Wolff,C., Vol.2: Chamber Works Review
Christian Wolff is a demanding composer, but not an imposing one. Wolff's piano works, collected on Bread and Roses, rooted themselves in labor anthems and politically inspired traditional folk tunes, always complicating the music but never estranging champions of the solo-piano repertoire. Here the emphasis is on small-ensemble chamber works, the largest of which is a quartet. The music is paced and structured so that it never blares or dips into screed, even when it's political. The title piece, however, features cellist Judith van Swaay reciting text about Harriet Tubman, and the text obstructs the music a bit. Perhaps it's Swaay's intonation; perhaps it's just the rigidness of the spoken word juxtaposed against the woody clarinet. But the other pieces, almost all involving a violin or cello, catch a glow from the stringed instruments, making the indeterminacy and clearly avant-garde elements seem somehow tuneful--perhaps along the lines of Bread and Roses. It's not populist fare. It's also not shy about having some populist tendencies, making this a fascinating set of expressive late-20th-century work. And if Wolff's more austere side is to your liking, try the Tilbury Pieces, as well. --Andrew Bartlett Read more...
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