• About

listeningatlunch

~ Thoughts on music — from Schubert to Slayer

listeningatlunch

Tag Archives: Charles Wuorinen

Charles Wuorinen: Fast Fantasy

13 Monday Jan 2014

Posted by listeningatlunch in Classical

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Charles Wuorinen, Fred Sherry

I love it when everything about a CD I’m hearing or a
DVD that I’m watching seems to be “right.” This would
appear to be the case with “Fast Fantasy,” an
installment in the “Charles Wuorinen Series,” released
in 2004 on the Albany Records label.

Charles Wuorinen (1938 – ) has been an active
composer for his entire life, having written his first
composition as a young boy. Based in the New York
area where he was born, his works have been
commissioned and performed by many of the
world’s leading musicians and ensembles. In 1970,
he became the youngest composer to win the
Pulitzer Prize. Wuorinen also happens to be a fine
pianist and conductor, and is a Professor of Music
at Rutgers University.

At least since the 1960’s, Wuorinen’s music has
been predominantly, if not entirely, in the serial
idiom. This is probably the reason he hasn’t achieved
the mainstream popularity afforded other composers
who have adopted a more “audience-friendly” style.
Wuorinen has written music in virtually all genres,
and has often been referred to as a “maximalist,”
a moniker that no doubt addresses his abundance
of ideas and the sheer activity found in his music.
It certainly demands  involvement and focus from
the listener, not to mention the performer(s).
I’ve found that concentrated listening to Wuorinen’s
works is rewarding. However, due to the
challenging nature of his compositions, his primary
audience will probably always be limited in number.

The “rightness” of this CD is due to several factors:
First, the seven pieces contained herein are dedicated
to and performed by cellist Fred Sherry, a longtime
Wuorinen collaborator who has championed the
works of many contemporary composers. Sherry
has worked with many of these composers and
given numerous premieres of their music. Second,
Sherry is joined by Wuorinen at the piano for three
of these pieces. The fabulous results also give these
works an extra stamp of authenticity. The three
works for cello and piano are “Fast Fantasy,”
“An Orbicle of Jasp,” and “Andante Espressivo.”
These pieces are interspersed with “Cello Variations,”
“Cello Variations II” and “Cello Variations III” for
solo cello. The CD concludes with “Grand Union,”
for cello and drums, featuring percussionist
Tom Kolor.

All of these pieces are typical of works by Wuorinen
in that they are technically challenging, requiring
sensitive, virtuosic performances. Without these
gifted players, the music would be pointless for
both the performer and the listener. In fact, it still
doesn’t “go down easy,” despite the talents of
those involved. Fortunately, everyone here is up
to the challenges presented by this music, and the
recording engineers did a wonderful job of
capturing these sessions, which were taped
between 1993 and 2002. As noted above, the
works were written for Sherry, and were
composed by Wuorinen between 1970 and 2001.

At a running time of 78 minutes, this generous
CD has everything to commend it. Although the
pieces aren’t discussed in the accompanying
booklet, it does include biographies of the
musicians, a short tribute to Sherry by the
composer, and specific dates of the compositions,
premiere performance and recording dates, as
well as venues.

This disc is worthy of the highest marks. I’m looking
forward to checking out the other CDs in this series,
as I have every reason to believe they will at least
contain highly credible performances. What better
way to be challenged musically?

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • More
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit
  • Tumblr

Like this:

Like Loading...

Blogroll

  • Amazon.com: Here, you can find additional related items and purchase options.

Recent Posts

  • Alfred Schnittke: Psalms of Repentance / Swedish Radio Choir / Tõnu Kaljuste
  • Carmen McRae – Live
  • Charles Gounod: Mors et Vita

Categories

  • Blues
  • Classical
  • Country
  • Folk
  • Gospel/Sacred
  • Hip-Hop
  • Jazz
  • Multigenre
  • Music Education
  • Music History
  • Opera
  • Popular
  • Reggae
  • Rhythm and Blues
  • Rock
  • World Music

Archives

  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • March 2016
  • October 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
Subscribe in a reader

RSS Feeds

  • Alfred Schnittke: Psalms of Repentance / Swedish Radio Choir / Tõnu Kaljuste June 3, 2017
    When listening to “Psalms of Repentance,” a CD of music by Alfred Schnittke (1934-1998), I was amazed at the sounds …Continue reading →
  • Carmen McRae – Live June 1, 2017
    “Carmen McRae – Live” is an 81-minute DVD released under the Image Entertainment label. It is footage of a 1986 …Continue reading →
  • Charles Gounod: Mors et Vita May 31, 2017
    Like his previous 1882 oratorio, “La Rédemption,” Charles Gounod composed his ambitious Sacred trilogy, “Mors et Vita,” for the Birmingham …Continue reading →
  • Michael Finnissy: The History of Photography in Sound / Ian Pace May 30, 2017
    Michael Finnissy’s “The History of Photography in Sound” for solo piano is another listening “Mount Everest” for me, both in …Continue reading →
  • Tennessee Ernie Ford: His Life and Times May 25, 2017
    My mother owned an album by Tennessee Ernie Ford entitled, “This Lusty Land” which was released in the mid-1950’s, following …Continue reading →

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com

Follow me on Twitter

My Tweets

Blog at WordPress.com.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
%d bloggers like this: