T he new Allégresse Trio recording has three wonderful newly-commissioned compositions by Ingrid Stölzel, Bryan Kip Haaheim, and Gabriela Lena Frank.S tölzel’s ‘There are Things to be Said’ is inspired by the poem by American poet Cid Corman (1924-2004). It is contemplative—heavy silences of the sort that you might experience when visiting a sick loved one in the hospital, interspersed with intense dialogues when the patient is awake or when other friends and relatives arrive. The characters/identities of the sometime-reticence-keepers/sometime-voluble-speakers (instruments) are vividly portrayed by the Allégresse members. The indeterminacy of the health and outcomes of the speakers and listeners that permeates Corman’s poem is preserved in this elegant meditation by Stölzel.
I was struck by the simplicity and openness of [Corman’s] words. It is often in such elemental simplicity that we find true and powerful meaning.”H aaheim’s ‘Halo’ is intended as a sonic essay on the co-optation of religion by fundamentalism, i.e., aggressive exclusionary and territorial supremacist political factions—a sort of requiem for the loss of genuine and inclusive spirituality that each of the major traditions offer. Radiance, symbolically embodied by the image of the halo, denotes a spiritual balancedness, “visible” to others but more about ‘being’ than ‘vision’ per se. As such, the textures in ‘Halo’ afford equal prominence to each voice—a communitarian/collectivistic ethic, rather than an individualistic one... ‘knowing’ and being peaceably content in knowing, as opposed to ‘seeing’ and feeling compelled to convert every living being to your own all-fired righteous ‘vision’ of what Truth is. Equanimity for three.
— Ingrid Stölzel.
F or me the musical elements of melody, harmony, and color that pervade the work seem to invite light into the mind and bring the attention to a subtle yet profound potential inherent in being human.”F rank’s ‘Canto y Danza’ is a one-movement work in ABA form—quick, mercurial, with a helping of fado-type saudades. Philosophically compatible with the other works on this disc, it is a case-study in members’ asserting their identities in a small ensemble while simultaneously committing themselves head-long to the collective goal. Sing as one, dance as one, but freely and without anyone at any time relinquishing any of her autonomy. (To achieve this intensity of image and solidarity, you have to play with these, your friends in the trio, almost every day, I think. Virtual or impromptu trios who don’t know each other very well or who perform together infrequently—no chance. It would be music, but not animated in the way that Allégresse carries off.)
— Kip Haaheim.
T he Canto is a series of three calls before entering a coda that is like the call that has become frayed... The Danza begins with a short intro, after which begins the karnavalito rhythm and spirit in the piano... The two-note oscillating gesture is quite typical of [Perúvian or Bolivian] folkloric styles.”T he miking and engineering/mixing of the recordings on this disc are admirable—expressively coherent with the aesthetic intentions of each of the works. For one thing, they chose a congenial room for this project. Oboes don’t necessarily respond well to close-miking techniques, and the rich harmonics of the instrument can become lost in too-small or heavily-damped spaces. But on this disc there is a nice lively ambience and presence. We hear nice reflective-surface effects, consistent with some distant-miking at 2 meters or greater... possibly large-diaphragm condenser mics, such as AKG C414s for the distant mics, and a large-diaphragm dynamic mic up-close?
— Gabriela Lena Frank.
O n my second and third listens, I underline my notes: the close-miking is really well-done here, with a tasteful amount of mechanical oboe and flute key and breath noise to give you the feel of being in Row One at a recital—very close and personal.
S mall-diaphragm omnidirectional mics or ribbon mics on the flute? The latter tend to give a rounder, mellow sound, while the former have more ‘edge’.
I n summary, really beautiful performances of these new flute-oboe-piano trio compositions! I look forward to hearing Allégresse live, but, in lieu of or until that, this recording is a wonderful consolation. Bravo!
[30-sec clip, Allégresse, Ingrid Stölzel, ‘There Are Things to Be Said’, 1.1MB MP3]
[30-sec clip, Allégresse, Kip Haaheim, ‘Halo’, 1.1MB MP3]
[30-sec clip, Allégresse, Gabriela Lena Frank, ‘Canto y Danza’, 1.1MB MP3]
- Allégresse website
- Fresh Ink disc at CDbaby.com
- Ingrid Stölzel website
- Kip Haaheim page at KU School of Music
- Gabriela Lena Frank page at Schirmer
- Barks C. Bridge to the Soul: Journeys into the Music and Silence of the Heart. HarperOne, 2007.
- Boykan M. Silence and Slow Time: Studies in Musical Narrative. Scarecrow, 2004.
- Cage J. Silence: Lectures and Writings. Wesleyan, 1961.
- Evenden M. Silence and Selfhood. Lang, 1999.
- Gann K. No Such Thing as Silence: John Cage's 4'33". Yale Univ, 2011.
- Losseff N, Doctor J, eds. Silence, Music, Silent Music. Ashgate, 2007.
- Takemitsu T. Confronting Silence: Selected Writings. Fallen Leaf, 1995.
- Tomes S. Out of Silence: A Pianist's Yearbook. Boydell, 2010.
- Tremain R. Music & Silence. Washington Square, 2001.
- Vogelin S. Listening to Noise and Silence: Towards a Philosophy of Sound Art. Continuum, 2010.
P oetry occurs
in unanticipated ways—
bites and sniffs and keeps an eye on
spiritual territory—
Lets you know of what encroachments
bodies incur when they are free
of gross impediments. Enough
that when the poet himself has
done his thing and left his breath to
yours—you’re not intended to sound
his praises—weep—or bestow on
him supervacuous honors.”
— Cid Corman, ‘And the Word’.
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