Madeleine DRING (1923 – 1977) Trio (1971/1972) [16:08]
Paul ANGERER (b.1927) Chanson Gaillarde (1963) [10:42]
Geoffrey BUSH (1920 – 1998) Trio (1952/1953) [11:10]
David SARGENT (b.1941) Kaleidoscope (2007) [8:26]
Margaret GRIEBLING–HAIGH (b.1960) Trocadillos (2003)
[21:09]
The Sundance Trio (Geralyn Giovannetti (oboe); Christian Smith (bassoon);
Jed Moss (piano))
rec. 28, 30 April, 1, 5 May 2007, DeJong Concert Hall, School of Music, Brigham
Young University, Provo, Utah. DDD
CENTAUR CRC 2961 [67:37]
If you know Madeleine Dring’s music the opening of this Trio will come
as a surprise for it is marked Drammatico; a less drammatico composer
I cannot imagine! But once the movement moves into the allegro section
it becomes typical Dring, and it’s most pleasing. Dring loved the music of
Francis Poulenc and there are slight references to that composer here, but,
in general, her music is rather more pungent than that of her French colleague.
Dring’s music is unpretentious and this energetic little piece is full of
that jubilation which typifies so much of her work. It makes a really nice
start to this fascinating recital.
Paul Angerer will be better known to you as a conductor – he led some of Alfred
Brendel’s Mozart recordings on Turnabout in the 1960s. He has written a significant
amount of music in most genres. Chanson Gaillarde, despite its title,
is a four movement suite and has a distinct whiff of Stravinsky in its writing,
which is neo-classical. It’s light and frivolous and most enjoyable; the finale
is a total laugh–a–minute! This is a very nice addition to the slender repertoire
for oboe, bassoon and piano.
Geoffrey Bush was one of those composers whose name one saw often but one
seldom seemed to hear his music. His output isn’t huge, but it encompasses
five operas, two symphonies and lots of songs. This Trio starts with
a very severe slow introduction but Bush dispels the mood as soon as the allegro
starts and one realizes that the portentousness of the introduction is the
first of many jokes. As with the Dring, the spirit of Poulenc hangs over this
work but it isn’t derivative. It’s just the marvellous facility the composer
displays in his handling of the material which is similar to the Frenchman.
A long slow section starts the second movement. A brief fast and witty section
brings the work to a scintillating close. Nice stuff.
The other two works on this disk are new to me. David Sargent taught composition
at Brigham Young University for over thirty years until his retirement last
year. Kaleidoscope is a one movement piece with various contrasted
sections. There is little substance to the music, and it seems to have the
hand of academe behind it: little inspiration but lots of knowledge as to
how to put a piece of music together. It isn’t a work I would wish to hear
too often for it doesn’t engage the mind sufficiently for me to care about
it.
Margaret Griebling–Haigh is from a family of composers and the notes tell
us that Trocadillos is a set of three good–humoured pieces, and they
are! The humour isn’t quite as spontaneous as it is in the first three works
recorded here. However it’s certainly a lovely suite which knows how to entertain.
Its total unpretentiousness, a rarity in so much contemporary music, is most
welcome.
This is a good disk to which to put up your feet up and simply enjoy the sounds
the instruments make. In general it is most entertaining and enjoyable. No
masterpieces or deeply serious pieces here, but there is a lot of good feeling
and fun. Well worth investigating.
Bob Briggs
Most entertaining and enjoyable … see Full Review