Character Interludes
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Character Interludes Virginia Taylor and Timothy Kain Flute and Guitar Character Interludes Virginia Taylor and Timothy Kain Flute and Guitar Suite Buenos Aires 15’49’’ Maximo Diego Pujol From the Dreaming 14’12’’ Phillip Houghton Character Interludes 12’36” Elena Kats-Chernin Retratos 9’05” Jaime Zenamon Tres Temas Argentinas 9’30” Coco Nelegatti Total duration 61 minutes C 2011 Timothy Kain and Virginia Taylor P 2011 Move Records move.com.au his is a fascinating and diverse sonorities which blend the guitar’s breadth or academic rigour. Rather, program of works from the upper-partials with the flute, for it tends to be smaller in scale, more southern hemisphere, born of example, creating a ‘third instrument’ intimately personal. It is a body of Tthe musical interests of both that seems neither quite guitar or musical repertoire concerned with performers and the very nature of the flute but a combination of the two. direct communication, natural flute and guitar medium. The comfortable dynamic balance emotion, human sentiment; for all The duo of flute and guitar is between the two instruments also that, it is music that ranges like possibly as old as the instruments offers certain advantages. Portuguese fado from deep sadness themselves. Although the flute and Both flute and guitar have retained to lively humour, and like flamenco guitar have very different histories, strong identities in the realms of folk from rough simplicity to extraordinary there is some parallel in the and popular music of various kinds sophistication. To some extent, this development of the modern versions — and this naturally filters through communicative directness is also of these instruments during the 18th to concert repertoire. In particular, a result of the fact that so many century, and their transformations the Italian, Spanish and Portuguese guitarist performers also compose for as concert instruments through the folk traditions, and their transplanted this medium, bringing the advantage classical period of European music descendants in Latin America offer a of a first-hand understanding of the and the 19th century. During the 20th rich field of materials and inspiration instruments. century, an increasing interest in for composers writing for guitar. We On a more personal level, this this particular duo on the part of find, then that the flute and guitar CD presents the results of a special composers and performers resulted duo repertoire has a strong tendency collaboration between Virginia Taylor in the establishment of a significant to invoke songs and dances, and for and Tim Kain over almost 20 years. body of music—much of which is now the flute to be often asked to reflect These two performers have been standard repertoire around the world the expressive qualities of the human strong leaders in the development for performers on these instruments. voice. of the flute and guitar duo during While portability is one advantage In the same way that folk songs this period through their own these two instruments have in and dances cross easily into salon performances and by their arranging common, they differ in sound and concert music in the repertoire and commissioning of new works. production and tone-colour in for flute and guitar, these influences In addition to a strong interest in the the same varied and interesting intersect comfortably with character established repertoire for the flute way as the contrast of voice and pieces and poetic miniatures. To a and guitar duo, Kain’s and Taylor’s guitar, or violin and piano. At the large extent, the distinctive repertoire performances have very often same time, however, there are for the flute and guitar duo tends to featured new works by contemporary particular sonorities with which be made up of these types: songs, composers. Additionally, the special the two instruments can blend dances, poetic pieces, and character relationships they have built with to a remarkable degree. Certain pieces. This is a repertoire that is composers such as Houghton and techniques of sound guitar sound- not necessarily concerned with Kats-Chernin have had a large impact production can result in particular large-scale architecture, symphonic upon the nature and qualities of the resulting music. áximo Diego Pujol (born he Australian composer the song of a single flower in an ever 1957) is an Argentinean Phillip Houghton has changing panorama and climate of guitarist and composer pursued an independent storms, drought, heat and isolation— Mwhose music is born out Tpath and forged a unique isolation and endless space. Gecko is of the fusion of Argentinean tango musical voice. Also trained as a basically the life and times of a small music and more formal styles of painter, he draws inspiration from gecko lizard in scherzo form!” (Phillip European composition. A graduate of images, colour, textures, myths and Houghton, preface to