Read another great review of IRIS' CD with Stephen Hartke
10/28/03
A bright autumn for Stephen Hartke
October 26, 2003
BY MARK STRYKER
FREE PRESS MUSIC CRITIC
Like most seemingly overnight sensations, composer Stephen Hartke (b. 1952) has
spent a long time in the trenches perfecting his craft and slowly building a
following for his music among performers, critics, record companies and others.
But, suddenly, the fall of 2003 appears to be Hartke's coming-out party. He has
three new CDs on three different labels in the stores, and September brought a
high-profile triumph with the New York Philharmonic's world premiere of his
Third Symphony.
The recordings cover a breathtaking range of music, from the jazzy Clarinet
Concerto to the Gothic-meets-the-future spiritualism of the choral work
"Tituli." What is so impressive about Hartke's music, though, is that no matter
how wide he casts his net of inspiration, the results never fail to speak in a
singular, contemporary voice. Hartke, who was born in New Jersey and now teaches
at the University of Southern California, manages to resolve a striking number
of opposite impulses in compelling fashion. His music is accessible without
pandering. It is intellectually studious without sounding academic. It is
proudly postmodern and eclectic without falling into pastiche.
The major news of the Naxos disc is the Clarinet Concerto (2001), whose subtitle
"Landscapes with Blues," suggests the abstract and dreamlike sound world Hartke
evokes. There are wailing clarinet melodies, hazy textures encapsulating nights
on the Delta, cockeyed bass lines and rhythmically animated and deliciously
dissonant orchestral writing. The rest of the disc, particularly "Grados" for
bass clarinet, vibes, piano, violin, cello and bass, is equally inspired.
The New World disc brings together two extended works from the mid-'90s, the
biblically inspired "Sons of Noah" (for soprano, four flutes, four bassoons and
four guitars) and "Wolfstan at the Millennium" (for a mixed wind, string and
mallet percussion ensemble of 10 players).
The uniquely piquant colors and slippery textures of the "Noah" ensemble make
their case, but the text -- based on a modern reinvention of a quirky liturgical
short story by a 19th Century Brazilian novelist -- doesn't quite justify its
length. "Wolfstan" is a brilliant example of how Hartke can riff on history --
in this case the medieval Anglo-Saxon cleric Wolfstan, one of the first
composers of polyphonic music -- without imitating it.
The ECM disc, which features the bracingly expressive vocals of the Hilliard
Ensemble, continues the dialogue with the past. "Tituli" for five voices, violin
and two percussion (marimbas) is based on ancient Latin texts and "Cathedral in
the Thrashing Rain" for four unaccompanied voices is based on an 80-year-old
Japanese poem. The music mixes plain-chant poetry with freely conceived
counterpoint and a beguiling mix of elemental harmony and sophisticated
dissonance. Like so much of Hartke's music, it references the past and looks to
the future, but it could only have been written today.
Copyright © 2003 Detroit Free Press Inc.
