An Ox on the Roof

An episode inspired by the book by Thea Derks: Een os op het dak: moderne muziek na 1900 in vogelvlucht.  [An ox on the roof: modern music after 1900 in a nutshell]

Ukraine is still at the mercy of the war ambitions of Poetin; he continues to bomb the country and refuses to make deals that keep Ukraine’s integrity intact. And all this while the capricious president of the USA adds fuel to the fire by negotiating an unfair and one-sided ‘peace treaty’. So today, we start with music from the Ukraine.

Oleksander Krasotov

We begin with the Symphony Concertante from Oleksander Krasotov (1936-2007). He was born in Odessa, where he graduated in piano performance, composition and theory classes at the Odessa Conservatory. He also worked there as pedagogue until his death in 2007. One of his students was Julia Gomelskaja, whose work was played in an earlier episode.

In his own compositions, Krasotov employed a diverse “polystylistic” approach, often infusing elements of jazz and pop music into traditional structures and forms. His ‘Symphony Concertante’ is an exuberant work in which the soloist trumpet plays a prominent role. The work features energetic passages, sometimes reminiscent of Shostakovich, which alternate with more contemplative moments filled with lyrical melodies on the trumpet.

Chaz Underriner
Even though the world is in flames, the music world keeps on releasing more new CDs. The Ensemble Modelo62 recently presented their album Moving, containing four pieces from the American composer Chaz Underriner. He was one of the nominees for the Gaudeamus Music Award in 2017 (won by Aart Strootman).

“Chaz’s work explores the representation of reality in art, especially landscape, through the juxtaposition of video projections, audio recordings and live performers.“ Read more about him here.

The four works at the album Moving focus on waterways in the south of the USA, with recordings of Blue Springs, Florida, and the Atchafalaya Basin in Louisiana. They are set for pedal steel guitar, chamber ensemble, organ and electronics. Color Study is a long-drawn-out exploration of sound colours.

Amy Beach
The music from his compatriot Amy Beach (1867 – 1944) is something completely different. She had a marvellous career as a pianist, but was also a talented composer. The premiere of her Gaelic Symphony (1894) in 1896, performed by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, earned her international fame. Her husband demanded she would stop giving concerts after her marriage, and concentrate on composing. Yet, she still gave concerts here and there, often performing her own compositions and became one of the most esteemed composers of her time. Though she hadn’t studied in Europe, her work carries the influence of late-romantic German music, exhibited in the beautiful aria Maria Stuart, with lyrics from Friedrich Schiller. This work demonstrates her phenomenal orchestration skills as well as her gift for subtle dramatics. This aria was recently rediscovered and released on CD by the Münchner Symphoniker, conducted by Joseph Bastian.

Dace Aperāne
While the Ukrainian people are suffering, the Baltic States fear becoming the next victim of Poetins expansionism, but there music is carried on as well, as this recently released album shows: Echoes of Latvia from violinist Laura Zarina and pianist Agnes Eglina. They present music from seven composers, among which Dace Aperāne, born in Canada from Latvian immigrants.

Aperāne is very much into her roots and has been organising Latvian music events in Canada and the USA since the seventies and is also highly regarded in Latvia. This isn’t surprising, when you hear the magical beauty of sounds in her Fantasy in Variations for solo violin. The violin creates fragile, melancholic lines while carefully sensing along the entire tonal range of the instrument. Thin, harmonious double-stops are alternating with broken chords that dance across the strings and heavy sustained notes in the lower register.

1. Oleksander Krasotov. Symphony Concertante.
   Timofei Doksjitser, trumpet.
   Ukrainian Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Vadim Gnedash,Tivoli Vredenburg
   Live-recording from 1986.
2. Chaz Underriner. Color Study.
   Ensemble Modelo62 conducted by Ezequiel Menalled.
3. Amy Beach. Maria Stuart, opus 18
   Angela Brower, mezzo-soprano.
   Münchner Symphoniker conducted by Joseph Bastian.
4. Dace Aperāne. Fantasy with variations.
   Laura, Zarina, violin.

Edit, technics and presentation: Thea Derks