http://ax.itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZSearch.woa/wa/search?term=Flint%20Juventino%20Beppe www.cdbaby.com/Search/RmxpbnQgSnV2ZW50aW5vIEJlcHBlIA%3d%3d/0
By including all three digital albums in one review, I had
intended to be fairly brief but, such are the attractions of the works recorded
here, I make no apology for providing a much longer blog than usual.
The first of these
recordings is entitled Seasons of Life and features a number of
Beppe’s chamber and solo piano works.
Beppe’s Violin Sonata
No.1, op.50 has a brilliantly vibrant, rhythmic opening for piano to the
first movement, soon joined by the violin that then works out the material. This
is a terrific movement with a gentler, quieter, limpid central section that
reveals some lovely ideas before the piano brings the return of the opening
tempo.
With the second movement,
the piano introduces a thoughtful slow theme that speeds as the violin joins
in a rather quixotic theme with varying rhythms brilliantly played by Håvard
Daae Rognli (violin) https://twitter.com/hrognli
and Wolfgang Plagge (piano) http://wolfgangplagge.classicalmgt.com
It is the violin that opens the last movement immediately
joined by the piano in a whimsical theme that slowly becomes more insistent in
the violin part with the piano providing chords against which the violinist
plays and weaves his theme before, eventually speeding to the coda. This is a terrific piece full of Beppe’s distinctive
rhythms.
With High Mountains
of Music, Op.8, Tom Ottar Andreassen (flute) www.barrattdue.no/nor/hoyskole/larere/tom_ottar_andreassen
joins Wolfgang Plagge (piano) for this
two movement work that opens with Polar
Nights, both players bringing a dreamy, languid quality to the theme that
slowly rises upwards. After continuing
to rise and fall, the music becomes more animated as develops with some lovely
arabesques for flute.
Northern Lights brings
more flute arabesques weaving around the piano before increasing in tempo,
halfway, with a more florid passage, full of lovely colours and textures.
People of Blue
Dimension, op.4a for piano solo, features again Wolfgang Plagge and opens
with Waltz of the Queen, a slow theme
that gently strolls along, with lovely little decorations around a gentle waltz
rhythm. Absent Brain has a rapidly
descending motif that rushes ahead ending in quite an animated way. Nudification is a slow section with some
nicely harmonised piano phrases before Unsteady
Course, with its insistent theme,
rushes forward with tumbling, descending scales and a rocking, unsteady left
hand accompaniment.
A floridly harmonised Intermezzo
has a slow waltz tempo that gently wanders along with some fine decorations
before the strident Persecution Mania
hammers out a rhythmic, bouncing theme that could, if allowed, easily become a
moto perpetuum. Crushing the Giant has
a frantic theme with crashing left hand chords its relaxed conclusion. Finally
there is Resignation that has a
lovely relaxed opening that precedes a more frantic section with cascading
scales and florid piano writing, before returning to the relaxed nature of the
opening.
There is some exceptionally fine playing from Wolfgang
Plagge here who continues with Cookery
book of Kornåld, Op.7, a four movement piece opening with the huge chords
of Furious Meat, full of strength and
power. A three note motif, with accompaniment high in the register, opens Siamese Cabbage, leading to a more
insistent faster theme for right hand as the left holds the three note motif.
Later a longer theme arrives as Plagge keeps a descending theme in his left
hand that ends with the three note motif.
Born to be Popcorn
has a bubbling, vibrant opening followed by calmer phrases that are repeated
and interspersed before the rapidly running theme of Running Fish Cake arrives, to which the left hand adds a slightly
broader motif before chords bring the coda.
The Flute Sonata
No.1, Op.40 is in three movements commencing with a Moderato that opens with a lovely piano theme before the flute
joins weaving its melody around the piano in this particularly fine movement
that has a real forward momentum. The flute brings a rising motif to the
opening of the Adagio before the
piano joins and the theme develops. The piano leads forward with the flute
adding a melody. The Presto brings
some particularly fine flute playing as this movement hurtles off. It slows a
little, with lovely flute motifs before continuing to move quickly ahead,
flowing around with many attractive and rhythmically varying ideas before the
sparkling coda.
There is terrific playing from Tom Ottar Andreassen and Wolfgang
Plagge in this gem of a sonata.
Wolfgang Plagge is the soloist for Seasons of Life, Op.2 a four movement work opening with Life in Development introduced by a
rippling theme with a firmer left hand motif that brings a stability to the
music. It develops with some lovely moments finely played with some extremely
unusual and attractive ideas. Life in
Prosperity moves ahead frantically and forcefully with some fine, vibrant
playing. There is a slightly more subdued central section before thoughtfulness
is cast aside to rush to the coda.
Life in Desperation
brings a rather off-balanced rhythm creating a feeling of instability and
desolation before rising in forcefulness and discord to end quietly. There is a
degree of desperation in the desolate Life
in Coldness with a central section that brings a warming of sound before
the strident conclusion. More fine playing from Wolfgang Plagge who is joined
again by Tom Ottar Andreassen for Parting,
Op.20b.
A fast flowing flute and piano theme opens the first
movement, soon slowing before regaining tempo. The music alternates between
faster and slower and often hesitant passages with many little features, rapid
piano phrases, slides and lovely flute textures. The piano opens the second
movement, gently and quietly, before the flute enters with a gentle, wistful
melody against a rocking piano theme.
