Category Archives: On record

On Record: Sam Hayden: Solos/Duos (Métier)

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Sam Hayden
Picking up the Pieces (1991, rev. 2019) – Darragh Morgan (violin)
AXE[S] (1997, rev. 2009/19/21) – Mats Scheidegger (guitar)
Frammenti di divenire (2018) – Gianpaolo Antongirolami (soprano saxophone); Michele Selva (baritone saxophone)
Attente (2018-19) – Carla Rees (flute)
Remnants I (2018-19) – Richard Haynes (contrabass clarinet)
Remnants III (2021) – Karoline Öhman (cello), Tamriko Kordzaia (piano)

Métier MSV28622 [two discs, 84’51’’]
Producers/Engineers Mikey Parsons (Picking up the Pieces), Mats Scheidegger (AXE[S]), Francesco Sardella (Frammenti di divenire), Simon Paterson (Attente), Fabio Oehrli (Remnants I), Marcel Babazadeh (Remnants III)
Editing/Mixing Sam Hayden
Recorded 11 July 2019 at King Charles Court, London (Picking up the Pieces), 21 September 2021 at SRF Studio, Zurich (Remnants III), 7 January 2022 at Nottingham University (Attente), 25 February – 8 May 2022 at Home Studio, Zurich (AXE[S]), 13 May 2022 at Helvetiaplatz, Bern (Remnants I), 29 June 2022 at Pinkhouse Studio, Ancona (Frammenti di divenire)

written by Richard Whitehouse

What’s the story?

Métier continues its coverage of Sam Hayden (following that of his piano music Becomings) with this collection of solo and duo pieces drawn from either end of his composing career.

What’s the music like?

As one would expect from Hayden, his music brooks no compromises and takes no prisoners. Heard in the running sequence specified here, the works run chronologically with those most recent pieces coming first. The Italian saxophone duo makes the most of the volatile textural layering and fractured spectral harmony in Frammenti di divenire, then Carla Rees is no less inside the tensely expressive idiom of Attente with its multi-section discourse (whether those designated ‘IIIa’ and ‘IIIb’ are intended to be heard continuously or as alternatives is unclear).

Next come the first and third items in the Remnants series (the worklist at Hayden’s website does not yet extend after 2018, but the second is for bass trombone). The first of these finds Richard Haynes forcefully ejecting sounds and sequences that are the ‘composed’ remains of an elaborate computer-generated process, while the third pursues a more flexible though still rebarbative dialogue between cello and piano, where a variation-like evolution can be sensed as part of an ongoing and combative interplay between microtonal and conventional tunings.

The second half of this set features two large-scale works from earlier in Hayden’s output, and his involvement with the ‘new complexity’ movement then at its most potent in the UK. Despite (even because of) its title, Picking Up the Pieces unfolds as a tautly focussed entity – made more so by its initial ‘motto’ phrase that remains detectible throughout all manner of transformation on the harmonic, rhythmic and textural levels. Superbly realized by Darragh Morgan, it is among the most impressive instances of cohesion wrested from fragmentation.

If the epic which is AXE[S] does not quite achieve such an overall unity, this is likely a result of the work’s overall scale (virtually half an hour of uninterrupted music) and its tendency to discursiveness evident in those numerous types of material that are continuously crosscut in what becomes an odyssey for the instrument and its performer as much as the actual content. Having commissioned, premiered and worked towards its realization this past 25 years, Mats Scheidegger embraces the challenge of presenting this piece in all its uncompromising glory.

Does it all work?

Yes, if each listener wishes it so. As has frequently been remarked, Hayden’s work has never made any concessions to those performing or hearing it; nor has his recent involvement with spectral techniques brought any lessening of the technical rigour or expressive vehemence as has characterized his thinking for over three decades. To do so would not have necessitated a response of such unwavering commitment from its exponents, who ensure that the demands made on them become integral to the overall experience of coming to terms with this music.

Is it recommended?

Yes. The all-round excellence of these performances is matched by the focus and immediacy of the sound in each instance, together with detailed while not unduly abstruse notes from the composer. Those coming to his music afresh are not likely to remain emotionally uninvolved.

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You can explore purchase options for this album at the Divine Art website. You can find out more on Mats Scheidegger at his Bandcamp page, and click here for more on composer Sam Hayden

Published post no.1,982 – Wednesday 18 October 2023

On Record: Richard Deering – Parry: Piano Music (Heritage Records)

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Parry
Piano Sonata no.1 in F major (1876)
Piano Sonata no.2 in A minor (1878)
Sieben Charakterbilder (1872)
Five Miniatures (pub. 1926)

Richard Deering (piano)

Heritage Records HTGCD140-141 [two discs, 87’15’’]
Producer/Engineer: Paul Arden-Taylor
Recorded 15 July 2023 at Wyastone Concert Hall, Wyastone Leys, Monmouth

written by Richard Whitehouse

What’s the story?

Heritage continues its coverage of unfamiliar British music with this set featuring much of the music for solo piano by Hubert Parry, representative of those earlier years when his immersion in the Austro-German tradition was being leavened with a more personal vein of expression.

What’s the music like?

Although he had essayed two sets of shorter pieces in the late 1860s, Parry’s large-scale piano works come from the following decade. The First Piano Sonata owes a debt to Beethoven but also Mendelssohn and Weber, the eddying restraint of its first movement finding contrast with the capricious charm of its scherzo or wistful poise of its Andante. The finale duly heads from a pensive introduction to an elegant Allegretto that, in turn, finds greater animation in its coda. Modest in scope, the whole piece has a limpidity and understatement which is most appealing.

The Second Piano Sonata, if not that much longer, none the less leaves a greater impression – not least as the influences of Schumann and Brahms are more evident. The opening Allegro features a Maestoso introduction that recurs after the development and in the coda to deepen this music’s ingratiating manner, then the Adagio touches on deeper or even darker emotions. The ensuing Scherzo is more rhythmically incisive than its predecessor and while the finale is marked Allegretto, it builds to a decisive close – the introductory music again in evidence.

Before either of these sonatas, Parry composed a set of studies entitled Charakterbilder but with the intriguing subtitle Seven Ages of Mind, which suggests an evolving concept akin to several of Schumann’s collections. The Dreaming of a whimsical Prelude is followed by the impetuosity of Learning then the histrionics of Passion. The trenchancy of Striving precedes the eloquence of Longing then the elation of Triumphing, and though the final Adagio is untitled, its mood of inward rapture might well be thought of as being Fulfilling.

Parry soon went on to write a notable Piano Concerto and engaging Theme and Variations, but little further for the solo instrument until late in life. Published posthumously, the Five Miniatures likely emerged over a quarter-century – the initial Sleepy having an affecting charm complemented by the winsomeness of A Little Christmas Piece then wry humour of Capriccio. Greater profundity is hinted at in the ensuing Pause before this sequence reaches its close with the bittersweet resignation of Envoi – most delicate of miniatures.

Does it all work?

It does. Parry was still in the process of finding his own voice (which, as can be heard from his later choral and orchestral works, was a distinctive one) when writing this music, which should not detract from the technical finish and emotional warmth in much of what is heard here. It helps that Richard Deering brings out its salient qualities through playing responsive to the composer’s idiomatic if stylistically undemanding pianism, as rendered on a Steinway D which clarifies a preponderance of ‘middle range’ keyboard sonorities and passagework.

Is it recommended?

It is. The sound has all the clarity and perspective expected, and there are useful background notes by Lisa Hardy. A follow-up release featuring the Theme and Variations, along with the three sets of Sonnets and Songs without Words and the Schulbrede Tunes, would be welcome.

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You can explore purchase options for this album at the Heritage Records website. For more information, click on the links for performer Richard Deering and for the Hubert Parry life history

Published post no.1,981 – Tuesday 17 October 2023

On Record – Dot Allison: Consciousology (Sonic Cathedral)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

The solo renaissance of Dot Allison continues, the singer – once of the much-loved dance outfit One Dove – releasing her second solo album in two years.

Allison actually began the album back in 2021, as previous opus Heart-Shaped Scars was being released. The song Double Rainbow was the first to be completed, and Consciousology – described by its author as ‘an imagined voice of a conscious universe expressed through music’.

The album has grown to be just that, taking the electrical activity of a plant and translating it into pitch – a ‘botanical session player’, as Allison labels it, to sit alongside the talents of guitarist Andy Bell and the London Contemporary Orchestra, heard in arrangements made by Hannah Peel.

What’s the music like?

Allison’s vocal has a beautiful fragility on the surface, but is supported by an instrument of deceptive strength beneath. Her hushed tones are ideally complemented by string arrangements made once again by Hannah Peel, who shows an instinctive understanding of the balance between the two, so that the words can be clearly heard at all times.

The London Contemporary Orchestra play like a dream, matching Allison’s feathery vocal on the gorgeous Shyness of Crowns, which slides into Unchanged, whose dreamy guitar from Andy Bell gains in strength as it progresses.

