Pat Posey - They/Beast - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Siegfried Mauser - Piano Music [COMPACT DISCS] date 05/25/2004

Medieval interest in animals and mythical creatures was not limited to the visual arts and literature. At the same time that bestiaries - manuscripts depicting animals and mythical creatures - were being compiled, composers were producing innumerable pieces that describe these same beasts from a musical point of view. InchSong of BeastsInch combines medieval iconography with texts and music, immersing a modern audience in this fascinating world of verbal, visual and aural imagery. Ensemble Dragma paints a multifaceted, moving and in depth portrait of the bestiaries, giving a glimpse of a long lost medieval mindset. Various mythical and real animals are introduced, including the panther, the viper, the Phoenix and the basilisk. These pieces by both renowned and less well-known composers are musical jewels, combining artful poetry with engaging melodies.

PATTERNS, a multi-composer compilation of contemporary chamber music, accentuates the richness, intricacy, and minimal sound that can be found in works written for small ensembles. Included on the album are works by seven composers, each offering a distinct interpretation of what defines the genre. Asymmetry, composed by James William Stamm, features rich and soaring harmonies and melodies guided by a swift tempo. Guitarist David William Ross's performance on George Raillard's Disintegration opens with a distinct melody that quickly does exactly what it's title suggests, disintegrating into dissonance. Two Lords, written and performed by Santiago Kodela, is a guitar suite based on the works of two contemporary non-classical guitarists, Allan Holdsworth (1946 - 2017) and Fredrik Thordendal (b. 1970). The piece's three movements progress from the darkly toned InchOf TexturesInch through the relaxing InchOf ColoursInch to the rhythmically rich, upbeat InchOf Mechanics.Inch David Arbury's aptly titled Four Snares, performed by the McCormick Percussion Group, is an exploration of the often-overlooked timbral possibilities of the snare drum and a celebration of the wealth of sound available to it. Daniel Adams's Road Traversed and Reversed also features the Percussion Group's leader, Robert McCormick. Following an introduction of overlapping roll textures, thematic ideas emerge in an interplay between McCormick's and Lee Hinkle's marimbas. On Bunny Beck's emotional two-movement Suite for Sarro, a string trio evocatively captures sorrow in the face of loss. PATTERNS concludes with Jan Jarvlepp's Bassoon Quartet, comprised of three movements that range in spirit from adventurous to haunting to lively. Together, each of the pieces on PATTERNS vibrantly illustrate the unlimited possibilities available within the ever-evolving world of chamber music.