The flute varies the melody, as does the piano, whilst keeping the
rocking theme. This is simply a gorgeous movement – and what a fine, lovely
coda. A fine theme for piano opens the concluding movement before the flute
plays a two note figure that is developed against a repeated piano theme until
the hushed coda.
There isn’t a work here that failed to keep my attention,
indeed, so much of this music I found to be especially attractive. Beppe is
well served by all of these fine artists.
The second of these
re-issued recordings is entitled About My Grandfather and brings two of
Flint Juventino Beppe’s piano concertos along with orchestral works, featuring
pianist, Joachim Knoph www.joachimknoph.com
with
Ari Rasilainen www.rbartists.at/en/dirigenten_dtl.php?id=484&TACookie=ne2d2825tg0ebm8tqb46pnekk7
and
the Norwegian Radio Orchestra http://kork.no
This is a highly individual, yet hugely engaging work full of
breadth, poetry and an inner depth. The piano is never used for mere virtuosic
effect, though Joachim Knoph brings some powerful moments. Ari Rasilainen and
the Norwegian Radio Orchestra provide terrific support.
The Piano Concerto
No.3 ‘Monster’, Op.45, also in three movements, brings a different nature with the first movement, Beyond, opening with a light-hearted
wandering theme for piano picked up by the orchestra. There is a jazzy element
to the music that is punctuated by intricate little passages and phrases, yet
overall this movement moves ahead with a swagger. Among brings a calm flowing theme for piano and orchestra with
subtle little rhythmic pauses. The music slows, centrally, to a more thoughtful
passage for orchestra with the piano joining this slower, darker version of the
theme before leading to a particularly fine melodic section with constantly shifting
harmonies that takes us to the coda. Inside
opens forcefully for piano and orchestra before falling, only to build again dramatically,
with timpani strokes. There are some terrific orchestral moments for wind
showing Beppe’s fine skills as an orchestrator. The piano moves ahead with surges
of orchestral sound, and some terrific playing from Joachim Knoph before the
incisive coda.
This concerto provides some fine moments of playfulness, poetry
and drama.
The four movement orchestral work, About my Grandfather, Op.37, opens with Timeless Legend where low pizzicato strings support a broader
melody that flows forward confidently, pointed up occasionally by timpani. There
are passages with beautifully written woodwind parts as well as subtly shifting
harmonies throughout.
Horns and woodwind open Warm
by Heart in a rather questioning motif before a gentle theme appears, full
of warmth led by an oboe, then clarinet, in this brilliantly orchestrated
piece. Running laps of Eternity is a
gently rhythmic piece with a theme that is shared around the orchestra, very
fleet of foot with some lovely subtly blended swirls of sound. Pizzicato basses
underscore Not really Gone, a flowing
movement where the woodwind keep different rhythms. For all its surface
simplicity, the rhythmic aspects of this piece are remarkably finely written.
Heart Op.27 No.5 is
a gorgeous little piece, full of wonderful little orchestral details and an insistent
chime of bells, quiet in the background and quite haunting at times.
The final re-release takes
us to another aspect of Flint Juventino Beppe’s compositional techniques, that
of electro acoustic. Entitled Pictures before an Exhibition there are eight works commencing with the
title work, Pictures before an
Exhibition, Op.30.
Trust is the theme of The
Deal, Op.19 which soon develops a rich flowing theme, beautifully
harmonised by many little electronic sounds, each in their own way captivating.
Lovely textures appear later as well as rhythmic elements.
Moods from Røros,
Op.31, drawing on the atmosphere of the town on of that name, returns us to
a more thoughtful mood with a theme that is developed through a number of
sections, each varying in texture and mood, often rhythmically emphatic.
Sounds of water appear in
Inner Seas, Op.16, over which an orchestral sounding electronic theme is
drawn. These inner seas are those of the mind that absorb the impressions of
the world around us. Jazz like motifs appear as well as a myriad of textural
ideas.
I stepped on a UFO,
Op.23, an eventful stroll, also
has a jazz related feel as it saunters along with an electronic sound very much
like a vibraphone and which keeps the rhythm as many other sounds swirl and
move around.
The composer is watched by the world in Eyes in the Air, Op.48 a piece which brings a faster pace and,
throughout its length, goes through a number of phases, organ like sonorities,
fuller orchestral like sounds, rhythmic contrasts and wild electronic sounds as
well as a hauntingly strange section.
The composer remarks that as long as there is life there
will be Death Dripping (Op.25) a work
that opens with a little rising motif that could easily be a bird call before other
sounds intrude as the music moves through many different sections with the rising
motif linking the music together. Towards the end, children’s voices appear against
the repeated rising motif before the music fades.
Life Giggling, Op.49
is a rhythmic and engaging piece that moves quickly forward with many frenzied
themes weaving through, often shooting off suddenly and with a certain
nonchalance between the frenzied activity.
This recording reveals another aspect of this fine composer,
showing his great breadth of ideas and creativity.
There is much here from this distinctive composer that will
reward listeners. The original recordings were first rate; the excellent re-mastering
has revealed just how good these recordings are.
See also:
No comments:
Post a Comment