VARIED PERSONAE OF THE GUITAR, AND ITS MR.-CHIPS FRIEND
                Plus a Watch Ticking on Irish Time  
                                              By Paul Hertelendy 
        artssf.com, the independent observer of San Francisco Bay Area music and dance 
                                                                 Week of Nov. 3-10, 2009
                                                                  Vol. 12, No. 30
           These chamber players feast on the very very modern, the post-2000 music of the wet-ink variety. But the “Five Pieces” for solo guitar and electronics heard Nov. 2 was a more traditional new-millennium work than the others. Either because of that, or maybe despite it, Ronald Bruce Smith’s opus made the greatest impact at the San Francisco Contemporary Chamber Players, one of the West Coast’s elite and oldest (at age 39) groups for new music.
            As performed by the well-known local artist David Tanenbaum, the “Five Pieces” became a sort of rhapsody for guitar and ensemble, the ensemble effect coming from the electronics controlled by a foot pedal, often echoing the solo guitar itself.  It’s constantly astonishing to me that musicians haven’t flocked to similar hookups in their recitals, where, without adding personnel (apart from, at most, a sound man), you attain much greater richness and variety. Similar works, if harnessed by pianists, violinists and the like, could do a lot to revive the less-than-robust world of recitals. I can just visualize what a Glennie, Upshaw or a Salerno-Sonenberg could do with such resources at hand.
            The predominant effect here was of rich harmonies, sensuous sounds, and generous reverberation, well beyond the output of the solo (amplified) classical guitar. Tanenbaum conveyed this very effectively through animated strumming and string-picking. The contrasting sections spread over the varied personae of the solo instrument, sometimes Javanese, sometimes Brazilian. I especially relished the latter’s “Saudade” (nostalgic yearning), an emotional trip not quickly forgotten. 
            Other works were mostly dictionaries of broad spectra of sound production. Ken Ueno’s world premiere “Archaeologies of the Future” struck me as a piece of violence and disorientation. It had the composer making guttural sounds in the basso register, seemingly undergoing intense suffering (but, he says, more replicating the essence of Tuvan throat singing and olden Japanese court-music of gagaku). The quintet of instruments provided sharp blows more than thematic material, as if punctuating Ueno’s singing. 
            The Frenchman Philippe Leroux created “De la texture.” Its small sound packets made me think of small furry things scurrying over the floor, with abrupt stops. The avowedly experimental work offered wind sounds, paper clips vibrating on string instruments, and the bowing (!) of guitar strings. The elaborate spatial elements recalled past music of Milhaud, Stockhausen  and Brant. The octet interchanged seats and eventually circulated through the Herbst Theatre audience.
            Donnacha Dennehy of Ireland contributed another commissioned world premiere, “As An Nós.” It’s a minimalist piece for eight players plus conductor in which very little happens beyond a monotonous 84 beats-per-minute pace. Even though I was not overwhelmed by this exercise, I have to admit that after a while even my watch was ticking on Dennehy time.
            Returning conductor Sarah Jobin dutifully kept a reliable beat throughout the evening, though one would wish that she did more than just keep time.
            The core group of the SFCMP features a loyal band of players including some of the Bay Area’s best, such as clarinetist Cary Bell. Though he is new, the average player in the group is in his/her 18th season!
            Not the least of SFCMP’s attractions, drawing more than 200 devotees per concert, are the ancillary ones---pre-concert talks, a striking, uncredited, bright red  design projecting onto the acoustic shell; and the postconcert socializing via a (free) reception, where you could chat with almost all of the composers.
            San Francisco Contemporary Chamber Players, a series at the Herbst Theatre. Next: Jan. 25, 2010. For info: (415) 278-9566, or go online.

        ©Paul Hertelendy 2009
                                       #
           Paul Hertelendy has been covering the dance and modern-music scene in the San Francisco Bay Area with relish -- and a certain amount of salsa -- for years.
    These critiques appearing weekly (or sometimes semi-weekly, but never weakly) will focus on dance and new musical creativity in performance, with forays into books (by authors of the region), theater and recordings by local artists as well.
                      #
                      Return to main menu