JAVS Spring 2014

N EW M USIC R EVIEWS

“ [. . . poco a poco omaggio] ,” and the final and most complete reference is inscribed “ [. . . omaggio a Luciano Berio] .” By using this motive in a fragment ed and liberal way, Ran chooses to enter into a cre ative musical dialogue with this pre-existing material instead of merely copying and pasting it into her work. In this introductory section, Ran creates an open and relaxed sound-world, full of freedom and ease. She accomplishes this in part by combining modal sounding harmonies devoid of leading tones with the frequent use of open strings to provide added resonance. Tender melodic fragments of no more than four or five notes are often punctuated by open-string pizzicati that serve to reinforce the open sound and provide timbral variety. This music has a meandering quality, and the composer seems more concerned with exploring the viola’s luscious reso nance instead of reaching a specific destination. Quickly ascending scalar passages often lead to nowhere and are immediately abandoned in favor of a ringing pizzicato or a Berio fragment. This absence of forced direction creates a wonderful sense of intrigue and exploration and serves as a perfect point of entry into this multifaceted work. Immediately following the introduction’s final “ omaggio a Luciano Berio ,” the second section begins with “menacing” half-step grace notes in the viola’s lowest register. A shocking major-seventh dissonance in the treble, borrowed from both this work’s open ing section and Berio’s original, shatters the serene mood created in the beginning. The major seventh becomes a foundational interval for this part of the work and serves as a clear harmonic contrast to the consonant introduction. Despite the vast harmonic and dynamic differences between the first two sec tions, they are united by their shared quasi-impro visatory nature and metrical freedom.

by Andrew Braddock

Perfect Storm , for solo viola (2010) By Shulamit Ran (b. 1949) Duration: 10’30” Presser Premiere Series, Theodore Presser Company $20.95

Shulamit Ran’s Perfect Storm is a breathtaking and beautiful new work for solo viola that combines both wistful lyricism and dazzling virtuosity. Born in Israel, Ran has served on the faculty of the University of Chicago since 1973. In addition to receiving the Pulitzer Prize in 1991 for her Symphony, Ran is the recipient of numerous awards

and honors from organizations such as the Rockefeller Fund, the Ford Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Guggenheim Foundation.

Perfect Storm was commissioned by violist Melia Watras and the University of Washington. According to an informative note in the score from the compos er, Watras asked that the piece “allude to, or make use of, an existing work . . . from the viola reper toire,” so that the two works could be performed side by side. In response to this request, Ran uses the opening viola melody from the first of Luciano Berio’s Folk Songs as a source for musical material. Upon hearing Berio’s name, many violists will first think of the physically and aurally demanding Sequenza VI ; however, the first of his Folk Songs is cut from an entirely different cloth. The introductory viola solo drifts around a D-minor tonality and fea tures mostly consonant double stops with open strings. In Perfect Storm, Ran borrows the distinctive sound and style from Berio’s work without exactly quoting his material. Throughout the course of the opening section, Ran introduces Berio’s music one bite-sized piece at a time. Under each successive refer ence she playfully writes either “ [. . . omaggio] ” or

After the first reappearance of the Berio motive—

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