John Zorn: Fragmentations, Prayers And Interjections

Współczesna Muzyka Klasyczna / Avant-Garde
premiera polska: 2014-06-27,
Wydawnicto Audiofilskie
seria wydawnicza: Archival Series
kontynent: Ameryka Północna
kraj: USA
opakowanie: digipackowe etui
opis:
multikulti.com:
Nieoczekiwane, nowe oblicze Johna Zorna

Pierwsza orkiestrowa płyta Johna Zorna od piętnastu lat. Cztery kompozycje, napisane na duże składy, wśród nich legendarna "Orchestra Variations" (1996) zamówiona przez New York Philharmonic i "Suppots et Suppliciations" (2012) powstałe na zamówienie BBC Symphony, a inspirowane późnymi pracami Antonina Artauda. „Fragmentations, Prayers And Interjections” to cztery różnorodne utwory powstałe w latach 1996-2012, które są niezłym przeglądem przez stany duchowe i muzyczne Zorna.

Największe wrażenie robi na mnie "Kol Nidre" 1996 na orkiestrę smyczkową. Słychać tu echa muzyki neo-sakralnej z drugiej połowy XX wieku. Odwołania do Arvo Parta są uzasadnione. Powolne, powracające zmiany akordu jak w rytm jakiegoś utajonego rytuału, wszystko eteryczne i zmysłowe, niemalże przezroczyste.

Z drugiej strony może zachwycać rozmach "Orkiestrowych Wariacji" i “Suppots et Suppliciations", 83 osobowa orkiestra, złożona z przedstawicieli śmietanki nowojorskiej bohemy artystycznej wydaje się być idealnie dostrojona o synkretycznej, kompozytorskiej wizji Johna Zorna.
autor: Jarosław Lisiak

Editor's info:
Four of Zorn’s compositions for large ensembles performed by Arcana, a special hand-picked orchestra of New York virtuosos under the baton of Maestro David Fulmer. Including “Orchestra Variations,” the monumental masterwork “Suppots et Suppliciations,” a definitive performance of Zorn’s violin concerto “Contes de Fées” brilliantly performed by Chris Otto, and the lush string orchestra version of Zorn’s soulful “Kol Nidre” this is dramatic and colorful orchestral music passionately performed by 83 dedicated new music masters—a special release indeed!

www.popmatters.com; ocena: Reviewer Rating: 7/10:
A man at a crossroads and an enjoyable effort.

Darius Milhaud’s polytonality and Shostakovich’s cynicism seem to welcome the listener as they approach John Zorn’s latest effort, while Jacques Ibert’s perennial state of unrest and irony, quietly (albeit not silently) lurk in the background. As peculiar as the thought might sound, avant-garde can sometimes revel in vintage clothes, toy with retroactivity, instigate a certain eagerness for obsoleteness and still sound quintessentially fresh. Fragmentations, Prayers & Interjections is certainly a fine example of this contradiction. It is an inspired work which vouches for Zorn’s maturity and sophistication, while at the same time it is a testimony of his detachment from the purity of musical unpredictability and improvisation. The Arcana Orchestra, lead by David Fulmer, take on the challenge. The final result? An accurate rendition of Zorn’s musical paradigm.

The rich musical assortment on display is introduced by the now legendary “Orchestra Variations”: a piece commissioned by the New York Philharmonic back in 1996 and performed for the first time in 1998 with Leonard Slatkin on the podium. The five or so minutes of atonality and subtle allusions to Stravinsky’s genius are somehow reminiscent of Zorn’s early infatuation with Olivier Messiaen and Arnold Schoenberg, but the overall impression is one of incompleteness, as if one could not help but feel that the carefully constructed dynamics of the piece would not be out of place in a more structured and articulated composition.

Ironically, “Contes de Fées” – a work composed three years later – presents itself as its ideal continuum, with Chris Otto’s violin leading the orchestra into twirls and dramatic rumbles, while still managing to keep a delicate balance between the soloist and the often (superbly) disruptive contribution of the ensemble. The piece’s gloomy air is somehow evocative of György Ligeti’s and, again, Schoenberg’s darkest corners. A common Jewish heritage represents – perhaps – an all too easy fil rouge connecting these three diverse souls but, for as banal as it may sound, their conflicting relationship with their common roots make of “Contes de Fées” a clear rendition of avant-gardism as the purest representation of the many conflicting natures of Judaism.

“Kol Nidre” confirms this impression by conveying the artistic uneasiness of Zorn’s Masada projects, by giving way to the silent Jüdisch Angst through minimalism. It is a tragic piece of music that speaks the language uttered by the likes of Sibelius and Gustav Mahler’s early works: compositions somehow marred by naïve mood swings, but genuinely elegant nonetheless. If there is a theist element in “Kol Nidre”, it is well hidden behind a quasi-cinematic flow and an orchestra which seems completely at ease fiddling with volumes and tones.

