive indicated, dont represent the composers case, much(prenominal) as it is, with comfortable advocacy.