Bleached By The Sun features more exquisite word painting, the sighing strings and whispered vocal painting a heat-soaked, drowsy scene, while Moon Flowers is similarly enchanted.

Unchanged has impressive inner strength, while Bleached By The Sun has delicate multitracked vocals, in something of a fever dream, and is complemented by winding string contours. Moon Flowers is an enchanting song, as is Mother Tree – shot through with slightly psychedelic effects on percussion and harp.

Meanwhile inner strength comes to the fore on Double Rainbow, and Weeping Roses forms a pictorial coda in the company of sleepy guitar and piano accompaniment.

Does it all work?

It does, thanks to Allison’s enchanting voice, which harks back to some of the memorable folk-inflected voices of the 1960s and 1970s. The impression remains that she has more power available should she need it, but these songs are beautifully sung as they are.

Is it recommended?

It is. Consciousology will take its listeners to a place far from where they actually are, its dreamy textures and contours providing enchantment and, ultimately, escapism.

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Switched On: X-Press 2: Thee (Acid Jazz)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Those who have been paying attention to the career of X-Press 2 will know there is a great deal more to them than Lazy, the David Byrne collaboration that has taken up residence on UK radio the last 20 years.

The trio – as they were then – always stood for high quality house music, as the likes of Muzikizum and London X-Press will testify. Now that Ashley Beedle has left, founder members Rocky (Darren Rock) and Diesel (Darren House) have set about securing the X-Press 2 reputation with their fifth album, their first in eight years.

What’s the music like?

Very, very fine. It’s clear that a lot of care and attention has been taken with this comeback, as there isn’t a note out of place or overplayed. Instead, the duo have fashioned a new set of club tracks that pay homage to classic house but sound current and are captivating the whole way through. The balance between vocal and instrumental is just right, especially when the former is represented by Bloc Party vocalist Kele Okereke and Sailor & I. These two deliver brilliant guest turns, with Phasing You Out (Okereke) one of the standout cuts, delivering the goods in a technological burnout with great lyrics.

In truth, Thee gets better as it goes on. The Rain, the Sailor & I guest spot, is a slow-burner that gets better with each listen. You Know (Everybody) is a powerful excursion into tribal territory, with big percussion hits at every turn. Reach For Me is a deeper, nocturnal number, and Muse is smoother still, but Cope turns up the dials to be a throwback to the mid-90s Alcatraz hit Giv Me Luv.

Does it all work?

It does. Thee, in spite of the ancient implications in its name, brims with inspiration and is a succession of punches that hit their target – namely getting people to dance.

Is it recommended?

Without hesitation. This is a very fine piece of work that shows just how durable house music can be with placed in the right hands.

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Switched On: Green-House: A Host for All Kinds of Life (Leaving Records)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Green-House is a project begun by Olive Ardizoni but now a duo featuring her long-time collaborator and confidant, Michael Flanagan.

Their music is indelibly associated with the natural environment, and especially its disappearance – asking how we can address the hollow feelings we have at its destruction, and pass those on to future generations. The Six Songs for Invisible Gardens EP addressed this in part at the start of the pandemic in 2020, a cassette release that included wild flower seeds for the listener.

The series of releases continued with Music For Living Spaces in 2021, the first full length Green-House LP, but now it has a sequel in the form of A Host For All Kinds Of Life. This is on a bigger scale to the previous album, functioning as a suite of discreet instrumental songs that have at their heart a powerful message, continuing to express joy at the environment even in the wake of its continued destruction.

What’s the music like?

Green-House make music that works on two levels – the listener can take in the context above and hear it in a deep and meaningful sense, or they can retreat a little to observe as ambient music. Either way it works, for these instrumentals are rich in creativity and colour, presenting positive moods with verdant textures.

There is an Eastern feel to Coquina, with its persuasive flute line, that suggests we are in a garden full  of bright flowers – and this is a vision that continues through the album. Lichen Maps, as its title suggests, is a little more mysterious, while Desire Path wends its way through flowing lines.

The musical statements become more thoughtful for Castle Song, but then a good deal more playful for Far More Other. Most meaningful of all is the enchanting title track, which twinkles at the treble end while a gently rocking statement on keyboard plays out beneath.

Many Years Later – looking a generation beyond, perhaps – has a sepia tint, its pitch wavering as it looks to sum up what has gone before.

Does it all work?

It does – though be careful you listen on the right audio equipment, for Green-House make treble rich music. This responds well on headphones especially.

Is it recommended?

It is. Ambient music is often the most thought provoking – and that is certainly the case here. Green-House make conscious music that delivers its message with subtle power.

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