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Alix Goolden Performance Hall
November 20, 2011
The Victoria Conservatory has launched a new series this season, dubbed "VCM Presents". The second concert in the series was dubbed "New Music Giants", which might be a bit hyperbolic. John Cage and Steve Reich most certainly deserve the epithet, but as for the other composers on the program, the jury is still out.
With that said, the concert provided evidence that David Loeb, Jacques Hétu, Stephen Brown, and Wes RD Wraggett should be played more often, if only to have a fair judgement of their reputations.
The concert opened with John Cage's "Imaginary Landscapes". Scored (if that's the right word) for 12 radios operated by 24 performers (one on the volume knob, and the other on the analog tuning knob), it utilized the talents of the VCM's students. I hope the students had a discussion with their teachers after the concert - a "teachable moment" indeed, to discuss Cage's philosophy of what constitutes music, and the random nature of their performance. Of course, there was plenty of radio static white noise, and the indistinct but immediately recognizable tones of "radio announcer voice". The best moment was a few moments of the Vancouver rock band 54-40's song "Ocean Pearl", with its insistent guitar riff ("ostinato" for the erudite) that cut through the detritus summoned up by the other radios.
The other big name on the program was Steve Reich. Although ostensibly a jazz performer, Pat Metheny is something of a musical polymath, and Steve Reich composed "Electric Counterpoint" for him. The piece, in its original conception, consists of multiple layers of pre-recorded guitar and bass guitar parts, along with which the performer adds the final part. For the VCM concert, guitarist Bradford Werner played along with Pat Metheny's recording, in sort of a "music minus one" event. Even with the backing track (or perhaps because of the backing track), this is no small feat - the performance requires a great deal of precision, as it is full of Reich's typical ever-evolving figures, where a simple three note motif can quickly transform into a shifting set of six or seven note motifs. Werner pulled it off beautifully, although I would love to one day hear Reich's reworking of "Electric Counterpoint" for a live guitar ensemble.
David Loeb's "Between Sea and Sky" was inspired by one of the royal villas in Kyoto, Japan. For three guitars, it combines Japanese melodic elements with modern classical composition. Bradford Werner, Douglas Hensley, and Michael Dias were effective in bringing a mix of colour and tone to the piece.
Jacques Hétu's "Concerto for two guitars" was, according to the program notes, given its Victoria premiere some 18 months ago, which made me think it might be a bit premature to bring it back. But I was convinced - two guitars and a string quartet make a wonderful noise, especially in the hands of a composer who understands the strengths of each voice. A solid performance by Bradford Werner and Michael Dias, guitar, and VCM Collegium students Nelson Moneo, Rae Gallimore, Stephanie Galipeau, and Elise Cassidy was quite convincing.
The concert's closing piece was Wes RD Wraggett's "33 Pieces of Pandora's Box", performed by Douglas Hensley (guitar), Christine Pierce (viola), and Masako Hockey (vibraphone). In the notes, Wraggett explains the structured randomness of the piece, its heritage in the 12-tone methods of the Second Viennese School, and the overt Zappa and Boulez influences (perhaps it's that tuned percussion...) A few more hearings might be necessary to get the flavour of the piece, and how much the random effects can change the structure and tone.
The highlight of the afternoon was arguably the least sophisicated and modern, at least in terms of technology and musical structure: Stephen Brown's "There was a Lady in the East - Third Suite for Solo Cello". Solo cello suites will of course always get compared to the six masterpieces by Bach. Brown has found a solution that on the one hand pays homage to the master, while at the same time creates something entirely his own. The homage to Bach is to be found in the dance forms, but where Bach employed sarabandes and bourrees, Brown sets reels and hornpipes, using folk tunes from Atlantic Canada (notably Newfoundland) as a melodic foundation. The cellist Paula Kiffner was her usual brilliant self - her tone, phrasing, and dedication to the music was entirely convincing. On the fast movements, such as the closing jig, she was sharp and energetic, and the third movement's opening lament was achingly beautiful. The suite was enormously effective - I struggle to find the words to express how charmed I was by this music and Kiffner's performance.
All in all, a very effective program of thoroughly modern music.
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