LANG: Concerto Ebraico / A faun halala / Fleur de delice

David Lang is a member of Bang on a Can, and Cantaloupe Music is “from the creators of Bang on a Can,” but this CD/DVD combination appears not to be a Bang on a Can project, strictly speaking. These are three separate works, although the release has the overall title of “Elevated.” This is not explained—if “explained” is the right word to use in this context—until one views the DVD.

It makes more sense to view and discuss the DVD first. Prima la musica e poi il video? It is not clear if Lang was writing music for preexisting videos, or if the videos were edited to fit Lang’s music. (Cantaloupe modishly refuses to include helpful booklet notes in any release of theirs that I am aware of.) Lang’s Wed is paired with a 1972 video called Treat Bottle by William Wegman. You might recall that Wegman is the photographer whose Weimeraner dogs are his most frequent (only?) models. Treat Bottle is a five-minute video, homemade in quality, depicting the efforts of one of his dogs to remove a tasty snack from a glass bottle. This the dog finally succeeds in doing, but not until he breaks the bottle into several pieces. You don’t have to be a PETA activist to be made uncomfortable by the sight of a handsome dog nosing the jagged edges of a broken bottle; I hope this was not as bad as it appears to be. One could argue how appropriate Lang’s Wed is for these images. Scored for solo piano, Wed is pretty and rather sad. It is the shortest work here, and the least melodically and harmonically static. In fact, the most interesting thing about it is the way it presents the listener with just enough challenge to prevent it from falling into the “New Age” genre.

I “freaked out” when I first saw Bill Morrison’s short film Light Is Falling and the longer Decasia, both with fabulous scores by Michael Gordon, another Bang on a Canner. Morrison takes archival films in various states of decay—nitrate film stock is notoriously sensitive to the ravages of time—and uses the film’s physical degradation as an expressive medium over and above (and sometimes in contradiction to) the film’s nominal subject. The fading, blotching, and distortions have an abstract beauty all their own, although, like most types of beauty, it is not without its horrific aspects. Morrison’s How to Pray is based on 10-minute footage showing icebergs, photographed from the water, in the process of being worn down by wind and waves. The degradation of the icebergs is paralleled by the decay of the film itself. What is the foreground and what is the background? Lang’s music is appropriately “frozen,” rocking to and fro between less than a handful of harmonic and melodic options. A cello and keyboards (a piano and a Hammond organ) fruitlessly occupy themselves within the limitations imposed on them while the electric guitar and drums coldly push them along. The word “endgame” came to mind.

Men is “dedicated to Hans Werner Henze.” It is paired with Matt Mullican’s nearly 45-minute Elevated, which in turn draws upon 16mm film footage dating from 1935. Shot by one D. G. Oswald (an amateur with a film camera?), this footage affords fascinating glimpses of New York City and its environs during that time, including wrestling in Madison Square Garden, a burlesque dancer, shop windows, Luna Park, and children frolicking in front of an open fire hydrant on a scorching summer day. In other words, Oswald’s footage teems with life. In contrast, Lang’s music is even more petrified here than in How to Pray. Men sounds like a collaboration between Anton Bruckner and Morton Feldman. Sustained trombone notes—a very few notes!—serve as a trumpet of doom. Time is slowly marked off by dark, thick bass chords, and the music’s surface is roughed-up by metallic rattling of unidentified origin. Is the music commenting on the film? (Or vice-versa?) There’s no obvious connection between the two. I guess with the appropriate music, even footage of happy children opening presents on Christmas Day can be made to seem apocalyptic. Perhaps Lang (and Mullican?) are in mourning over a perceived loss of innocence and hopefulness since 1935.

The CD contains performances of all three musical works without video, of course, and the music’s viability does not depend on the visual content. In fact, I don’t think I could watch Treat Bottle again, although I am sure I will want to rehear Wed. Even so, I’d recommend viewing the DVD first, and then moving to the CD, because music is more difficult to “learn” than images. I imagine that the performances accurately represent Lang’s music, and the engineering gives no cause for complaint.

This release is recommended to those with a developed taste for the challenging and the unusual.

FANFARE: Raymond Tuttle

The Passing Measures

Classical Music

Four-time Grammy-winning sextet, Eighth Blackbird (8BB), "one of the smartest, most dynamic contemporary classical ensembles on the planet" (Chicago Tribune), presents the world premiere recording of Pulitzer Prize-winning composer David Lang's composition as explanation, based on Gertrude Stein's seminal 1926 lecture of the same name. Called "Super Chamber Music" by David Lang, this multidisciplinary work incorporates elements of chamber music, theater, and performance art; it has the groundbreaking ensemble not only performing the music, but also speaking and singing Stein's text.

For the performance, the 8BB players committed themselves to a rigorous education process, including lessons in acting, diction, and the art of theater. Musical America praised 8BB's live performance of Lang's work as "every bit as witty, circular, and self-referential as Stein's own prose; it's rare, not to mention utterly satisfying, to hear a work that so completely embodies it's text. To invoke Stein, one suspects Composition as Explanation will be a work of our time for many times to come."

