Volume 27 Issue 8 | July 1 - September 20, 2022

composers. It’s a marvel to hear the evergreen
source material.
In Petrouchka, Stravinsky juxtaposes
concurrent “unrelated” musical events. Who
came first, Ives or Igor? Muscular assurance
and finesse feature throughout this
performance. Can a difficult score sound too
easy? Not to me, it simply sounds daring,
and correct. The desolation in Petrouchka’s
Cell stands in gloomy contrast to the vivid
account of the Shrovetide Fair. The exuberant
Rattle’s enthusiasm is infectious; all the
players buy in.
Finally, the terror-filled depiction of pagan
ritual sacrifice that shocks and awes the
listener to this day: Le Sacre du Printemps,
possibly Stravinsky’s most celebrated work.
Its premiere famously provoked a riot among
the audience. According to the composer’s
own account, things were also fairly riotous
backstage: he described Valery Nijinsky (great
dancer, not-so-much choreographer), yelling
step counts to the dancers from the wings,
resulting in onstage chaos. The performance
here is anything but chaotic, except possibly
by intention. Menacing, bracing, unsettling,
completely as intended. You don’t have to
love this music (though I do!) to admire this
performance. Nothing, not even the perfect
assurance of the LSO and Rattle, diminishes
its edginess.
Max Christie
Stravinsky – Ballet Russes
Les Siècles; François-Xavier Roth
Harmonia Mundi HMX2905342.43
(store.harmoniamundi.com)
! Perhaps you
remember that
Le Sacre du
Printemps was
used in the Disney
film Fantasia
and Stravinsky
was invited to
the studio for a
private screening. He was offered a score as
a courtesy but the maître politely declined,
saying “I don’t need it; the score is in my
head.” Oh, but it all changed, sir.... was the
answer.(!)
Certainly nothing is changed here as the
Le Sacre is played in its original form with
instruments of the period by Les Siècles,
a French orchestra formed by François-
Xavier Roth. Do not be concerned about
period instruments. Roth thoroughly
researched the instruments of the period
(around 1900) and his orchestra sounds
every bit as good as a much larger modern
orchestra.
Along with Le Sacre, the two other ballets
were first presented in Paris between 1910
and 1913 as a celebration of Russian arts. A
certain Russian impresario, Serge Diaghilev,
was the mastermind and organizer, a
“terrible, charming man who could make
stones dance” as Debussy referred to him.
Paris at this time was a hothouse of invention
in the arts and these ballets form a
change, indeed a revolution, a turning point
in the direction of music of the 20th century,
Le Sacre especially. Inspired by rituals of pre-
Christian, pagan Russia this is something
the world had never heard before. It’s brutal,
elementary, forceful, violent and upsetting.
The other two ballets are a bit more
conventional but equally exciting and very
colourful. The Firebird is based on a Russian
fairy tale and Petrouchka conjures up a noisy
village marketplace with a puppet theatre
with three characters and a very sad story. A
brilliant new recording.
Janos Gardonyi
When There Are No Words – Revolutionary
Works for Oboe and Piano
Alex Klein; Phillip Bush
Cedille CDR 90000 208
(cedillerecords.org)
! Released in
March 2022, When
There Are No Words:
Revolutionary
Works for Oboe and
Piano features the
talents of worldrenowned
oboe
virtuoso, Alex Klein,
and pianist Phillip Bush. The album consists
of six works paired into three sections
reflecting the circumstances in which they
were composed: reality of war, anti-war
activism and exile.
The first section contains pieces written
during World War II: the popular Sonata for
Oboe and Piano by Paul Hindemith paired
with the Pavel Haas Suite for Oboe and Piano
which was written at the very beginning of
the Nazi occupation. Haas was later sent to
Auschwitz and did not survive.
The second section contains works with
anti-war sentiments: Benjamin Britten’s
frequently played Temporal Variations which
was written for a play about coal miners and
their strikes in 1936; and William Bolcom’s
Aubade – for the Continuation of Life,
written during the Cold War.
The third and final section features Three
Etudes for Oboe with Piano Accompaniment
by Brazilian composer José Siqueira and
Suite for Oboe and Piano by Czech composer
Klement Slavický, which were both written to
protest their political exile.
Klein’s thoughtful linking of these compositions
sheds light on some lesser known but
beautifully written works for oboe and piano.
These works explore dissonant intervals,
lyrical lines and a variety of tonal colours,
allowing the listener to become immersed in
the emotional expression of the composer’s
experiences. Klein is a complete master of the
What we're listening to this month:
thewholenote.com/listening
Chronotope
George Crotty Trio
Cellist George Crotty has forged an
improvisatory language, engaging
in cross-cultural interplay between
post-bop, South American grooves,
Indian Raga, and Arabic Maqam
Confluence
Mina Gajić & Zachary Carrettin
Pianist Mina Gajić & violinist
Zachary Carrettin juxtapose
Balkan Dances by Marko Tajčević
with Ray Granlund’s Tango Nuevo
on their new album, "Confluence".
Ottoman Spendours
Lamia Yared
In Ottoman Splendours, Lebaneseborn
singer Lamia Yared draws
her inspiration from the Arabic,
Ottoman, Sephardic, and Greek
musical traditions of Asia Minor.
Home
Les Arrivants
Home is the first album of this
Montreal based group formed
of three musicians who combine
traditions of Tango, Arabic music,
and Persian rhythms.
thewholenote.com July 1 - September 20, 2022 | 49