The Voxman Project
Kirk O’RIORDAN (b. 1968)
Ductus figuratus – Concerto for Alto Saxophone (2008) [19:58]
Darius MILHAUD (1892-1974)
La création du monde (1923) [16:50]
Kurt WEILL (1900-1950)
Kleine Dreigroschenmusik (1928) [20:23]
Kenneth Tse (alto saxophone), Chamber Ensemble/Richard Mark Heidel
rec. 2020/21, The Voxman Building, University of Iowa, USA
CRYSTAL RECORDS CD782 [57:23]
The name of this CD – “The Voxman Project” – and a wedge of a building set in a bright blue sky on the CD cover, is taken from the recording location – the Voxman Building of the University of Iowa. The nameless ensemble which plays seems to comprise largely students and faculty of the University of Iowa, while its conductor, Richard Mark Heidel, is Director of Bands and Professor of Music at the University. Kenneth Tse, the saxophone virtuoso who plays the concerto by Kirk O’Riordan, is also on the staff of the University. This, then, is a recording which showcases the music faculty of University of Iowa and, as such, might be seen more as a release for domestic consumption with little more than publicity value to the outside world.
Nevertheless, there are precious few saxophone concertos around, so any new one is worthy of interest; and O’Riordan’s is certainly a work worth investigating. It must be said that, for much of this 20-minute work, he seems so intent on moving away from the saxophone’s traditional stomping ground of jazz, that it often seems dauntingly dark and heavyweight. It comes as a bit of a surprise, therefore, to read that it was, to an extent, inspired by Orff’s Carmina burana. You will search in vain for musical connections, but the influence is found in the Latinate title of the work and of its four movements. The short third movement – “Tripudo” – is the lightest of the three, and in the fourth (“Demum”), after a desolate violin solo, beautifully played here by Scott Conklin, there is, in the jagged, angular rhythms, and foot-tripping syncopations, something quite invigorating. There is a lot of clever and effective writing here, and Tse is a splendidly fluent and masterful advocate for this new concerto.
Those two classic examples of 1920s style dance music, Le Création du Monde, and the Suite from the Threepenny Opera, seem incongruous companions to the O’Riordan work, since they both unequivocally celebrate jazz and, for all their dark undertones, are undeniably cheerful and infectious. The performance of the Milhaud certainly does not want for energy and enthusiasm, and there is some outstanding clarinet playing in the “Dance of Desire”, while the saxophone of Tse shines brilliantly in the final mêlée. Of the two works, the Weill certainly receives the more accomplished performance here, combining that youthful vigour notable in the Milhaud with a considerable degree of instrumental polish. I particularly like the delicately stepping tuba of John Manning and the warmly muted trombone of David Gier in “Mack the Knife”, and throughout the piece the instrumental texture is richly enhanced by a well-balanced piano/banjo backing (Minji Kwon and Steve Grismore). Heidel keeps it all light and fresh, and the result is a most creditable performance which stands comparison with the best in the field
Marc Rochester
