Monday, July 9, 2007 ... 6:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. ... KZSU, 90.1 FM

Another sub for Romain's "Mixed Up Class." Previous examples found here and here.

Special guest this time was Liane Curtis, president of the Rebecca Clarke Society, an east-coast nonprofit dedicated to studying Clarke's music and getting more exposure for it. Back in 2003, I relayed the story of Clarke's most famous composition, the Sonata for Viola and Piano, which nearly won a 1919 competiton. Curtis filled us in on other details of Clarke's life, and on the copyright spat that's keeping much of Clarke's work out of the public eye.

Format:
COMPOSER: "PIECE" -- ARTIST -- ALBUM TITLE (LABEL, YEAR)
Horizontal lines denote microphone breaks.

Boldface indicates the central focus of the album... sometimes classical recordings focus on the composer; sometimes they're more geared toward showcasing a particular artist. The distinction is often arbitrary, so -- no griping!

Antonio Vivaldi: "Concerto in C Minor, RV 441" [for alto recorder, two violins, viola, basso continuo] -- Matthias Maute, recorder; Rebel -- Shades of Red (Bridge, 2005)

"Rebel" is apparently some kind of strings ensemble led by Jorg-Michael Schwarz. The album includes a list of the instruments they played -- as in, what years they were made; Schwarz plays a Jacobus Stainer, Absam violin from 1668!

Brahms "Cello Sonata No. 2 in F Major" -- Two Cello Sonatas (Epic)

Part of our dusty, lovable collection of classical vinyl, chosen at random among the Brahmses. This piece has a couple of nearly "modern" sounding phrases tossed in there, quite surprising. Or maybe I just don't know Brahms enough.

Brinckman is a flautist, and East West is a strings ensemble that includes harp and cello. This piece was written in 2004 but doesn't go too far on the "crazy and modern" scale; it actually made a nice pairing with the Brahms.

With Jarrett on clavichord, a harpsichord-sounding instrument. Some tracks are delicate and classical-sounding; others, like this one, get thumpy and abstract. Jarrett pounds the lower registers at times for a percussive effect -- when I say "pounds," I mean he's just slapping the lower keys indiscriminately. This one manages to be tuneful, despite what I just said, with the percussive effect coming in like a drum.

Melinda Wagner: "Concerto for Flute, Strings, and Percussion" [2nd mvmt.] -- Paul Lustig Dunke, flute; Westchester Philharmonic, Mark Mandarano, conductor -- Melinda Wagner/Poul Ruders (Bridge, 2000)

The Pulitzer Prize winner in 1999, this is a dramatic, slashing concerto full of action. With my mind still in early-morning mode, it was a bit much to take, so I went with the second movement: slower stuff, with a sense of gentle menace. Very nice piece overall.

This is a mostly modern recording -- "Lots of clusters, intriguing counterpoint, super tight compositions, wide stylistic range, dynamic performances," as KZSU DJ Mufaor describes it. This particular piece ends the piano trio composition "The March of Folly" and has a quieter, concluding feel.

Here begins the vocal music "hour."

John Tavener: "Funeral Ikos" -- The Kings Singers -- Sermons and Devotions (Catalyst/BMG, 2004; orig. released 1995)

Droning choral work with a gentle touch, from an all-male ensemble. This CD collects several 20th-century composers' work, most of it in a rather traditional vein, although some pieces get more "modern." The title track, by Richard Rodney Bennett, gets into some spiky harmonies that almost seem influenced by early jazz, and later sounds a lot like a barbershop quartet. That might be a cultural contamination on my part, since three or four high-toned male voices in harmony will conjure up barbershop memories in any modern listener.

John Harmon: "Light Feet" -- Patrice Michaels (soprano), Elizabeth Buccheri (piano) -- American Songs (Cedille, 2006)

Libby Larson: "Perineo" -- Patrice Michaels (soprano), Elizabeth Buccheri (piano) -- American Songs (Cedille, 2006)

From a CD of a varied set of classical songs. The Harmon piece, a world premiere recording, is a jazzy lilt with chipper wordless vocals. (Were it on a jazz disc as opposed to "classical," I might not have played it. Funny how that goes.) "Perineo" is more traditionally classical- sounding, with passages in what I'm guessing is Italian, quite dramatic.

