Wholenote Discovreries - April 2011
By his own admission American composer John Adams, star of the recent TSO New Creations Festival, is hard to classify. Given his large output, the three works on the latest CD from Angèle Dubeau and La Pietà won’t really help you in that regard, despite the CD’s title. This is the group’s third ‘portrait’ CD, following discs dedicated to Philip Glass and Arvo Pärt, but there is little of Adams’ range on display here. Shaker Loops, for string septet, is an early work from 1978 with echoes of Steve Reich, but with more going on and some interesting textures. The other works are only a year apart, and over 15 years old. Road Moves for violin and piano (with Louise Bessette) is from 1995, and closer to the Adams of the Short Ride in a Fast Machine style. John’s Book of Alleged Dances for string quartet, from 1994, is a set of dances that can be played in whole or in part, and in any order. Six of the ten dances – the ones selected for this CD - are accompanied by a recorded track of percussion noises produced on a prepared piano. The booklet notes inform us that “except for a few excerpts, the dances are played here with a double quartet, adding considerably to the challenge of performing the work.” Nobody says why. Recorded at McGill’s Schulich School of Music, the performance and sound quality are top notch. Terry Robbins
Following critically accliamed portraits of Philip Glass and Arvo Pärt, Angèle Dubeau & La Pietà plunge into the world of John Adams, often considered the finest living American composer.
Meshing together classical, contemporary, and popular repertoires, John Adams's voice is unique. The album features his emblematic "Shaker Loops," the work that catapulted him to fame, as well as the whimsical "John's Alleged Books of Dances" and "Road Movies," a modern twist on the violin and piano sonata.
An artist of rare versatility considered one of the most prominent violin virtuosos in Canada, Angèle Dubeau has had a dazzling 30-year career in the great concert halls of the world. While her virtuosity and musicality have seduced critics, the public has adopted Dubeau for her uncommon gifts as a communicator and her outstanding ability to connect with listeners.