KCMETROPOLIS.org
Kansas City's Online Journal of the Performing Arts

It started with Greek lyric poetry, a spiny mammal of the subfamily Erinaceinae, a couple of guys grilling out, and one particularly prescient wife. Add in a laser-sharp focus and some of the most fascinating music of the twentieth century, and you get Irritable Hedgehog Records. With its first round of releases in full swing, they are officially on the map, and a musical relationship that began in 2004 is about to reach yet another milestone.

On the Irritable Hedgehog website, Michelle McIntire is listed as the “catalyst,” and the story of the fledgling label starts with her. It was her introduction that brought her husband, composer and musicologist David McIntire, together with a fellow UMKC graduate student, pianist R. Andrew Lee. Together, McIntire and Lee built a friendship over a barbecue, some cold ones, and lots of listening to music. Lee, who at the time was “quite a bit into Prokofiev,” remembers the night that everything changed. “We listened to some of the Time Curve Preludes by William Duckworth, and I was immediately struck by them. It was a gut-level thing. I knew then that I wanted to learn much more about this kind of music.”

It would still be several years before a debut recording, but the stars were already aligning. Continuing his studies at UMKC (and his listening sessions with McIntire), Lee would eventually complete a doctorate in piano with a dissertation concerning the effect that minimalist and post-minimalist works have on the perception of time. One work that became part of his repertoire was Tom Johnson’s minimalist classic An Hour for Piano, and it was after a live performance of it that Michelle’s influence and encouragement materialized again. This time, it proved even more fruitful for her husband.

“It was a recital at Diastole,” recalls McIntire. “My wife and I were there and driving home I said, ‘You know, I think Andy plays that as well as anyone in the world. He owns that piece in a really amazing way.’ And she said, ‘Well I think he should record it, and you should produce it.’ I was startled by the idea, but as I let it sink in I thought, ‘You know, I should.’”

An Hour for Piano has everything right there in the title; the performer is supposed to execute the music in exactly 60 minutes, maintaining a steady 59.225 beats per minute to do so. The only available recording for the past 30 years was by Frederic Rzewski, but it clocked in at 54:36, due in part, perhaps, to the space constrictions of a single LP. Through long hours spent refining his interpretation, Lee is now able to get within a few seconds of one hour almost every time he performs it, and the release was in fact compiled from two complete takes (you can read more about Lee’s work on the piece here. The label’s debut recording illustrates a few broad philosophical points that make Irritable Hedgehog a breath of fresh air in a music industry bereft of principles.

McIntire and Lee both demand that each piece that is recorded be performed in public at least once. Says Lee, “I absolutely think live performances are crucial before recording, and I really try to capture that spirit and energy as much as I can in the rather artificial recording process. There are also things that you can learn about a piece that only occur during a performance.” But it is not just performing the repertoire live, it is the selection of what repertoire to prepare for release that gives the label direction.

Lee believes it is straightforward. "Will this be a significant contribution to what's already out there? Or to put it more bluntly, will there be a compelling reason for people to buy this?” The pair know what they want to achieve and, perhaps more importantly, know what they don’t. The early releases have certainly helped to fill gaps in the recorded legacy, whether it was the space on a CD for a perfectly-timed interpretation, the improved sonics of the twenty-first century to capture the full spectrum of sound that a piece requires, or a premiere recording. In other words these initial releases needed and DESERVED new, quality recordings, and Irritable Hedgehog was up to the challenge.

Perhaps the most appealing feature of the label is their commitment to allowing the listener access to the music in whatever form they desire. For the misguided flock who think music should be free, McIntire offers streaming audio. For the listener on the go who wants an .mp3, the much nerdier FLAC, or any other digital format, they have what you need. And for those old souls like me who want a compact disc that they can hold in their hand, you’re covered (according to McIntire “The bulk of our sales are physical copies, probably close to 10-to-1.”). McIntire is guided by a simple creed. “We want everyone to hear it who wants to hear it.”

The ability to accept one’s strengths and weaknesses is essential, and McIntire recognizes his areas of expertise. “We’ve had people approach us for projects that are really worthy that I’m not sure are exactly right for us. We’re never going to make, you know, a Schubert record. It’s a hard thing when it’s music that needs to be done and done well. I think you can try to do too many things. I want to keep our focus clear. With anything we do I want you to say ‘OK, I know what they’re about.’”

What’s next for Irritable Hedgehog? Their soon-to-be-released recording of Time Curve Preludes is a giant landmark for both for the label and for McIntire and Lee personally. It joins their newest EP, the debut recording of the late Canadian composer, Ann Southam’s Soundings for a New Piano, which incidentally was the first recording made on UMKC’s new Richard Cass Memorial Steinway. McIntire also has plans to record his massive electroacoustic epic Landscape of Descent. Whatever lies in store, Lee is pleased with the progress so far. “I think Dave has managed to establish a small label that is starting to gain recognition in a variety of circles, and that recognition only continues to increase. We've been successful in producing some significant recordings, and I think the identity, or 'brand' to use a more crass term, of the label is coalescing nicely.”

For his part, McIntire seems unlikely to lose the focus that has shaped the first round of critically-acclaimed releases. “If anyone is a hedgehog, it’s me. There’s only a couple things I do, but I do them relentlessly.” 

For more information about Irritable Hedgehog and to purchase recordings visit http://irritablehedgehog.com/Irritable_Hedgehog.html

By Erik Klackner

Classical Contributor

Erik Klackner loves music enough to try and write about it. After receiving a bachelor's degree in horn from the University of Kentucky and a master's in orchestral conducting from the University of Utah, Erik worked as a freelance musician in the Pacific Northwest before relocating to the Midwest. There is an 85% chance that he is engrossed is some random Varèse piece or Bruckner 9 as you are reading this sentence. His unedited thoughts can be read at klacknermusic.wordpress.com.