Moonchild’s
Dream is the first work
by Thomas Koppel that I ever heard. It was released on
an RCA disc (09026 62543-2) including several concertos
written for Michala Petri, among which Holmboe’s splendid Recorder
Concerto Op.122 and Malcolm Arnold’s equally
fine Recorder Concerto Op.133, both of
which were then receiving their world premiere recordings,
as did the other works: Koppel, Kulesha, Christiansen.
I do not know whether this disc is still available, but
it is well worth looking for.
Thomas
Koppel, who made quite a name with the rock group Savage
Rose, which he founded, is the son of the Danish composer-pianist
Herman D. Koppel (1908–1998). As can easily be guessed, his
musical background is quite varied, including jazz and rock,
which influenced his musical thinking, as well as a more
traditional musical upbringing. This also shows in the three
works recorded here, although none of them could be described
as rock- or jazz-influenced. They display a remarkably refreshing
approach. All three are straightforward, richly melodic and
colourful, in an eminently accessible idiom.
Moonchild’s
Dream is a tone poem,
the programme of which is given in a short poem penned
by the composer (printed in the insert notes), something
he also did for the next work Nele’s Dance written
at about the same time. “The recorder concerto is a kind
of declaration of love for the creative life force that
bubbles up from the cracks and fissures in the city pavements” (the
composer’s words). The piece opens with ominous timpani
strokes that will reappear later as a motto representing
the dark side of life in Copenhagen’s South Harbour area,
one of the poorest neighbourhoods in the city. These
do not stop the girl dreaming of a better life, to skip
and dance lightly in spite of menacing clouds. Flights
of fancy dispel the gloomy atmosphere suggested by the
timpani. The presence of the sea is discreetly evoked
by soft rolls on suspended cymbals. The girl’s innocence
is reflected in the simple, warmly melodic material,
perfectly suited to the recorder. All in all, a really
lovely work. There is not much to choose between this
reading and that on the RCA disc. I simply find that
the present performance has more urgency than the earlier
one (English Chamber Orchestra and Okko Kamu).
The
composer also penned a short ten-line poem for his next work
for recorder, Nele’s Dance. Each line is the
heading for a movement - the poem is also reprinted in the
notes. Nele’s Dance for recorders
(sopranino and tenor) and archlute was written for Michala
Petri and her husband Lars Hannibal. This suite of short
miniatures is inspired by Charles de Coster’s novel The Story
of Eulenspiegel and Lame Goedzak. Nele is Eulenspiegel’s
sweetheart. I must say that the poem only obliquely refers
to de Coster’s work, but this really does not matter for
the ensuing music is quite beautiful, richly melodic and
subtly written. Koppel originally thought of writing the
piece for recorders and guitar, but eventually preferred
the archlute which evokes period instruments.
To
a certain extent, Los Angeles Street Concerto is
a more serious, harmonically more tense piece. Though still
strongly melodic, the music is more stringent and the scoring
for nine solo strings and celesta emphasises the overtly
realistic content of the music. The piece as a whole might
be experienced as an urban nocturne suggested by Los Angeles’ city
centre at night, when the homeless are left to their fate.
The composer described it as “a little tale in [these] gloomy
surroundings”, but again the music for all its comparative
austerity does not exclude hope for something better.
Michala
Petri plays marvellously throughout and is splendidly partnered
by her husband and the two orchestras involved, and the recording
is very fine and warmly natural. This is a really lovely
disc with three lovely works that certainly deserve to be
heard. My sole complaint is the rather short playing time
that might have allowed for the inclusion of some other work
by Koppel, although the idea was of course to have Koppel’s
three works for recorder on one single disc. So, no earthshaking
masterpieces, but three attractive works that have you whistling
the tunes long afterwards.
Hubert Culot
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Michala
Petri (recorders); Lars Hannibal (archlute)b;
Copenhagen Philharmonic Orchestraa; Kremerata
Balticac; Bo Holten (conductor)a 
