I have long been a
fan of Dan Laurin’s solo playing, and
admire his pioneering spirit in promoting
his instrument both from within and
beyond its normal confines of Baroque
repertoire. I have worked with recorder
players in creating new pieces before,
and have had the opportunity of seeing
how techniques from all corners of wind
playing can be applied to new compositions
for the instrument. This is a rare opportunity
to see how the humble recorder fares
in front of a full modern symphony orchestra.
Daniel Börtz’s
work came about as a commission from
the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra,
and pulls no punches with a rhythmic,
machine-like tutti opening whose powerful
sound is easily penetrated by a sopranino
recorder. As the composer says, ‘the
Joker’s little whistle’ turns ‘the full
sonic weight of the orchestra upside
down’. The composer also goes on to
mention that ‘combining a single recorder
often demands unusual and innovative
solutions in terms of orchestration’.
This is fair, but Börtz also solves
the problem with an extended solo for
low recorder, and by leaving the orchestra
its own extended tuttis. The recorder
is also mixed with some delightfully
scored percussion sections, sometimes
growing out of, or answering more fragmentary
orchestral statements. After an expansive
and solemn final orchestral chorale,
the soprano recorder trips in once more,
cheekily turning the final moments into
a departure, much as the opening was
very much an arrival.
Ingvar Karkoff’s Concerto,
scored for recorder and wind orchestra,
to some extent avoids the danger of
losing the recorder into thick string
textures. The mellow tenor recorder
used in the opening dances in between
the punchy brass chords, its sound distinctive
enough to make it clearly audible. The
recorder mixes with the woodwind in
a surprisingly satisfying way, and percussion
once again plays a significant role
in rendering the orchestral textures
transparent without loosing weight or
rhythmic impulse. With the basic melodic
cell being simple, tonal and triadic,
the music explores harmonics and bell-like
timbres – the lack of chromatic ‘crowding’
also helping the open sound. Karkoff
has the recorder exploring more extended
effects than Börtz, with flutter-tonguing,
multiphonics, glissandi and vocalising
from Dan, who takes such things very
much in his stride. After just such
a rhapsodic passage there is a particularly
nice development from around 11.35,
which has a Sibelian mixed with medieval
character which is surprising and gorgeous.
The final part of the piece is taken
on the soprano recorder, and the character
of the music changes, with hints of
Stravinsky, but with the antique quality
of the recorder always bringing in a
surreal quality. With more menacing
drums picking up the pace the character
of the music changes again - imagine
(if you are old enough and British enough)
one of ‘The Clangers’ being dragged
through the Spanish Inquisition. The
final section re-introduces the triadic
theme of the opening, and concludes
with some succulent chorale-like moments
from the brass. The ending could have
offered more for me – concluding in
a pop and a squeak rather than the true
apotheosis which the theme promises.
Nonetheless this is a fascinating work,
and a highly successful concerto.
The CD ends with a
recorder trio, which programmatically
might have more logically appeared as
the second work – making it the filling
to a concerto sandwich. Fredrik Österling
was inspired in this work by Petrarch’s
Canzona No.363, which is printed
in full and translated into English
in the booklet. The piece is superbly
crafted and equally well performed.
There is an incredible amount going
on here – from unison alarm calls, subtle
timbre and breath effects, intensely
through-composed counterpoint and considerable
rhythmic virtuosity. Simplicity and
complexity are juxtaposed in a piece
which is anything but thin sounding,
and with this trio’s immaculate intonation
it is easy to be fooled into imagining
that there are more than three players
at work.
Bis have a justified
reputation for producing desirable discs,
and with this new CD of high quality,
substantial and original new music they
have certainly done themselves no disservice.
Dan Laurin’s message that the recorder
can hold its own in orchestral works
is amply proven, and the part this instrument
plays in these pieces goes far beyond
gimmick or novelty effect. He rightly
describes the recorder as having ‘the
curse of being a pedagogical tool’,
but we composers know it has the secret
of a special sound colour – one which
consciously or unconsciously calls up
associations with the human voice, or
the more obvious pastime of whistling.
The theatrical ‘Joker’s Tales’ each
have a world of their own – walled gardens
into which it would be nice to be able
to step, now and again – but you have
to buy the CD first!
Dominy Clements
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Dan Laurin (recorder) 
