George Rochberg (b. 1918-)

Black Sounds (Music for the ballet, 'The Act'); Cantio Sacra - "Warum
betruebst du dich, mein Herz" (transcription for small orchestra of organ
music of S.  Scheidt); *Phaedra: A Monodrama in seven scenes

Gil Rose, Boston Modern Orchestra Project,
*Mary Nessinger, mezzo-soprano

Naxos 8.559120

Summary: Important pieces from an important American composer

George Rochberg, now in his 80s, is one of America's finest living
composers.  He first burst into the American concertgoers' awareness
with the uproar attending the premiere and recording of his Third String
Quartet; it was one of the very first 'eclectic' works in an era of
fairly strict serialism/atonalism/aleatorism and there was good deal of
huffing and puffing about it amongst the academics, who implied it was
meretricious.  Needless to say, it lasted longer than their criticisms
did.  He had felt a need to alter his previously serial/atonal style
after his young son died in 1964, and he was thrown into deep grief.
He worked himself out of this crisis by developing his eclectic style,
one which makes use of all prior musical styles as the need is felt.

The earliest piece, the Cantio Sacra (1953) is a rich tonal orchestral
transcription of a set of organ variations on 'Warum betruebst du dich,
mein Herr' by German Baroque composer Samuel Scheidt.  Rochberg says
he has always been fascinated by the variation form, and indeed this
fascination led to the composition of his well-known 'Caprice Variations'
for solo violin some twenty years later.  It and Rzewski's 'The People
United Will Never Be Defeated' are the two highest peaks in late
20th-century American variation form.

'Black Sounds', a piece for seventeen winds, was extracted from his
larger wind piece, 'Apocalyptica', and dates from 1965.  It was used
by choreographer Anna Sokolow for her 'The Act' in which a murder is
portrayed.  The seventeen minutes of music is intense and unrelenting,
although easily assimilable, and is highly chromatic.

'Phaedra', a monodrama for mezzo and orchestra, the longest piece
on the disc, uses Robert Lowell's translation of Racine's 'Phedre',
extracting those passages in which Phaedra herself speaks.  It tells
the story of Phaedra's insane love for the son of Theseus, her new
husband.  Theseus's death is reported, Phaedra confesses her love to
the son, Hippolytus, and only later is it learned that Theseus is not,
in fact, dead.  She lies to Theseus, claiming that Hippolytus tried to
seduce her; Theseus orders his son's death and she begs for him to be
spared, but Theseus remains firm and Hippolytus is put to death.  Phaedra
takes poison, but before she dies she confesses to Theseus that it was
she who loved Hippolytus, and that his son was in fact in love with
another.  Her dramatic and moving final aria ('My last calamity has
come') ends with these words: 'I killed myself and what was worse I
wasted my life for pleasures I have never tasted.  My lover flees me
still, and my last gasp is for the flesh I failed to clasp.' This is
followed by an orchestral postlude, 'The Death of Hippolytus', that
brings the tragedy to a mournful ending.

The Boston Modern Orchestra Project is a group new to me.  They were
founded in 1996 and make it their mission to give performances of important
twentieth century music as well as newly composed pieces, mostly American.
They have commissioned several works, and just as important, are dedicated
to giving second performances of significant pieces that would otherwise
continue languishing unperformed.  To this listener they seem remarkably
qualified for these tasks; these performances are electrifying.

Strongly recommended.

Scott Morrison