Charles Wuorinen - Chamber Music

Charles WUORINEN (1938-2020)

Chamber Music

Scherzo (2007) *

First String Quartet (1971) **

Viola Variations (2008) ***

Second Piano Quintet (2008) ****

Peter Serkin (piano) *,****

Lois Martin (viola) **,***; 

Brentano String Quartet 

(Mark Steinberg (violin), Serena Canin (violin), Misha Amory (viola), Nine Lee (cello)) ****; 

Curtis Macomber (violin) **; Jesse Mills (violin) **; Fred Sherry (cello) **

rec. Theater C SUNY (State University of New York) Purchase, New York 19 May 2004 **

rec. American Academy of Arts and Letters, New York 29 October 2009 ***

rec. American Academy of Arts and Letters, New York 18 September 2009 ****

rec. American Academy of Arts and Letters, New York 19 September 2009 *

 

Charles Wuorinen (1938-2020) has been composing rich, complex and heady material for over fifty years I remember first being exposed to Wuorinen's music through an old Nonesuch recording of his electronics piece, "Time's Encomium" from 1970, for which he won the Pulitzer Prize. Wuorinen has written in virtually every genre, including opera and he has served as a faculty member at many of the country's most prestigious schools of music. Stravinsky, himself, considered Wuorinen an important composer on the world wide stage; not just among those from America. Wuorinen has been described as a "maximalist," writing music luxuriant with events, lyrical and expressive, strikingly dramatic. His works are characterized by powerful harmonies and elegant craftsmanship, offering at once a link to the music of the past and a vision of a rich musical future. I find all of his music to be fascinating to listen to but also very aurally needy. This is not a music that serves well - or should - as simple "background" music. It is much interesting to follow pitch rows, textures and the surprising moments of drama that come from sudden articulations and exotic harmonies. This new disc from Naxos is the latest in a wonderful series on Naxos, with more planned, featuring some of Wuorinen's finest works. On this recording, the two string quartets are reason enough to engage in the listening. The First String Quartet (1971) is elegant and arresting all at once. There are attractive layers of melody and elements of repetition that sound almost as if they belong to a different composer. The solo writing is strong and virtuostic. The second string quartet work is actually the Second Piano Quintet from 2008. This piece makes a strong immediate impression. The opening is vibrant and highly rhythmic while the fourth movement (without a specified tempo designation) is almost jarring in its melancholy. The Quintet also benefits from moments of strong solo writing. In each movement, a different instrument takes the lead. This is, clearly, very difficult music to perform but so fascinating to listen to. The Brentano String Quartet with pianist Peter Serkin give convincing, vibrant performances. The other solo works in this collection are wholly engaging as well. The Scherzo for piano, from 2007, is a sparkling, almost jazz-like work filled with constantly shifting rhythms and requiring amazing digital dexterity. Serkin, for whom the work was written, gives a wonderful and artistic performance where pyrotechnics and careful mannerisms coexist. The Viola Variations (2008) were another brilliant surprise for me. The viola is an instrument capable of great expression. Violist Lois Martin provides that exactly from the moment of the first glissando and into some wonderful turns, trills and twists. The work itself is serialist but there is plenty of consonance as the work revolves around a small amount of key pitches without being in a traditional key. There is drama in this work and very enjoyable to listen to. For me, the best thing about this collection is becoming more familiar with Wuorinen's music than I was and wanting to hear more. The other discs in this Naxos collection, especially his Dante Trilogy sound fascinating and I am anxious to explore more. This music is, as I said, something that is best appreciated by careful, somewhat analytical, listening but it is well worth the experience into this American master; perhaps not known as much as he deserves.

Amazon Reviewer 2011