Gramophone – September 2019

gramophone.co.uk GRAMOPHONE SEPTEMBER 2019 I

Aspecialeight-page sectionfocusingonrecentrecordingsfrom the US and Canada

Similarly,rhythmproves

harpsichordistGabeShuford’sundoing.

Hisprosaicandlow-energyplaying

deflatesthegiddyrushofVar14’sneo-

ScarlattirunsandreducesVar20’s

virtuososcintillationtoadry,tensionless

exercise.True,hefavourssensitive

registrationsandsubtleornaments,

yetsododozensofstrongersoloists

who’verecordedtheGoldbergsonthe

harpsichord,includingMahanEsfahani

(DG,10/16)andAndreasStaier

(HarmoniaMundi,6/10)amongrecent

favourites.MSRprovidessuperbly

detailedandlifelikeengineering.

JedDistler

JSBach.Handel.Schütz

JSBachKomm,Jesu,komm,BWV229Handel

DixitDominus,HWV232SchützCalicem

salutarisaccipiam,SWV60.Egoeniminiqueegi,

SWV58.Egosumtuiplagadoloris,SWV57.Quid

commisisti,SWV56.Quo,nateDei,SWV

DanielTaylorcountertenOttawaBachChoir;

EnsembleCaprice/ LisetteCanton

ATMAClassiqueFACD2 2790 (52’• DDD• T/t)

ShowingthatToronto

isnottheonly

Canadiancitycapable

ofproducingsuperb

JS Bach

Goldberg Variations, BWV

Repast Baroque Ensemble

MSR F MS1661 (78’ • DDD)

The Repast Baroque

Ensemble members

approached arranging

Bach’s Goldberg

Variations by first singing through the score

and then trying out various instrumental

combinations.Theydecided,however,not

totouchtheAria,norVariations1,5,11,

14,17,20,23, 28 and29,leavingthesolo

harpsichordoriginalsintact.Consequently,

theendresultlacksasenseofcumulative

flowandunderlyingcontinuity,although

individualmovementscontainimaginative

strokesofinstrumentation.IntheFrench

Overture(Var16),forexample,the

bassoonandBaroqueflutesonorities

achieveanassiduousandwittyblendthat

compensatesfortheharpsichord’sless-

than-assertivecontinuofunction.By

contrast,thecontinuoismoreprominent

intheliltingVar 7 (buoyedbysubtlecello

pizzicatos)andinthecanonattheunison

(Var3),whereBach’sclose-lyingimitative

writinggainsclaritybyvirtueoftimbral

distinctionsbetweenfluteandviolin.

Period-instrumentcognoscentiwill

lookuponthemusicians’agogicphrasings

andminusculedynamicswellsasstylish

expressivedevices,yetIfindthemtobe

fussyandpredictablemannerismsthat

pullattentionawayfromwhat’sreally

goingoninthemusic.Var18,thecanon

atthesixth,isaparticularlytellingexample

ofwhatImean,wherethechoices

regardingdynamicsandarticulations

soundexaggeratedandartificiallyimposed,

andultimatelyobscurethemusic’sinherent

conversationalnatureandrhythmic

bounce.ThemusiciansplayVar4’s

contrapuntallinesperfectly,yetlose

sightofhowBach’ssyncopationspropel

thevariationforwards.Theyalsopull

backandtiptoearoundmovementsthat

cryoutforrhythmicvigouranda

naturaldramaticbuild,asinthe

Quodlibet,Var30.

talks to ...

Friction Quartet

The San Francisco-based quartet

talk about ‘Spark’, their latest

album of new music

How did you get to know the Common

Sense Composers’ Collective?

We irst met Dan Becker, director of

Common Sense, at the San Francisco

ConservatoryofMusic.Hewasthehead

ofcomposition,andwasa teacherof

musichistoryclasses.Manymembersof

Frictionhadtakenclassesorperformed

hisstudents’works.Heattendedourirst

publicperformanceandapproachedus

aboutplayinghispieceLockdown. Weloved

theworkanddecidedtoprogrammeit.

EventuallyDanstarteddreamingofa quartet

albumforCommonSense,andthetrustwe

hadbuiltfrompreviouscollaborationsledto

usworkingonthealbumtogether.

Aretherestylisticfeaturesthatunify

theworksonthisalbum?

Thetraitthatmostuniiesthismusicis

theexplorationofsonicpotential.And

themostimpressiveelementis thatthe

composersdidthiswithunique,authentic

andinspiredenergy.

Indeed, the exploration of texture

seems to be of central importance.

Yes, exactly. Texture is something that

string quartets can highlight extremely

well. And the composers of Common

Sense all have a unique way of using

that ability. Dan’s piece Lockdown

manipulates texture with propulsive

interlocking hockets. Melissa Hui’s work

explores textures as a springboard for

improvisation. Carolyn Yarnell’s music

explores the negative space, much like

a bonsai tree. Randall Woolf’s work unites

electronics with the string quartet,

extending the sonority into the

warehouse dance hall. In the course of a

single album you can experience almost

the full gamut of what a string quartet is

capable of.

PHOTOGRAPHY:

MATT WASHBURN