The last piece—“Suppôts et Supplications”—is the most recent composition of them all, penned in 2012 for the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. It appears to close an ideal circle initiated by the opening “Orchestra Variations”, with a wholesome array of moods and styles which, alas, add nothing to the preceding pieces. It is a tune wisely based on subtle harmonies and a clever use of the many possibilities the Arcana orchestra, an 83 strong ensemble, can give to a composer like Zorn.

Fragmentations, Prayers & Interjections is an amazing collection of ideas, rather than an album per se. Its lack of consistency undeniably constitutes an asset, rather than a disadvantage, as is often the case with the music written by one of the most prolific tunesmiths of our era. Zorn proves that he has yet to explore the numerous opportunities given by orchestral arrangements, and that the time is probably right for him to start developing a new path in his career. A 46-minute experiment and an anticipation of more things to come rarely - very rarely - are so beautifully crafted.
By Alex Franquelli

muzycy:
Tom Chiu: Violin
Jennifer Choi: Violin
Olivia De Prato: Violin
Erik Friedlander: Cello
Joyce Hammann: Violin
William Winant: Percussion
Kathryn Andersen: Violin
Sam Armstrong: Trombone
Doug Balliett: Bass
Brad Balliett: Bassoon, Contra Bassoon
Scott Bartucca: Oboe, English Horn
Steven Beck: Piano, Harpsichord, Celeste, Organ
Nathan Botts: Trumpet
Meghan Burke: Cello
Jay Campbell: Cello
Erik Carlson: Violin
Jon Carroll: Horns
Claire Chase: Piccolo, Flute, Alto And Bass Flute
Caroline Chin: Violin
Barry Crawford: Piccolo, Flute, Alto And Bass Flute
Owen Dalby: Violin
Elizabeth Derham: Violin
Rachel Drehmann: Horns
Wayne Dumaine: Trumpet
Brian Ellingsen: Bass
Peter Evans: Trumpet
Felix Fan: Cello
Kenn Finn: Trombone
Gareth Flowers: Trumpet
David Fulmer: Conductor
Gillian Gallagher: Viola
Emilie-Anne Gendron: Violin
Matthew Gold: Percussion
Stephanie Griffin: Viola
Christopher Gross: Cello
William Hakim: Viola
Ken Hamao: Violin
Conrad Harris: Violin
Rebekah Heller: Bassoon, Contra Bassoon
Jen Herman: Viola
Zachary Hobin: Bass
Nicole Jeong: Violin
Bridget Kibbey: Harp
Pauline Kim: Violin
Sooyun Kim: Piccolo, Flute, Alto And Bass Flute
William Knuth: Violin
Adda Kridler: Violin
Yon Joo Lee: Violin
Alicia Lee: Clarinet, Bass Clarinet
Alex Lipowski: Percussion
Victor Lowrie: Viola
Clara Lyon: Violin
Campbell MacDonald: Clarinet, Bass Clarinet
Kevin McFarland: Cello
Carol McGonnell: Clarinet, Bass Clarinet
Joshua Modney: Violin
Arthur Moeller: Violin
Rane Moore: Clarinet, Bass Clarinet
Adrian Morejon: Bassoon, Contra Bassoon
Dave Nelson: Trombone
Ah Ling Neu: Viola
Michael Nicolas: Cello
Esther Noh: Violin
Christopher Otto: Violin
Tara Helen O’connor: Piccolo, Flute, Alto And Bass Flute
Jocelin Pan: Viola
Dan Peck: Tuba
David Peel: Horns
Natalie Pilla: Bassoon, Contra Bassoon
Jeffrey Reinhardt: Oboe, English Horn
Yuki Numata Resnick: Violin
John Pickford Richards: Viola
Mariel Roberts: Cello
Christa Robinson: Oboe, English Horn
Andrew Roitstein: Bass
Joshua Rubin: Clarinet, Bass Clarinet
Kris Saebo: Bass
Arthur Sato: Oboe, English Horn
Kate Sheeran: Horns
Fred Sherry: Cello
Brendan Speltz: Violin
Denise Stillwell: Viola
Ari Streisfeld: Violin
Dave Taylor: Bass Trombone
Michael Truesdell: Percussion
David Wallace: Viola
Asmira Woodward-Page: Violin
Jeffrey Zeigler: Cello
Randall Zigler: Bass

utwory:
1. John Zorn: Orchestra Variations
2. John Zorn: Contes de Fées
3. John Zorn: Kol Nidre
4. John Zorn: Suppôts et Suppliciations

total time - 46:18
wydano: 2014-03
more info: www.tzadik.com