Record Reviews

FRACTURED DIMENSION ~ TOWARDS THE MYSTERIUM NOT ON LABEL (Barcode: 809812012122) ~ USA ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 2008 Released: 2008 1st album by US Prog trio led by keyboardist Jimmy PittsFind albums by this artist, who also composed almost all the music on the album, with bassist Jerry TwyfordFind albums by this artist and drummer Alex ArellanoFind albums by this artist. The music is a very ambitious musical suite, comprised of 17 miniatures, which pays homage to the Russian pianist / composer / philosopher / mystic Alexander ScriabinFind albums by this artist. Scriabin was of course one the most interesting and forward-thinking composers of the late 19th / early 20th Century, and who had an immense influence on the development of modern Classical Music, especially atonal / twelve-tone music developed later in the 20th Century by Arnold SchoenbergFind albums by this artist, Alban BergFind albums by this artist, Anton WebernFind albums by this artist, Hanns EislerFind albums by this artist, Milton BabbittFind albums by this artist, Luciano BerioFind albums by this artist, Pierre BoulezFind albums by this artist and Igor StravinskyFind albums by this artist. Scriabin, who died unexpectedly at the age of 43, left an unfinished piece he was working on, called "Mysterium", which was an epitome of his aesthetic and mystical beliefs. As the title of the album suggests, Pitts and his cohorts try to develop a piece of music, which perhaps could have been written by Scriabin, if he was alive today. Although such an undertaking might look mockingly way too ambitious, to my pleasant surprise they managed to fulfill their ambitions extremely well. The music is truly excellent, full of twists and turns, yet beautifully coherent, bearing many references to modern Classical Music, but incorporating musical techniques from Rock and Jazz. Often devilishly complex and tricky, the trio manages to perform the music flawlessly, which of course demands almost total control of their instruments. In order to expand the album´s tonality and instrumental depth, the group invited about a dozen of their friends / musicians (mostly guitarists), each contributing a brief solo on several of the pieces, adding mostly ornamentation rather than substance. Several of the guitar solos have a slight "metallic" tinge, which might lead for this album to be classified as Prog Metal (as I´ve observed in some of the album´s reviews); well those who do so simply miss the point by a mile. The usage of instruments is completely meaningless and if this music was performed by a Classical ensemble (which seems like a good idea), it would still be the same – a superb example of intelligent, contemporary music, a rare gem on the dreary plane of musical refuse that mostly surrounds us all. The fact that such exceptional music was created by young musicians, who are not only very talented, but who also know who Scriabin was, not to mention knowing his music (an extremely rare manifestation of respect towards the European Classical Music heritage, especially among Americans), makes them a great example for others to follow (not that I have many illusions as to this becoming a reality). Overall this is a stunning debut, worthy of a respectful position among the best Prog albums produced in the last decade, although the open-minded listeners of contemporary Classical music might have a field day with it as well. Kudos and I can´t wait for the group´s next effort, hoping they can sustain the same level of excellence.

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ORCHESTRE SYMPHONIQUE DE MONTREAL ~ SCHOENBERG: PELLEAS UND MELISANDE & VERKLÄRTE NACHT PENTATONE 8717306262187 (Barcode: 8717306262187) ~ CANADA ~ Classical Recorded: 2024 Released: 2024 This is an album by the Orchestre Symphonique De MontrealFind albums by this artist, conducted by the Venezuelan conductor Rafael PayareFind albums by this artist, who is also the orchestra’s musical director, performing two early works by Austrian Jewish composer Arnold SchoenbergFind albums by this artist: the tone poem “Pelleas Und Melisande” (composed in 1903) and the “Verklärte Nacht” (composed originally as a string sextet in 1899 and subsequently revised to a string orchestra versions, this one from 1943). The sound quality of the recording is impeccable and the tone is well balanced. Schoenberg, who was the greatest musical revolutionary of the 20th Century and Godfather of the free atonality and later twelve-tone method, is in retrospect primarily known for his early works of his Late Romanticism period, like those presented here. This is not really surprising, as the complexity and sheer intellectual “weirdness” of his later works is even today light-years ahead of the average Classical music listener, not to mention the ability of most orchestras to tackle their performance. That does not mean, of course, that Schoenberg’s early works are less sophisticated, brilliant or intricate, but they are certainly “packaged” using more conventional compositional techniques, which makes them more accessible, but not necessarily better understood, by a wider audience. There are many available recordings of these two works by Schoenberg, sometimes quite different from each other, so the question is if Payare’s interpretation adds a new aesthetic perspective to the compositions and if the listener can truly enjoy the beauty of the music. I am happy to say that the answer to both these question is positive. Payare takes the music “back to the source” so to speak, emphasizing the romantic nature of the melodic sequences and playing with the dynamics of the subsequent parts of each composition, treating it somewhat like a soundtrack to an imaginary movie. That is as much liberty as the conductor is allowed, and he does not overdo it. The result becomes more “listenable” than most other interpretations, a bit “rounded”, but all in good taste. Overall, this is a wonderful album, which should satisfy Classical Music connoisseurs, who dare to explore Schoenberg’s magical world, or at least the early facet of it, hoping they will dare to search further, into his more advanced periods, which hide many treasures as well. Wholeheartedly recommended!

Updated: 24/01/2025Posted: 24/01/2025

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