published score, the Juan José Castro Conservatory in language. Translated into sound, 1997) Buenos Aires, he is now professor of these give much of his music an guitar at the Buenos Aires Superior expressively cinematic quality. His orn in Tashkent, Elena Conservatory of Music ‘Manuel de refined deployment of colours and Kats-Chernin emigrated to Falla’. Pujol’s knowledge of tango and textural contrasts is aided by a keen Australia in 1975. After an Argentinean popular song is drawn understanding of the guitar as an Bextended period of studying from his experience of playing guitar instrument. A long-standing interest and working in Europe between in Beunos Aires nightclubs. The forms in rock and pop music has also made 1980 and 1994, she has since lived and nuances of these local musical an impact upon Houghton’s melodic in Sydney. Kats-Chernin’s earlier genres colour all four movements and harmonic language, giving rise to music was often commissioned for of the Suite Buenos Aires (1995), an expressive use of harmonic pedal- theatre and dance, but since returning and Pujol’s fluent melodic writing points, to planes of harmonic activity to Australia she has established a and elegant harmonies combine rather than functional progression, reputation for writing colourful and with his understanding of the special and a strongly vocal approach to enjoyable instrumental music— capabilities of the guitar to form a melodic writing. and indeed the element of fun is unified and expressive musical world. Aspects of the dreamtime of something that Kats-Chernin identifies One notably effective idea is the indigenous Australians inspire the as an important aspect of her work. re-use of the opening melody of the three pieces making up the set titled The nine Character Interludes first movement (Pompeya) as the From the Dreaming, with reference (2000-2002) for flute and guitar were middle-section of the final movement to the powerful significance placed commissioned by Taylor and Kain (Microcentro), creating a sense of upon landscape, plants and animals, and composed expressly for their structural unity spanning the four and human expression in the form of duo performance. Each a miniature movements of the suite. The work ceremonial painting. The pieces were study, the pieces reflect perhaps is dedicated to the Brisbane-based originally composed in 1991, and many interesting aspects of the guitarist Julian Byzantine. revised in 1997. composer’s own musical personality. Cave Painting was inspired by Transparently textured, unfussy, ancient aboriginal rock art, rock and direct, these pieces are entirely formations, mystery and ‘powerfields’. comfortable within their miniature The guitar in this movement tries to dimensions. Kats-Chernin’s melodic imitate the didjeridu. Wildflower is lyricism is in evidence throughout, as is her fluid and fluent harmonic other hand, has drawn constant Suite Buenos Aires 15’49’’ writing. inspiration from the Argentinean Maximo Diego Pujol While some of the pieces (Nos. 2 & folk music as a performer, composer 1 Pompeya 4’06” 8) are framed in terms of melody and and ethnomusicologist—and his 2 Palermo 4’40” accompaniment, with the flute taking instrumental music, ensemble pieces, 3 San Telmo 3’16” the melodic role, others explore more songs and theatre compositions are 4 Microcentro 3’47” surprising possibilities of the flute and suffused with the language of tango. guitar duo. Zemanon’s 3 Retratos (portraits) From the Dreaming 14’12’’ Both No. 1, for example with are elegant and stylishly crafted Phillip Houghton its extended passages of unison pieces. The first (‘Encounter’) has 5 Cave Painting 5’20” playing, and No. 5, with the ethereal a strong neo-classic style, making 6 Wildflower 5’36” interweaving of guitar harmonics reference to baroque figures and 7 Gecko 3’16” and a flute line played largely without harmonic sequences. ‘Farewell’, vibrato, investigate some of the subtle the second piece is modal and Character Interludes 12’36” colours available from these two improvisatory, carrying some of the Elena Kats-Chernin instruments. pathos of the cantes libres (songs 8 Movement 1 1’12” Stylistically, we hear Kats- without fixed rhythm) of Spanish 9 Movement 2 1’15” Chernin’s fondness for the less flamenco, while the closing ‘Dialogue’ q0 Movement 3 1’42” pretentious side of late 19th century is a bright dance-like movement. qa Movement 4 1’17” romanticism (Nos. 2 & 8), fused with The three pieces of Nelegatti’s qs Movement 5 1’31” elements of rock/pop music (No. 4), suite Tres Temas Argentinos each qd Movement 6 1’25” Latin colour (Nos. 3 & 6), and ragtime represent a traditional dance/song qf Movement 7 1’42” (Nos. 6 & 9). form of Argentina (in this case, vals, qg Movement 8 1’18” milonga and tango). While based qh Movement 9 1’14” aime Zenamon (1953) and upon a deep understanding of the Coco Nelegatti (b. 1959) traditional musical forms, the pieces Retratos 9’05” are both guitarist-composers.