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graphs that seem to emphasize the richness to
be found in tone color for its own sake, but the
musical material is engaging as well; I particu-
larly enjoy the way the string instruments and
shakuhachi share and transform certain simi-
lar musical gestures.
The Brooklyn boys deliver a fleet, supple,
and sometimes too-muscular account of
Debussys Quartet: I find the close miking and
dry sound claustrophobicthis performance
probably will not appeal to all Debussy enthu-
siasts.
Dmitri Yanov-Yanovskys ...al niente is a
dialectic of slow-moving, glacial sonorities and
nervous, almost hyperbolic passagework. A
haunting arrangement of Cages In a Land-
scape for quartet and electronics proves the
perfect afterword for a striking program of
music by young composers written for what is
surely a very young group. Im guessing,
because Brooklyn Rider is so self-effacing that
no biographical information is included. Still,
the performers feel vital and confident through
the speakers. I wish them well.
HASKINS
Encores
GNATALLI: Valsa; SIERRA: Mambo 7/16; SCO-
DANIBBIO: Canzoniere Messicano; SANCHEZ-
GUTIERREZ: 5 para 4; GOLIJOV: Yiddishbbuk;
SAENZ: La Venus se Va de Juerga; SALAZAR:
Rubaiyat; STOCK: Suenos de Sefared
Latin American Quartet
Dorian 9210876 minutes
I dont know who approved the title for this
release, Encores, but its misleading. Only a few
of the works here could be used as encores,
and there are several substantial works that
would never be heard as a little extra fun after
a good program. If you expect that, youll be
disappointed, and youll miss some fascinating
works for string quartet youre unlikely to
encounter elsewhere.
The Latin American Quartet was formed in
1982; most Latin American music for string
quartet is in their repertory. The three Bitran
brothers, with violist Montiel, are based in
Mexico City, but travel and work international-
ly (they were in residence at Carnegie Mellon
University from 1988-2008). They are excellent
players with a rich sound and a skilled com-
mand of the many special effects this music
requires.
A few of these works are playful enough
that they could serve as encores. Radames
Gnatallis Valsa, Roberto Sierras Mambo new-music virtuosos show their stuff; it is very
7/16, and Jorge Torres Saenzs Venus se Va de
Juerga manage to be both light and complex
at the same time. The rest of the pieces are too
238
complex, too serious, too longfine music,
just not encore material.
Stefano Scodanibbios Canzoniere Messi-
cano is a set of four popular Mexican songs,
each in a plaintive arrangement with odd, har-
monic-dominated sonorities. They are split up
and programmed all aroundas if the con-
stant sound on the border of being in tune
would be more effective if not all in a
sequence.
Carlos Sanchez-Gutierrezs Cinco para
Cuatro is a set of Webern-like miniaturesif
Webern had been born in Mexico. Osvaldo
Golijovs three-movement Yiddishbbuk is
made up of slashing, expressionist angst, with
just enough sounds that are recognizably
Judaic to justify the title. This is powerful
musicnot pleasant, but strong and emotion-
ally affecting.
At just under 14 minutes, Adolfo Salazars
Rubaiyat is the longest single piece herealso
the oldest work, dating from 1928. Salazar was
Spains most important music critic; like many
of Spains intelligentsia, he fled the Franco dic-
tatorship and adopted Mexico as his home.
This work was inspired by the poetry of Omar
Khayyam, filled with exotic atmosphere as it
travels through seven imaginary places.
David Stock is a US composer, on the fac-
ulty of Duquesne University in Pittsburgh,
where he met the Quartet when they were at
Carnegie Mellon. Suenos de Sefared is based on
the second movement of Stocks third sym-
phony, with additional material from tradi-
tional Sephardic music. It is a haunting and
moving conclusion to a fascinating recording.
KEATON
Concertos II
MATALON: Trame I; BURKE: Over a Moving
Landscape; BAUER: Thin Ice
Jacqueline Leclair, ob; Michael Lowenstern, bcl;
Greg Hesselink, vc; Sequitur/ Paul Hostetter
Albany 118154 minutes
These concertos were commissioned by
Sequitur, a New York new-music ensemble.
Calling a piece for solo oboe with five players a
concerto with chamber orchestra is a bit of a
stretch, but thats what Martin Matalons 15-
minute Trame I (1997) is called here. It has five
short movements where I, III, and V are built
differently than II and IV. Matalon tells us what
makes them different, but thats helpful only if
you really want to try to figure this complex lit-
tle piece out. If not, sit back and listen to these
impressive. Oboist Jacqueline Leclair (faculty
member at Bowling Green State University and
the Manhattan School of Music) is assisted by
bassoonist Peter Kolkay, horn player Dan
Grabois, trumpeter Brian McWhorter, double
September/October 2010
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