In 2016, 8BB asked David Lang to propose a project that they could perform at the Chicago Arts Club in conjunction with the Club's centennial year. In his research, Lang discovered that Stein had spoken at the Club in 1934; this led him to employ Stein's text as the basis for the piece.

Classical Music

In producing an update of his Pulitzer-winning 'the little match girl passion,' composer David Lang sought to deliver "...a leaner version of the piece, a more human version, one that emphasizes every breath, and that heightens the individuality of each singer." Featuring inspired performances by singers Molly Netter, Kate Maroney, Gene Stenger and Dashon Burton, as well as the renowned Trio Mediaeval — on the bonus track "I want to live," as well as an updated version of "just (after song of songs)" — this new recording accomplishes everything that Lang set out to explore, opening up fresh vistas of accessibility to a beloved work in modern choral music.

Featuring inspired performances by Mammoth Trio (Lisa Moore, Ashley Bathgate and Elly Toyoda) and the NYC-based Contemporaneous ensemble (conducted by David Bloom), David Lang's shade is one of his most poignant and dynamic collaborations — a writ-minimal recording with a wide-open emotional arc that can transport us into spaces that are by turns mournful, meditative and uplifting.

'shade' and its companion piece 'wed' clock in together at a little more than 23 minutes, but the listening experience is rich with the gradual ebb-and-flow sensations of an orchestral concert, or more directly, one of Lang's signature song cycles. The title piece moves through several distinct moods, with the middle section allowing the piano trio to step forward into a shimmering light while the string orchestra, as the composer intended, undulates behind them in shadow. The much shorter 'wed' is a triumph of string arrangement, with conductor David Bloom leading Contemporaneous through a slow-building wave of alternately consonant and dissonant textures, reflecting the tragic and beautiful events that inspired Lang to write the piece.

Lyoba 2

Close your eyes, lean back and enjoy!

In October last year, I reviewed for MusicWeb International, the first volume of songs by American composer Margaret Ruthven Lang. She was unknown to me at the time, and naturally, I had never heard her music. Little did I know that I was in for a treat! Indeed, Volume I of Lang’s selected songs was a very pleasant surprise. The music was exquisite and beautifully matched the lyrics. It made me think: where on Earth had this composer been hiding all my life! For me, it was a revelation, which was why I selected it as one of my Recordings of the Year 2011. I have been anticipating the launch of the second volume. Well, it is here now, under the charming title of New Love Must Rise. I am very pleased to say that it does not disappoint; on the contrary, if anything, it is even better than the first.

In a brief interview to me, via e-mail, tenor Donald George, who performs the songs with pianist Lucy Mauro in both volumes, said of Lang’s work: “The songs are simple, eminently singable and enjoyable. They work in the singing voice”. For me, this is exactly why the songs have an instant appeal and the reason why one is happy to listen to them repeatedly. As with the first CD, the songs are organised into topics: The Garden, The Twilight, Nonsense Rhymes and Pictures and Tomorrow and a Lullaby. The recording opens with On an April Apple Bough; a gorgeous piece and one of my favourites in Volume II. Although not the most difficult to perform, its heart-warming, poetic melody immediately has you hooked! All the other songs within the Garden topic are equally beautiful but there are two that stand out and which I would describe as two mini-masterpieces. The first, I Knew the Flowers Had Dreamed of You, is delicate and lyrical. The second, Nameless Pain, sets a poem by Thomas Bailey Aldrich, where the music perfectly illustrates the poetry. It is vibrant, poignant and powerful all at the same time; if you close your eyes, you can almost feel the summer wind or the scent of the rose and sense the nameless pain of the poet.

These two precious gems are by no means unique. The second topic, The Twilight, begins with another of these little treasures, Song in the Songless. This is on a poem by George Meredith from “A Reading of Life”. It is an extraordinary piece, emotionally very expressive, almost operatic. It is probably one of the most difficult to sing but also one of the most effective dramatically. It works almost like a duet between the voice and the piano. Donald George does it justice and has here the opportunity of showcasing an excellent technique, with some very warm, confident high notes, a very fine crescendo and the right level of sentiment. The piano line is exquisite and engaging, particularly on its own when responding to the voice. Lucy Mauro’s delicate touch and flawless technique give us a luminous sound of great beauty, adding to the emotional impact of the song.

Besides the abovementioned little masterpieces, there is much to enjoy and admire. All the songs within the second topic, The Twilight, are simply adorable; often evocative of a certain romantic atmosphere that adds to the general charm. Then, there is the very funny, at times witty group of Nonsense Rhymes and Pictures, effectively performed by George and Mauro with humour and a real sense of fun. I felt like jumping in and singing along! The last topic, Tomorrow and a Lullaby, is perhaps, from my perspective, as a linguist, the most fascinating section of the recording. It includes a song in German Lied der Nebenbuhlerin and one in French Lament. These songs are not better than the ones in English but it is remarkable how well Lang is able to compose to languages that were not her own. It shows her versatility, knowledge and sensibility.

