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The following article by Christopher Hyde, appeared in the Sunday, August 2, 2009 issue of the Maine Sunday Telegram.

 

Poetry, music join to awe audience

 

Composer George Crumb's new work, given its world premiere Friday night at the Bowdoin International Music Festival concert at Crooker Theater, more than lived up to its advance billing.

Sung by soprano Ann Crumb, the composer's daughter, accompanied by Peter Basquin on amplified piano, "Sun and Shadow" (Spanish Songbook II) is an intimate melding of music and the poetry of Federico Garcia Lorca. It is one of the rare instances, in settings of poetry, of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts.

The six poems in the cycle, sung in English- one excellent translation is by the composer himself- run the gamut from tranquility, "Lazy River, " to almost psychotic frenzy, "Dance of the Moon in Santiago." The emotions expressed by the poems are reinforced by unusual vocal techniques and a prepared piano that gives the accompaniment the fullness of an orchestra, without the usual distorted intervals of equal temperament.

Some of the sounds are surprising, such as the voice of the insect in "The Fly" (think of the movie by the same name) but become instantly appropriate to the text.

There is a gradual increase in intensity as the work progresses from "Lazy River" through "The Fly" to the ethnically flavored "The Interrupted Concert," culminating in the "Dance of the Moon in Santiago," which is a masterpiece. One can see why Crumb wanted to translate it himself.

The cycle concludes with the sadly tranquil "Farewell," with the refrain "If I die, leave the balcony open." The poet was murdered by Gen. Francisco Franco's militia early in the Spanish Civil War.

The composer, who will celebrate his 80th birthday in October and is being honored by the Bowdoin International Music Festival this year, was in the audience and took a bow with the performers. Crumb has said somewhere that he doesn't know how a work will sound until he hears a performance. He must have been pleased with the results of this one.

A Spanish atmosphere for the premiere was conjured up by "Four Spanish Vignetts" of Isaac Albeniz, played by Ricardo Iznaola, guitar.

The music following intermission could have been titled "The Trouble with Heaven," also known as the Schubert Piano Trio No. 2 in E-flat Major, D. 929. The 42-minute work (according to the program notes) put a huge demand on the endurance, to say nothing of the technique, of Dennis Kim, violin, Amir Eldan, cello and Edward Auer, piano.

The trio has some of hte most beautiful melodies Schubert ever wrote, which is a good thing, because by the umpteenth modulation it would verge on parody if it were not so captivating. For good measure, the composer realizes, in the final movement, that he has included nothing for the virtuoso, and throws in lots of rapid scales, repeated notes and tills to further try the already tired musicians. For their efforts they received one of the festival's rare standing ovations.

Christopher Hyde's Classical Beat column appears in the Maine Sunday Telegram. He can be reached at: classbeat@netscape.net