[.ca] Wound Dresser

From Amazon.co.uk:
In a live concert of a single composer's music, one might feel slightly overpowered by the similitude of each piece. Indeed this could happen if the composer in question is considered part of the minimalist tradition. However, with this immaculately presented disc of works by John Adams, which was recorded live in London's Barbican Hall, there is enough contrast to propel the listener to the edge of their seat. Aside from the music itself, the production and engineering qualities are simply superb for a live recording. Tromba Lontana (Distant Trumpet) is a short four-minute work but one that will surely win over contemporary music detractors--heartfelt in the extreme and full of verve when one remembers it was performed in London four days after the September 11 disaster. The Violin Concerto is technically extremely demanding and in the first movement, the virtuosity of the violin is juxtaposed with a continually undulating orchestral melody. The cadenza is as good as some of the greats and leads calmly into the slow Chaconne movement. The sudden explosion of the soloist's semiquavers in the final movement rank as one of the most exciting introductions to any concerto. The last piece on the disc is a soulful monologue of a nurse's experience during the American Civil War--a fabulous finale to a tremendous recording. --Dominic Sewell

Atmosphere, atmosphere, atmosphere:
Like all major modern composers, there's a certain arbitrariness to one's reception of Adams's music. You'll either like it or you won't: there's just not that much middle ground. Personally, I like most of what I've heard by Adams, and what disappointments and reservations I have are the result of the way it's been packaged. For example, I enjoy "Naive and Sentimental Music"; I just wish I didn't have to pay full price for a 45-minute CD. Those reservations don't really carry over to the present disc (except for the lack of information about track lengths anywehre in the packaging, and the lack of texts for "The Wound-Dresser"). Don't be distracted or bothered by the abstract cover; the music inside the disc is about as far from abstract as you can get--it quickly goes for the jugular in its emotional intensity. The atmospherics of "Tromba Lontana"--a brief fanfare for orchestra and two solo trumpets, antiphonally placed on the two sides of the stage. It's definitely a "nocturnal" work--you can feel the shadows and even perhaps a little menacing and terror throughout the work's four minutes. It's an effective start, and well balanced by the works that follow. The bulk of the CD is given over to the "Violin Concerto," a piece which can only be described, in Adams's own words, as hypermelodic--there's the sense that each movement is one over-arching tune for the violin, with accompaniment from the orchestra. If there's a surprise in the work, it comes in the finale, which works itself into a frenzy before coming to an exciting, if unexpected, finish. \oHere, the listener wishes that the conductor had paused a little longer before letting the audience begin their applause.\c The final work, "The Wound-Dresser," is again another work which is enormously atmospheric, beginning with the opening for synthesizer, three-part violins, timpani, and a solo violin. Whitman's words also hold nothing back--the imagery is quite heartfelt, but also quite disturbing. In addition, the forward placement of the baritone, Christopher Maltman, ensures that every word will be clearly communicated--as does Adams's intelligent, if somewhat idiosyncratic, vocal writing. In short, these are very enjoyable performances of works that deserve to be better known. Collected together in one (relatively) affordable disc makes it all the more valuable and worthwhile.

• Tromba Lontana
• Violin Concerto
• The Wound-Dresser