Tenor Donald George and pianist Lucy Mauro are in this CD, as in the first, in fine form. The musical rapport between them is transparent throughout, as is their obvious admiration for the composer. They revel in the music; their sheer delight is contagious and, like me, you will suddenly realise that you are smiling, all alone in a room, for no apparent reason!

I could go on forever, describing the intricate beauty of Margaret Lang’s songs, one by one, but then, this review would become far too long! To summarise: the songs of the second volume are as admirable as the ones of the first. Lang’s music is full of appealing melodies and sophisticated harmonies but most of all, the songs have a freshness, an innocence of days gone by. They are often deceptively simple but the more one listens, the more one grasps their delicate complexity. This collection of little musical treasures comes, yet again, in an attractive, colourful package as delightful as the music. There are some very interesting, informative notes, on the composer and her songs, written by Lindsay Kooth.

Finally, I would like to end by making a simple suggestion: Get the recording, close your eyes, lean back and enjoy!

-- Margarida Mota-Bull, MusicWeb International

Classical Music

Back in April 2014 at Carnegie's Zankel Hall, Augustin Hadelich's performance of David Lang's 'mystery sonatas' was praised by the New York Times as a riveting display of “magisterial poise and serene control.” That same magic penetrates this starkly beautiful recording of the work, played by Hadelich on the exquisite 1723 “ex-Kiesewetter” Stradivari, on loan to him by its current owners since 2011. Lang based his 'mystery sonatas' on the famous pieces by Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber, but with a modern twist. “I decided to make my own virtuosic pieces about my most intimate, most spiritual thoughts,” he explains, “[but] mine are not about Jesus, and the violin is not retuned between movements. I did keep one of Biber's distinctions. He divides Jesus's life into three phases—the joyous, the sorrowful, and the glorious. The central pieces of my mystery sonatas are called 'joy,' 'sorrow,' and 'glory,' but these are all quiet, internal, reflective states of being.”

One of the things I like about this disc is that all the pieces try to take classical music someplace it doesn't usually go, declares David Lang, the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer who co-founded the experimental classical music festival Bang on a Can.

Cappella Amsterdam and its artistic leader Daniel Reuss return to PENTATONE with a world premiere recording of David Lang’s the writings. For this cycle, Lang has chosen five texts from the Old Testament tied to Jewish holidays. These writings share a universal appeal, a focus on what it means to be human. Lang’s austere and repetitive score makes a profound emotional impact, fully in line with the poetry of the subjects recited. This album comes with insightful program notes by the composer, as well as an evocative analysis by his esteemed colleague Nico Muhly.

Since its foundation in 1970, Cappella Amsterdam has shown an exceptional mastery of contemporary and early vocal music, with acclaimed excurses to Romantic repertoire as well. Daniel Reuss has been Artistic Leader of Cappella Amsterdam for over three decades now, and has worked with several renowned choirs and ensembles. Their PENTATONE debut album In Umbra Mortis (2021) won an Edison Klassiek Award. Multiple award-winning composer David Lang is one of America’s most performed composers, whose deceptively simple pieces can be fiendishly difficult to play, requiring incredible concentration by musicians and audiences alike.

REVIEWS:

Assembled over 14 years, the writings is a collection of settings of texts from the Hebrew Bible that are particularly associated with holidays; they are enchanted unaccompanied choral pieces, jewel-like in their crystalline beauty and performed with just the right degree of gentle detachment by Cappella Amsterdam under Daniel Reuss.

-- The Guardian

This stunning disc features the Cappella Amsterdam ensemble on a world-premiere recording of David Lang’s The Writings, a cycle of choral works based on selections from the Hebrew Bible. Each of the scriptural extracts is associated with a different Jewish holiday, the work as a whole creating a sort of map of the Jewish liturgical year from Sukkot (a weeklong holiday during which ancient Israelites were expected to travel to the temple in Jerusalem) to Tisha B’Av (which commemorates the destruction of both Solomon’s Temple and the Second Temple). The music is, as one might expect, solemn in tone and cyclical in structure; perhaps a bit more surprisingly, it is also consistently consonant and tonal — though the mood is often dark and brooding, there is always light peeking through, and the performances by Cappella Amsterdam are absolutely exquisite.

-- Baker & Taylor CD Hotlist

"In July of 2016 I got an email from the Icelandic composer Johann Johansson, telling me about how a commercial fisherman off the coast of Iceland had found four reels of a Soviet film in his net. The film, Derevensky Detektiv (1969), was not a lost, rare, or even a particularly good film...but as I often make new films out of disused old films, I was interested in learning more. The story told in the sunken film involves a stolen accordion. I started to think about the accordion as an instrument — as a set of lungs that is found in the folk music of people all across the globe. Thankfully, David Lang was excited by the fact that this film had sat on the bottom of the ocean for 50 years, and that it now had new stories to tell. Ultimately we arrived at a soundtrack played by a single accordion, a single set of lungs diving into the ocean to retrieve this story. And the extraordinary music David wrote perfectly captures this, and the beautiful, tragic, and inexorable drift of time." (Producer and filmmaker Bill Morrison, from the liner notes)