I first discovered the music of
John McCabe in an old plastic box outside Hughes Second Hand Bookshop in
Llandudno- circa 1975. Amongst many vinyl records there was a copy of the EMI
recording of the Chagall Windows.
This record was marked up ‘Not for Sale’ so I have always assumed that it was
someone’s review copy. I remember
getting it home and being rather disappointed. The music seemed oddly dissonant
and far removed from Vaughan Williams’ The
Lark Ascending which I had also bought at the same shop. However a few
years later I heard a couple of McCabe’s organ pieces which I thoroughly
enjoyed. When the Chagall Windows was
re-released on CD I bought a copy – one again second-hand. This time I
appreciated it and began to understand the composer’s musical language. Over the years I have heard a fair number of
works from McCabe’s pen, and generally I have liked what I have heard. As an aside, my favourite piece by him is Cloudcatcher Fell for brass band.
John McCabe has been reasonably
well served by the recording industry. Dutton Epoch has released a couple of
excellent CDs dedicated to his concerted pieces, including two piano concertos.
Hyperion has offered his Symphony (Of Time and the River). His major ballet
scores Arthur Pendragon and Edward II are both currently
available. Many more pieces large and
small are in the various catalogues and reward searching out. Some works will
only be located on vinyl by the dedicated collector.
The present CD of chamber works is
therefore a major addition to the repertoire. I have glanced through the
composer’s website discography and believe that only one of these works, Fauvel’s Rondeaux is currently available
elsewhere - Dutton Epoch CDLX 7125. The present version of this work makes use of
the bass clarinet.
I have never listened to any of these works before, so I guess that I come
to them with a largely innocent ear. I am grateful to the excellent liner notes
by the composer.
I believe that 63 minutes of clarinet tone is a lot for the average
listener to cope with at one sitting, so I suggest taking these pieces, one at
a time. They are presented on the disc in chronological order: I recommend listening
to the works thus.
Movements is an excellent little work that provides
a fine introduction to John McCabe’s ‘early’ chamber music style. The seven
very short 'movements’ were originally composed in 1964 when the composer was
about 25 years old. They were dedicated to the Gabrieli Ensemble. The inspiration for the work came from William
Faulkner’s novel The Sound and the Fury.
The full sense of this book (I have not read it) is, apparently, only revealed
after finishing it. The progress of the
music is in the form of a palindrome, though to be honest, without the score I
would probably not have noticed. The last three sections, an allegro agitato,
an allegretto and the concluding lento are palindromes of the first three
movements played in reverse order. The middle section is an adagio and represents
the literal heart of the piece.
McCabe notes that a ‘free variation technique’ is used to create the
‘melodic’ interest in this work. The composer
has avoided the danger of allowing the constructive elements of Movements to reduce it to some kind of
pedantic exercise. The sound world may be fairly and squarely in the serialist
style but he never allows this to spoil the invention and musicality of the
piece. The work was revised in 1966. I
am not sure where the 1969 date in the sleeve notes comes from.
A few years later, McCabe wrote a Sonata for clarinet, cello and
piano. It was a commission by
Brocklehurst-Whiston Amalgamated for the 1969 Macclesfield Arts Festival. It
was dedicated to the Gervase de Peyer, William Pleeth and Peter Wallfisch trio
who gave the work its first performance.
I did wonder why the composer chose to call the work a Sonata rather
than a ‘Trio’, however he explains that ‘he felt that this approach, intent on
treating the instruments as individuals in a dialogue rather than a single
unit, would be more in keeping with a less traditional, though equally abstract
style.’
The single movement work is divided into five sections. Once again the
middle ‘tristamente’ is the heart of the work. The opening lento is recalled in
the concluding andante. There is exciting music in both the ‘allegro’ and the
‘vivo’ sections. I do not believe that a palindrome has been used here – though
the formal working out of this Sonata is certainly well-balanced and turns upon
the central section. John McCabe has suggested that the inspiration for this
work was partly derived from ‘a sense of loneliness and space conveyed by
sections of Stanley Kubrick’s film 2001: A Space Odyssey.’ This mood is well-achieved, although offset
by some dramatic and often exciting music.
Fauvel’s Rondeaux is a massively impressive work. It was conceived
for clarinet (doubling bass clarinet) violin and piano. The work is cast as a
‘gigantic’ rondo with a twist. In a classical rondo the material is presented
as, for example, ABACADA. A is the main
theme and B, C & D are episodes that are usually in contrast to it. But the
main theme is all important. The twist is that McCabe has provided a dynamic,
powerful opening melody which is repeated as in classical rondo. However, the
episodes here form ‘the substance of the music’ rather than a commentary on it.
The work is seen as a pendant to McCabe’s great ballet score Edward II where there appears a group of
jugglers, acrobats, clowns and musicians. They are led by a certain
Fauvel.
The present work manages to balance the elements of ‘entertainment and the
gradually darkening world of conspiracy, lust and power mania’. It achieves this contrast brilliantly. The
musical language is at once approachable and challenging. It is an exciting
work with some moments of unease and discomfort for the listener.
Fauvel’s Rondeaux was commissioned by the Verdehr Trio and Michigan
State University. It was composed during 1995/96.
The latest work on this CD is the
Clarinet Quintet: La Donna. This was commissioned by Linda Merrick and the
Kreutzer Quartet and was first performed at the Royal Northern College of Music
in Manchester on June 15 2011. The quintet
does appear to be a little bit of a pot-pourri of styles. Fundamentally lyrical
and always approachable, this is music that explores a diverse range of musical
devices. From plainsong melody, dance music, hints (and only hints) of
minimalist textures, jazzy interludes and even ‘pop’ the composer throws idea
after idea at the listener. It is largely uplifting music, however there are
some reflective moments in the score. The conclusion is a riot of sound. It may not be fair to say that the latest
work is best – but I certainly feel that this is a fine piece of music that
will (hopefully) take up its place in the clarinet quintet repertoire.
I cannot fault the playing on
this disk. All the soloists and the
chamber ensemble play this music with flair, concentration and obvious
pleasure. I mentioned the excellent liner notes by the composer. The sound quality is excellent and
consistently reveals the clarity of the instrumentation.
I enjoyed every work on this CD,
although I have to say that the Quintet and the Fauvel’s Rondeaux impressed me most. Both works exhibit an impressive understanding
of form – one a ‘traditional’ rondo and the other appearing to be largely through composed.
Track Listing:
Movements for clarinet, violin and cello (1964/66) Sonata for clarinet, cello and piano (1969) Fauvel’s Rondeaux for clarinet, violin and piano (1995/6) Clarinet Quintet La Donna (2010/2011) [18:45]
Linda Merrick (clarinet) Peter Sheppard Skaerved (violin) Neil Heyde (cello) Aaron Shorr (piano)
Kreutzer Quartet: Peter Sheppard Skaerved (violin) Mihailo Trandafilovski (violin) Morgan Goff (viola) Neil Heyde (cello)
With thanks to MusicWeb International where this review first appeared.
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