Search - Henry Cowell, Jorge Mester, Robert Whitney :: Henry Cowell: Works for Orchestra

Cowell more original here than I expected - a good introduct

Discophage | France | 01/10/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I find myself enjoying this disc much more than I expected.



The compositions featured here date between 1954 (Hymn and Fuguing Tune #3 and 11th Symphony) and 1961 ("Thesis"-Symphony No. 15). By then Cowell, the erstwhile trailblazing experimenter in piano sounds, wasn't so much of an innovator any more, often writing music that was tritely smacking of the American barn-style or sentimental prairie lyricism - and nowhere is this more in evidence than in his Hymn and Fuguing Tunes. Ives did it better, and Ives' early and more consonant, hymnal style is not what I prefer from this composer anyway. But I am glad to see that Cowell was more original and interesting than that, as a precursor of World Music East-West crossover, but not only.



The 11th Symphony "Seven Rituals of Music" was the first Cowell composition recorded by the Louisville Orchestra, and the usually highly informative production info given by First Edition Music's liner notes is false here: the 1959 date attributed by them both to recording and original LP release in fact pertains to Ongaku. The 11th Symphony was recorded in 1954 and came out on LOU 545-2, the second LP ever released on the Orchestra's own label, the famous Louisville First Edition Records, part of an initial subscription of twelve. It was paired with Tcherepnin's Suite (now reissued on First Edition Music's Tcherepnin collection, see Alexander Tcherepnin) and Wagenaar's Concert Oerture. Actually the Symphony had been recorded by the Columbia team under a joint agreement and also been released as Columbia ML 5039 with Creston's Invocation & Dance and Ibert's Louivsille Concerto (the latter reissued on Français Moderne).



Then came Ongaku, in 1959, published with Benjamin Lees' Second Symphony on Lou 595. "Thesis (Symphony No. 15) followed in 1961 and came out a year later on Lou 622 with Rodolfo Halffter's La Madruaga del Panadero. Finally, Hymn & Fuguing Tune #3 was recorded in 1968 and came out on Louisville LS-682 with Robert Starer's Mutabiliti, Charles Koechlin Five Chorales in Medieval Modes; the LP also had Cowell's Hymn and Fuguing Tune #2, incomprehensibly and frustratingly not reissued here with its companion. Surely, at 63:26, the CD would have contained it.



The other Cowell composition recorded by the Louisville Orchestra and missing from this CD reissue is the Sinfonietta, recorded in 1968 and released on L-681 with Carlos Surinach's Melorhythmic Dramas (the latter now available on Carlos Surinach: Melorhythmic Dramas; Symphonic Variations; Feria Magica Overture; Sinfonietta Flamenca) and the second Hymn and Fuguing Tune



I find Ongaku (1957) fascinating in its (to my ears) Japanese genuineness. It doesn't sound like a Puccini-like, mock Japan deformed through the thick lenses of occidental glasses, but like authentic Japanese Court music. The first movement is stately and serene, the second more animated and lyrical, dreamy at times. Both, as Cowell puts it, are strange sounding, but only superficially so, and the result is quite haunting.



The 11th Symphony is also quite original. The "Seven Rituals of Music" are in fact Ritual musics to accompany "the life of man from birth to death". It starts with "music for a child asleep" and ends with "music of the ritual of death". The second movement is especially striking and original, a "ritual of work" scored for percussion ensemble, later joined by brass fanfares, maybe the "prophetic hint of war" the composer refers to in his explanatory notes. Unexpected percussion sounds and colors are also much at the fore in the fourth movement, "music for the ritual of dance and play", in the midst of boisterous American festive music. Otherwise the music is often delicate and eerily mysterious, as in the third movement, "a song for the ritual of love, with the premonition of magic" and even more the fifth movement, "ritual of magic and the mystical imagination".



Thesis is also remarkable for its formal freedom (five short movements followed by a recapitulation of them in a sixth one and a sonata-form last movement based on an extension of the primary motiv uniting the whole) and for some of its orchestral effects: try the "carpet" of violin glissandos which open the second movement - as contemporary as anything written by Penderecki or Karel Husa in those years or later - over which a deep, tonal, recitative-like melody on bass strings develops, or again in the fourth movement the violins playing harmonics over bass pizzicato, turning into flutes against bassoon staccato. These are fine examples of what was so original with the young Cowell, what made his approach to "modernism" so unique and relevant: that he was both traditional in his adherence to tonality and folk-inspired melodic invention, and entirely innovative in his experimentation of unheard piano sounds.



This is an excellent introduction to Cowell the orchestral composer.

"

Cowell's #11: A Woefully Underperformed Spellbinder

Neil Cotiaux | North Canton, Ohio United States | 10/21/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Nearly relegated to the dustbin of musical history, Henry Cowell's vastly underrated and rarely performed "Symphony No. 11: Seven Rituals of Music" is reason enough to secure this CD, produced with obvious passion by Matt Walters of Santa Fe-based First Edition Music. Originally a 1954 world premiere recording by the Louisville Orchestra, which commissioned the work as part of its ambitious homage to serious contemporary music, "Seven Rituals of Music" represents that increasingly rare find: music that takes root in your soul and spirits you to a completely different psychological state.



From its milky, amniotic reverie to its percussive, cast-iron evocation of work and war; from its sprightly tune of delight to its mystical and otherwordly shadings, Symphony No. 11 plays with the listener's emotions without letup until its powerhouse conclusion. It is an emotional tour de force.



Using a series of simple musical themes woven together with highly inventive instrumentation, including a strong bass line, brass, xylophone and what is best described as celestial watercoloring, Cowell simply astonishes in tapping into the raw emotions of his listener.



This is entrancing, evocative music, which happens to be packaged with a first-rate narrative offering some genuine insights into the world of Henry Cowell. I recommend this CD with absolutely no reservation.



"

Interesting Late Cowell

alk bender | Marshfield, WI | 08/04/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I think that Henry Cowell is highly underrated these days. He did so much for American music, not only with his own compositions, but with spreading the music of other composers, and as a teacher. Where would American music be without Cowell-would Charles Ives ever have been heard or John Cage have developed prepared piano?



I think Cowell's piano music is some of the best music written in the 20th century, and have for awhile, but wasn't really aware of his orchestral output until I heard this CD. It may not be as revolutionary as his earlier work (then again maybe it is), but it's very good and also very interesting to hear how Cowell developed.



Some of the music here reminds me of The Rite of Spring, but Cowell's music has more variety. There is more juxtoposition of tonal and atonal music, and there is definately more elements of world music. Cowell was one of the first composers to really explore and utilize what has come to be called world music. That is one thing that is even more present in his later orchestral works than in his early piano music. It really is cool to hear how Cowell combines western and eastern influences in these works.



One thing I love about Cowell is that he pretty much never abondoned tonality, much of his music still has a melody that grabs you. Hymn and Fuguing Tune is beautiful and shows Cowell exploring American folk music.



Overall I think this is a very good CD and would recommend it. And in fact, if you're not interested you really should be. Henry Cowell really deserves to be talked about and played much more, and this CD proves there's more to love than just The Banshee."