Nicholas Maw: "Six Interiors" -- Philip Langridge (tenor), Stephen Marchionda (guitar) -- Songs for Tenor and Guitar (Chandos, 2005)

A wandering and often sparse piece, pensive. Written in 1966, but got its recorded debut here. Has kind of a humorous slant to it, the closing line being "Any dolt can do it!" I don't know why, but this CD has become a staple of these classical shows for me. The guitar sound is a refreshing break from the violins and pianos, and the vocals just seem right (maybe it's just a good CD). Romain has played Langridge one time that I'm aware of, which makes me feel a little more justified. (Type any name in here and you'll get a listing of who's played their stuff since about 2001.)

Elliott Carter: "Three Poems of Robert Frost" -- Patrick Mason (baritone), Speculum Musicae (David Starobin, conductor) -- Elliott Carter: The Vocal Works (1975-1981) (Bridge, 2005)

Hey, I didn't go as extreme as I could have here! Other pieces, like "A Mirror on Which to Dwell," feature all kinds of swooping, darting phrases that easily qualify as "modern" or "weird." This five-minute set of songs is quite subdued and even traditional, by comparison.

Richard Nanes -- "Rhapsody and Fugato No. 2" [1st movement] -- Rhapsody and Fugato No. 2 (Delfon, 1996)

A modern composer who writes in traditional styles and (apparently) releases the results on his own label. It's not bad stuff but very showy -- high in technique, wanting in compositional ideas.

Really a piece for clarinet and viola, adapted here for the bass clarinet and viola. Darkwood Consort is a bass clarinet/viola duo from Boise, Idaho, of all places; I've played them before.

Rebecca Clarke: "Untitled Piece for Viola and Piano" -- Philip Dukes, viola -- Viola Sonata, Dumka, [et.al.] (Naxos, 2007)

A piece that got its recorded premiere on this disk. That's one reason I played it during the interview; the other, I have to admit, was length. This CD presents an overview of Clarke's work, with track-by-track liner notes from Liane Curtis.

Rebecca Clarke: "Sonata for Viola and Piano" -- Philip Dukes, viola -- Viola Sonata, Dumka, [et.al.] (Naxos, 2007)

Previously noted, with the story of the 1919 competiton, here.

! The Polyphonic Spree -- "The Championship" -- The Fragile Army (TVT, 2007)

(Went back to the normal Artist/Title/Label format for this track.)

You have to get to know these guys. For the uninitiated, they're a 24-piece band that counts as indie rock, with guitars, drums, keyboards, a lead singer ... but also french horn, flute, cello, and an eight-member choir, among other things. Their music is relentlessly uplifting in a way that's actually caught on with cynical hipsters. I got to see them at South by Southwest back before their first album came out, all decked in white robes. (Best SxSW story, from an acquaintance: He was having breakfast when the whole band walked into the restaurant. "There's, uh, a lot of them.") A couple years later they swung through San Francisco on a tour that they didn't have time to promote much -- but they managed to sell out Slim's, much to their surprise. They loved the enthusiastic crowd, and it was a great time.

You don't run around with a 24-piece band without attracting some attention, and the Spree has now become a media machine. They got an appearance on Scrubs. There's even a movie apparently made about the making of this, their eagerly hyped-up third album. They're decked out in austere black uniforms this time around, but the sound is just as joyous and infectious. I don't begrudge them their publicity or attention; it's a deserving project.

Naturally, this is one of those bands that's always better live than on record. This record comes pretty close, though. Great stuff.

* = Item in KZSU rotation
! = Pop anomaly
? = Item not in KZSU library

-- Go back to Memory Select playlists.
-- Bay Area free/improv music calendar: http://www.bayimproviser.com.