Michael Abels
Delights
& Dances;
Harlem Quartet; Chicago Sinfonietta; Mei-Ann Chen, Conductor; Cedille
CDR 90000 141 (2013)
[Cover: Harem Dancers (the Jack Cole Group) performing at the Harem
Nightclub in New York City, January 1, 1947 (Photo by Gjon Mili/Time
Life Pictures/Getty Images)]
The
composer Michael Abels (b. 1962) first came to our attention when his
composition Global
Warming (8:18)
was
recorded by the Chicago Sinfonietta. The recording was conducted by
the Sinfonietta's Founder, Dr. Paul Freeman, for African
Heritage Symphonic Series, Vol. III; Cedille
CDR 90000 066 (2002).
On
September 21, 2007 AfriClassical posted: Harlem Quartet Debuts “Delights and Dances by Michael Abels at Sphinx Laureates Concert. The
post began:
“The
Sphinx Laureates Concert at Carnegie Hall on Sept. 25, 2007 will
feature the Harlem Quartet's premiere of Delights
and Dances,
a work by Michael Abels which was commissioned by the Sphinx
Organization to celebrate its 10th
Anniversary
as well as its dedication to promoting the works of Black and Latino
composers.”
The
Michael Abels page at SubitoMusic.com
states:
“In
spring 2012, Abels’ Delights
and Dances
was featured on the Chicago Sinfonietta’s season finale-concerts,
joined by the Harlem Quartet. Commissioned by the Sphinx
Organization, the three-movement work (performed as a single
movement) is scored for string quartet and string orchestra.
Afterward, both ensembles recorded the piece for future release on
Cedille Records.” The liner notes by Andrea Lamoreaux tell us the
CD was recorded June 19-20, 2012 in Wentz Concert Hall at North
Central College in Naperville, Illinois.
The
members of the Harlem Quartet are Ilmar Gavilán, violin; Melissa
White, violin; Juan-Miguel Hernandez, viola; Paul Wiancko, cello.
Cedille Records is a nonprofit organization also known as The Chicago
Classical Recording Foundation. Dr. Paul Freeman (b. 1936)
founded the Chicago Sinfonietta in 1987 to achieve, in the words of
its mission, "Musical Excellence Through Diversity". He
served as Music Director from its founding through the 2010-2011
Season. Paul Freeman is featured at AfriClassical.com and was
succeeded by Sinfonietta Music Director Mei-Ann Chen.
Andrea
Lamoreaux provides a brief overview of the history of the concerto
in Classical Music. She writes, in part: “In the 19th
century, with the solo concerto firmly established as the preferred
musical idiom, only a few composers carried on the concerto grosso
tradition. Ludwig Spohr was one; England's Sir Edward Elgar composed
his Introduction
and Allegro for
solo string quartet and string orchestra; and in the first half of
the 20th
century, prolific Czech composer Bohuslav Martinú created several
works of the concerto grosso variety. On this album, the Chicago
Sinfonietta compiles three recent examples of this type of work,
showcasing the virtuosity of the Harlem Quartet, which performed
these works with the Chicago Sinfonietta unde the leadership of
musical director Mei-Ann Chen in concert prior to their recording
sessions.”
Ms.
Lamoreaux writes of the recording's opening work: “Michael Abels
composed his Delights
& Dances for
for string quartet and string orchestra specifically for the Harlem
Quartet.” “Along with the standard curriculum, he explored his
African-American roots by studying gospel music and African drumming.
Abels received two Meet the Composer (now New Music USA) grants, one
allowing him to work with young musicians through the Watts Tower
Arts Center in Los Angeles, the other providing a residency with the
Richmond Symphony (VA) and its youth orchestra. His works include
the 1997 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. tribute Dance
for Martin's Dream and
1991 composition Global
Warming, which
is not just a reference to climate change, but also to the thawing of
international relations Mr. Abels hoped for after the collapse of the
Berlin Wall.”
The
CD Delights
& Dances includes
four works. The disc opens with Delights
& Dances for String Quartet and String Orchestra (13:03)
by Michael Abels. The CD is a World Premiere recording of the work.
The second work, in four movements, is Concerto
for String Quartet and Orchestra
(20:49) of Benjamin Lees. An-Lun Huang composed Saibei
Dance, from
Saibei
Suite No. 2 (4:08).
The disc concludes with another World Premiere recording,
West Side Story Concerto for String Quartet and Orchestra (25:47).
It has ten movements and is composed by Leonard Bernstein and
arranged
by Randall Craig Fleischer.
The
liner notes says of the Michael Abels composition: “The
introductory section commences at a measured pace, Largo, with
the further notation, molto rubato,
indicating rhythmic freedom. Indeed, the opening passage for solo
cello sounds almost like a cadenza. The solo picks up the cello's
ascending seven-note motive and they combine in a short duet, joined
soon by the two solo violins. When the orchestra enters, it plays
pizzicato, in short, detached, syncopated patterns.” Hearing the
work in a single movement contributed to our feeling that this
13-minute extravaganza for strings was transpiring very quickly.
“Eventually, the solo quartet and the strings of the orchestra are
united in a grand unison tutti for a full-throttle, upbeat
conclusion.”
When
the performers move on to the Benjamin Lees concerto, the recording's
transition seems subtle and entirely appropriate. The second work is
longer than the opening piece, and is followed by the much shorter
Saibei Dance of An-Lun
Huang. A more dramatic transition brings us to the familiar dance
tunes of Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story, in
ten movements arranged by Randall Craig Fleischer. As Andrea
Lamoreaux writes, “Fleischer's rich and vivid scoring echoes the
original sound of Bernstein's 1950s Broadway hit, which updates the
tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by transferring the story to the streets
of modern-day New York City.”
Those
of us who have been reading glowing reviews of Delights
& Dances of
Michael Abels in The New York
Times since
2007, yet have somehow missed its many live performances, will
welcome the arrival of
this first-rate performance by the Harlem Quartet and the Chicago
Sinfonietta, conducted by Mei-Ann Chen, on Cedille Records.
Disclosure:
A review copy of this recording was provided by the record label.
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