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newEar Contemporary Chamber Ensemble offered intricate soundscapes for their “Worlds Apart” concert at All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church Saturday night. There was a consistency to the program’s sonic palette, but the variety in presentation—as well as the excellent musicianship—created memorable aural microcosms.

The first half was presented in continuity and the audience was asked to hold their applause until the end of the third piece. While this seemed like a good idea given the nature of the selections, there was still a lull between pieces, a release of tensions and a general re-shuffling, which dispelled much of the aura generated by the individual works.

The concert started with Andrew Norman’s “Sabina” from The Companions Guide to Rome (2006, rev. 2010), a string trio inspired by the composer’s reflective experience observing beams of light in the Roman church of Saint Sabina. Performed by Tomoko Iguchi (violin), Jessica Nance (viola), and Lawrence Figg (cello), the piece had an arc form, beginning with atmospheric murmurings from the viola and an extended line in the cello enunciated by a rasping bow. The undulating, quavering atmosphere was dappled by the addition of the violin. The piece crested with sudden force. As the intensity pulled back, glints from the violin and slides from the viola colored the cello solo, though the performers were not quite in alignment and sounded slightly wooden and thin going into the lingering ending.

Nicholas S. Omiccioli’s Invisible Worlds (2010) displayed a depth and density of sound, evoking the ocean’s murky deeps. Lyra Pherigo (flute) and Robert Pherigo (piano) performed the challenging work, which utilized extended techniques for a dramatic and mysterious effect. In the first section, the flute’s over-blown attacks forcibly echoed into the piano’s soundboard; bent pitches and a liquid vibrato mingled with the overtones from scraped piano strings. As the attitude shifted, the flute’s sprightly melody turned manic. Cluster chords in the piano created a clamorous rumbling below wailing multiphonics. The sheer athleticism of the piece was exhibited in the flute’s chaotic, angular line, studded by fiercely attacked punctuations from the piano. Gradually, the chaos subsided into questioning, flutter-tongued phrases.

The fragile ending led into Krzysztof Penderecki’s Clarinet Quartet (1993). The string trio was joined by clarinetist Thomas Aber. Though this piece inclusion was not as thematically apparent as the previous works, it combined the exploration of new sounds and the manipulation of traditional forms. A long, spinning clarinet solo in “Notturno” was answered and supported by the strings. A mechanistic “Scherzo” followed with its additive melody connecting playful, disjointed sections. This led into “Serenade,” with its exploratory violin solo, before returning to an aggressive punctiliousness similar to the previous movement. The final movement, “Abschied,” had a cadenza-like clarinet solo, with decisive pizzicato from the strings as well as moments of warmth, particularly in the viola. There were, however, some intonation issues that distracted from the overall enjoyment of the piece.

The second part of the program followed the first half’s structure with two short pieces and a larger final work, and brought more timbral contrast to the concert. 

Ingrid Stölzel’s For the Time Being (2011)—while internally complex—is disarmingly pretty. The piece is part of a series of works that examine the passage of time. It felt expansively Proustian. The subtle, striving lines from flute (Lyra Pherigo) and soprano saxophone (Jan Faidley) were performed with a velvety tone quality, especially for high woodwinds. They were grounded by a bold, deliberate piano, performed with assured intensity by Robert Pherigo.

Faidley exchanged her soprano sax for alto to perform Lansing McLoskey’s Processione di lacrime (Pavan) (2009) with the string trio. The piece was based on a dance form, encouraging the sliding, gliding motion of the performers’ lines. The parts—divvied up as upper strings, cello and alto sax—are directed to play in separate tempos. Therefore, though entrances are aligned, the circular thematic material never became overly repetitious. Instead, the piece was hypnotic, almost yogic. The violin and viola laid groundwork of in- and exhalations, with the sax taking an individualistic, introspective journey, followed by the cello’s stately progression. The piece ended with faint glimmerings from the upper strings, on the inhale.

The concert’s final piece was George Tsontakis’ Gymnopedies (2009), conducted by Steven D. Davis. It was an energetic, adventurous work that used imaginative instrumental coloring. “Magical” was full of shimmering exclamations that passed from player to player, their various tones briefly tinting the line. “Cascades” was evocative of the breaking and reforming of waves, as the melody rippled and bounced through the ensemble. A mesmerizing motif from harp (Wesley Kelly) and percussion (Mark Lowry) ran through “Glistening,” while the interruptions of “Bratty” whirled in and out of prominence through the different instrumental combinations.

Through the program’s explorations of color, the composers’ introspective examinations and evocative imagery, newEar presented a contemplative, yet bold and exhilarating performance. 

REVIEW:
newEar Contemporary Chamber Ensemble
Worlds Apart
Saturday, February 11, 2012
All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church
4501 Walnut, Kansas City, MO
For more information visit www.newear.org

Top Photo: newEar (pose: "Composition II in Red, Blue, and Yellow," Piet Mondrian) (Photo by Brooke Vandever)

By Libby Hanssen

Traditional and New Classical, Theatre Contributor

Libby Hanssen holds degrees from University of Missouri-Kansas City (M.M.) and Ball State University (B.M.) in trombone performance and also studied music education at Indiana University. She has studied trombone with Carl Lenthe, JoDee Davis, John Seidel, John Huntoon and Denis Wick, and music education with Brent Gault, Estelle Jorgensen and Katherine Strand.

While at IU, she taught classes in general music, focusing on listening skills and music fundamentals through practical music usage and exploring new sound constructions. During the course of her studies at UMKC, she performed with many ensembles, including the Conservatory Orchestra and Musica Nova. She has also performed with the Kansas City Puccini Festival, the People's Liberation Big Band of Greater Kansas City, the New Jazz Order, the Indiana Wind Symphony and the Muncie Symphony Orchestra.

In 2010, she was a fellow (one of 23 journalists selected from across the US) for the seventh annual National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Arts Journalism Institute in Classical Music and Opera at Columbia University’s Journalism School in New York City.

Most of her free time is spent with her three boys (son, dog and husband) and camera, exploring the many fine aspects of Kansas City living. She enjoys listening to KKFI - Kansas City Community Radio and KCUR - Kansas City's NPR station, visiting Kansas City's fine collection of museums and galleries, and scavenging in thrift and antique stores to add to her collection of toy instruments.

She writes for the joy of words and the process of constructing a story, maintaining the blog Proust Eats a Sandwich (www.prousteatsasandwich.wordpress.com). She is working on her first book: Murray Goes to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.