Lazarof: Concerto for cello No1; Continuum

On this CD:

1. Concerto for cello & orchestra No 1
Composed by Henri Lazarof
Performed by Oakland Symphony Orchestra with Laurence Lesser
Conducted by Gerhard Samuel

2. Cadence II for viola & tape
Composed by Henri Lazarof
Performed by Milton Thomas

3. Continuum for string trio
Composed by Henri Lazarof
Performed by Laurence Lesser, Milton Thomas

4. Cadence V for flute & tape
Composed by Henri Lazarof
Performed by James Galway, James Galway, James Galway

Tracks:

Deep Color
The Fairy Answer
Fabric
Tiger
Con Moto-Allegro
Lento
Allegro Moderato
Molto Vivace
'A Sharp Where You'd Expect A Natural'
'Hark! From The Pit A Fearsome Sound'
'Who Wrote This Fiendish 'Rite Of Spring'?'
Largo
Allegretto
Andante Tranquillo
Allegro Marcato
Andante Calmato
Presto
Polyphonica, For Small Orchestra
The Banshee
The Leprechaun
The Fairy Bells

Customer Reviews:

An overview of Cowell's various compositional styles - but not always his most innovative and interesting music.......2007-03-25

This disc - a Naxos re-release of a recording made in 1990 and first published by Musical Heritage Society - provides a good overview of Cowell's various compositional styles - but not always his most innovative and interesting music.

The sunny Quartet for Flute, Oboe, Cello and Harpsichord (1954) would make a fine companion piece to Manuel de Fallas's Concerto for Harpsichord. Its neo-classical style (including a Bach-derived melody erupting at 1:40 in the 1st movement and a kind of medieval court dance at 0:50 in the finale) and somewhat rarefied textures are close to Falla's, but without the Spaniard's unique compositional voice. It is the kind of music that Poulenc, Milhaud, Sauguet or Françaix at their lightest could have written. "Polyphonica" (1930) is a short (3:45) study in dissonant counterpoint, again sounding quite neo-classical in its perky sonorities and rhythmic sprightliness.

The 6-movement Suite for Violin and Piano from 1925 again is modeled after the baroque suite. While the piano part (especially in the 1st and 5th movements) has some of the traits so characteristic of Cowell's compositions for the instrument, like deep sounding tone clusters, the violin melodies are mostly Bach-derived, making it all sound like the kind of Bach transcription so much in favor in the fifties. The suite's concept reminds me of George Antheil's 2nd violin and piano sonata (see my review of George Antheil: Violin Sonatas 1, 2 & 4), in which the violin part is supposed to represent the trite music of past and present and the piano, the pounding, dissonant music of the future - but Antheil's composition is much more original, provocative and fun than Cowell's. In the same style, Stravinsky's Suite Italienne (an arrangement of his Ballet Pulcinella after music attributed - at the time of the composition - to Pergolesi) is also a more endearing composition. Violinist Mia Wu's pitch is not always perfect and her tone verges on the sour.

The three "Anti-Modernist" (e.g. anti modern music) Newspaper poems that Cowell set to music in 1938 are hilarious - and there is obviously a personal message in their selection by the composer: the first, written in 1884, castigates the "clang, clash, clatter, clatter, clang and clash" of... Wagner's music, the second, from 1909, denounces the "Symphonic cyclones", the unchained "dogs of war", "the wild sarrusophones", the heckelphone suggesting "the crack of doom", the earthquake-producing "tonitruone" in... Richard Strauss' operas, and the last, in 1924, berates the "crash, clash, cling, clang, bing, bang, bing" - "what right had he to write the thing?" - of... Stravinsky's "fiendish" Rite of Spring! So Cowell makes it clear that new and innovative music like his own is always first decried and accused of being mere noise, before gaining universal acceptance (which sadly is not yet really the case with his). That said, the three songs are somewhat disappointing, in that they are couched in a musical idiom that is far removed from Cowell's customary "crashes, clashes and bangs", but quite traditional, full of grand Romantic gestures. Mezzo Ellen Lang acquits herself serviceably but with a voice of no particular bloom.

Ultimately, the most interesting pieces on this disc are those in which Cowell the experimenter and innovator is more in evidence: the four piano pieces (but the 1963 composer-performed selection of 19 of them on a Smithsonian/Folkways CD of Piano Music is a better choice for this essential part of Cowell's output, despite the disc's sonic insufficiencies) and the Irish Suite for "String piano" (as Cowell called it) and Small Orchestra - actually an arrangement in form of a concerto of three of the solo string piano pieces, and a fascinating etude in mysterious sonorities.

About Time.......2006-01-09

It is indeed about time that we get recordings of this American Master's work. His centennial passed in 1997 with all too little fanfare and many of his works unavailable to the listening public.
But leave it to the wonderful folks at NAXOS to bring such essential music from unjust obscurity and make it available at such friendly prices.
The venerable new music ensemble "Continuum" has recorded much obscure, difficult (at least to perform) and essential American music. Past recordings have included the works of Ives, Babbitt, Kirchner, Seeger, Wolpe, etc. And NAXOS is planning to re-release their recording of music by the expatriate genius Conlon Nancarrow as well.
This disc and its companion volume 2 (both apparently re-releases)contain great performances of this listenable repertoire by a composer whose work inspired the likes of John Cage, Lou Harrison, Aaron Copland, Roger Sessions and a host of significant composers. His experimental work gave rise to new musical techniques he later outlined in his seminal book "New Musical Resources".
These chamber works come from a range of times in Cowell's career and are representative of his talents in the chamber and solo repertoire.
Joel Sachs and Cheryl Seltzer along with their colleagues have given us great musicianship and fine recordings. Anyone interested in American classical music of the early and mid-twentieth century will not be disappointed. These discs belong in your collection.

Average customer rating:

Delius & Dyson: Music for Cello & Piano

Manufacturer: Continuum
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Choruses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

A Cappella | Folk | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000003X0C
Release Date: 1993-08-25

Orpheus Singing: The Chamber Music of Virko Baley, Vol. 2

Average customer rating:

Orpheus Singing: The Chamber Music of Virko Baley, Vol. 2

Manufacturer: Cambria Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000KLNLXC
Release Date: 2006-10-24

Average customer rating:

Lyell Cresswell: Orchestral Music I

Manufacturer: Continuum
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000003X0H
Release Date: 1993-08-25

Average customer rating:

Orpheus Singing: The Chamber Music of Virko Baley, Vol. 2

Manufacturer: Cambria Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000003XP1
Release Date: 1996-01-23

Average customer rating:

Music of Henri Lazarof

Manufacturer: Composers Recordings
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Trios | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000005TVK
Release Date: 1994-06-10

Tracks:

Concerto For Violencello And Orchestra, No. 1
Cadence II
Continuum
Cadence V

Music Track:

Music Track

music track

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