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3.0 out of 5 stars
"Kinder, gentler modernism", Dec 11 2003
Peter Lieberson is one of a number of composers around these days (other examples might include Oliver Knussen and Magnus Lindberg) who have taken modernist techniques and the modernist experience to create a more conventionally "accessible" soundworld. This disc explores approximately 25 years of Lieberson's career, from his first chamber work, the serial Concerto of 1973 to the freely tonal/atonal mixture of 1998's Free and Easy Wanderer.The Concerto for Four Groups of Instruments was Lieberson's first acknowledged chamber work. Like most of the works on this disc, it is brief (weighing in at a mere eight minutes); unlike most it is a fairly strict piece of Wuorinen-esque serialism. Even if it is not representative of Lieberson's mature writing, it is interesting to see that some of the characteristics of the later works (particularly the writing for woodwind and piano) are here in embryo. A much more sharply defined work is Accordance for Eight Instruments, completed in 1976. This features more melodic writing in comparison to the pointillism of the Concerto, more explicit concentration on tonal centres, and a much more explicit harmonic underpinning of the work. The three songs of 1981 are almost Webernian in their brevity. They continue the tendency towards greater clarity shown in Accordance, and are delicately orchestrated. Drala, a 1985 pseudo-symphony written for the Cleveland Orchestra, is at 17 minutes the longest work on this disc, and possibly the best. This begins with an Invocation which sets out the musical material of the work, follows it with a dramatic Gathering and a longer slow movement entitled Offerings and Praises. The finale, Raising Windhorse, is a tumultuous orchestral tour-de-force. This would be a good place for newcomers to Lieberson to start--the language is largely tonal and the orchestration (focusing particularly on woodwind and pitched percussion) delightful. The remaining works are shorter: Ziji, for clarinet, horn and piano quartet dates from a year later, and was one of Lieberson's last serial works. It's a vigorous, exuberant piece. In comparison, the following year's Raising the Gaze is a little more restrained, though the musical language is similar enough that the casual listener would probably not have spotted that it was no longer serial. Fire, a fanfare for the Cleveland Orchestra--and first movement of a proposed five-movement work--is an energetic four minutes of orchestra that at times almost reminds me of Copland or Stravinsky, while the final work, Free and Easy Wanderer is a wide-ranging six minutes, ending with a slow chorale. The performances here are exccellent, with Oliver Knussen conducting the Cleveland Orchestra, the ASKO Ensemble and the London Sinfonietta. If I can't get overly enthusiastic about this disc, it may be more personal preference than anything. However, I simply don't find Lieberson's style and musical material as captivating as I do with some similar composers (particularly Knussen). Others may disagree, though--and I wouldn't wish to discourage anyone from buying this disc if it appeals.
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