Kenneth Fuchs is
fortunate indeed to have not one but two discs of his music
recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra. The first, in 2003,
was nominated for two Grammys in 2005 and the second, recorded
in 2006, should do well too, such is the quality of both the
music and music-making. Holding it all together in the orchestral
pieces and the mixed quintet is conductor JoAnn Falletta, who
made such a strong impression in her recent disc of Respighi
(review).
United Artists,
the first item on the disc, was written specifically for the
LSO as a gesture of thanks for their earlier recording of Fuchs’s
works (Naxos 8.559224). At its core is a four-note motif, presented
first in the Coplandesque opening fanfare. But this isn’t derivative
music; indeed, the composer’s distinctive ‘voice’ is evident
from the outset, and his flair for orchestral colours and sheer
lyricism shine through in this atmospheric opener.
Quiet in the
land is another of those vast musical landscapes that might
provoke comparisons with Copland, yet Fuchs’s evocation of the
Midwestern Plains just as the Iraq war was beginning is rather
more complex and ambiguous in its sentiments. As the composer
writes in the liner notes, ‘I wondered how quiet the spirit
of our land might be’.
Even without this
programme the opening bars hint at harmony, subtly undermined
by vague discord - just listen to that quiet, agitated figure
that begins at 1:30, beneath the more lyrical and expansive
melody above. It is such lucid, ‘hear-through’ writing, yet
it’s full of warmth. The members of the LSO manage to bring
out both these aspects of the score, blending precision with
feeling. And what a haunting close, too.
The recording venue
– St Luke’s in London’s Old Street – is very well captured by
the engineers, with no hint of brittleness or edge. The musicians
seem ideally placed, too, which is particularly welcome in Fire,
Ice, and Summer Bronze for brass quintet. Subtitled an ’Idyll
... after two works on paper by Helen Frankenthaler’ the first
movement yokes together two eternal opposites – fire (the restless
first section) and ice (the more muted second section).
There seems to be
an underlying creative tension in some of these pieces, perhaps
an attempt to reconcile musical and emotional extremes. For
instance, in Summer Bronze the music is strangely mercurial
– now lyrical, now dissonant, now both. But it’s that other
dichotomy, between outward virtuosity and inner feeling, that
these seasoned players – always secure, always poised – convey
so well.
Based on a painting
by Jackson Pollock, Autumn Rhythm does contain some jazzy
snippets, but the emphasis seems to be on sonorities, with long,
lyrical melodic lines and, at times, a quirky bass. It is a
strangely ‘in-between’ piece; to use the autumn analogy, summer
is not quite done, yet winter is on its way. In his notes Fuchs
describes how the two states are drawn together and, indeed,
how one becomes the other: ‘An unusual aspect of this composition
is that in its final section the flute, oboe, and clarinet metamorphose
into their lower – perhaps autumnal – counterparts, the alto
flute, English horn, and bass clarinet.’ It’s a remarkable sleight
of hand, deftly constructed and seamlessly executed.
Canticle of the
Sun – a hymn tune based on 13th-century texts
by St Francis of Assisi – is built on a four-note motif. Written
for the LSO’s principal horn player, Timothy Jones, this 20-minute
gem has a radiant, all-embracing optimism that is just irresistible.
Indeed, it is not unlike a stained glass window, all those fragments
of high colour glowing in the light behind. But at the centre
of it all is Jones’s supple and passionate playing, surely as
seductive a performance of this piece as we are ever likely
to hear.
As with Respighi’s
Church Windows, Falletta displays a sense of line and
phrase that is most welcome in this music. And while I’ve grumbled
about the sound on some Naxos releases I’m prepared to eat humble
pie on this one. The engineers have done an exceptional job
capturing the sound of the LSO at St Luke’s; what a pleasant
change from the dry-as-dust Barbican.
Early days, I know,
but this could be one of my discs of 2008.
Dan Morgan
London Symphony Orchestra1 5/JoAnn Falletta 1 2 5
