This is a book that tells how a specific, magnificent, revolutionary musical season of Miles Davis has been inextricably connected with the historical period in which it was immersed.Īt the end of the sixties, while his group (the historical one with Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter and Tony Williams) was slowly reconfiguring, Davis for some time wanted to document on disk truly “special projects” that they would transform in a sensational way the idea of jazz album itself: in particular the studio works In a Silent Way, Bitches Brew and A Tribute to Jack Johnson. There are several books on the great trumpet player, also in Italian, and satisfy almost all the needs of his many admirers. Preface by Claudio Sessa (editor), Quodlibet/Chorus Italian edition of The Miles Davis Lost Quintet and Other Revolutionary Ensembles by Bob Gluck (University of Chicago Press, 2016) And see the group’s website for news of upcoming concerts and to purchase their debut album.Miles Davis, il Quintetto Perduto e altre rivoluzioni by Bob Gluck, Quodlibet/Chorus (Spring) 2020 To witness the band and composer Sharlat having a bit of fun, see the brief video below. Together as the Quodlibet Ensemble they are sinewy, effervescent, serious, glossily entertaining. These fine musicians gelled throughout the concert. Though designated “for Four Violins,” Sharlat’s bracing Capriccio provides plenty of opportunity for all the strings to be featured. The composer makes use of Bach’s themes and classical compositional techniques to create a prismatic work of accessible modernism. A couple of sections feel like traditional fiddle dances split into multiple colors by a prism. The piece builds toward howls and screams, a furious jig, and some keening dissonance among the four lead violins. 2 as a starting point, Sharlat engineers energetic rhythmic surprises, ear-catching counterpoint, and busy, angsty drama. The Capriccio for Four Violins, Strings, and Harpsichord by Yevgeniy Sharlat is an exciting waker-upper. The beautiful music just kept going, and eventually it started to give me anxiety, as if I were listening to a unending song sung by a severely autistic person. By that time, though, I’d begun to tire of the sameness of mood. ![]() Darker harmonies marked one section toward the end. She maintained a limpid tone throughout her range her upper register mingling with the celesta’s high notes evoked faery magic.įrom top to bottom the piece came across with total seriousness and honesty Martynov seems to want not a hint of irony. At times she made me think of the passionate sweep of Heifetz at other times of the precisely tempered musicality of Joshua Bell. Soloist Katie Hyun was marvelous, bowing the melodies in the best Romantic tradition. The ensemble’s eight violins, four violas, two cellos, one bass, and keyboard filled the hall with vibrant harmonies and melodies, beautifully constructed without cliché. Though it contains neoclassical elements and hints of minimalism, this lush piece built partly on simple major scales is Romantic through and through. Vladimir Martynov surprised audiences with his unabashedly sentimental 1988 work Come In!. We were reminded that there are many ways to surprise people. A “Lament of the Wounded Musketeers” is expressively sad, almost funereal. An “Aria” features lovely spectral harmonies. In one piece each instrument plays a different folk/drinking song, producing a couple of minutes of hilarious cacophony. Other vignettes include slides, foot stomps, and percussive effects. The resulting alarming rattle suggests the noises of the battlefield. But Biber calls for a piece of paper to be held against the strings as the low-end player (in this case the bass viol) whacks them with the bow. It’s no surprise to find a march in a battle suite, for example. Each short piece in this collection from 1673 illustrates a different scene from a battle, but Biber goes beyond the ordinary. The evening began with the Battaglia suite by Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber. Bach, all played beautifully with vigor and virtuosity. The string group’s hourlong concert at the Baryshnikov Arts Center leaped from the zany Baroque to a 21st century work inspired by J.S. The Quodlibet Ensemble showed the other night how much fun it can be to mix interesting music from widely different eras.
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