Ted Rosenthal Trio: Classics Reimagined: impromp2 (CD Review)

by Karl Nehring 

Chopin: Waltz in C-sharp minor; Dvorak: Slavonic Dance; Chopin: Mazurka in A minor¹; Mussorgsky: The Old Castle²; Rachmaninoff: Vocalise³; Brahms: Allegretto from Symphony No. 3; Beethoven: “Pathetique” Sonata, 2^nd Movement; “Pathetique” Sonata, 3^rd Movement; Elgar: Salut D’Amour⁴; Satie: Je Te Veux⁵; Chopin: Waltz in A-flat⁶. Ted Rosenthal, piano; Norika Ueda, bass; Quincy Davis, drums; with the following musicians appearing on individual tracks as indicated: ^1,2Tim Horner, drums; ^2,6Ken Peplowski, clarinet; ^3,4,5Sara Caswell, violin. TMR Music TMR #101725

Pianist Ted Rosenthal (b. 1959) has a solid grounding in classical music, with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in classical piano performance. Outside the classroom, he pursued his interest in jazz; after college, he continued private study in classical piano while playing jazz gigs around New York. His big break came in 1988, when he entered and won the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition, resulting in a recording contract and the launching of a successful career as a jazz musician. However, he has kept his hand in classical music, appearing as a soloist with symphony orchestras as well as composing a piano concerto and an opera. About this recording, he explains, “Impromp2 is a collection of my reimaginings of themes from the classical world into the world of jazz. I have performed this repertoire often: with my trio, in solo concerts, and with trio plus chamber orchestra. I often hear classical themes as being ripe for jazz treatments – perhaps with a bit of mischievous intent. Setting these melodies with embellished jazz harmonies comes naturally to me. The next challenge is finding a satisfying form for improvisation. Finally, finding a rhythmic “groove” that makes the whole treatment work without sounding forced or contrived is key. I have been playing many of the pieces on this CD for a few years already and firmly believe that as ‘jazz tunes,’ they work.”

 

What Rosenthal says about classical pieces working as a basis for jazz tunes certainly seems to make solid sense. Much of the jazz repertoire consists of improvisatory reworking of popular music; in particular, the Great American Songbook. So why not apply the jazz approach to some of the great melodies of the classical masters? Some readers of a certain age and musical disposition may recall the Dave Brubeck Quartet’s Blue Rondo a la Turk, the group’s jazz take on a theme by Mozart; more recently, we’ve had the young New Orleans pianist Jon Batiste offering us jazz takes on music by Beethoven (our review of “Beethoven Blues” can be found here) and Mozart (see our review of “Black Mozart” here). Now we have this new release from Ted Rosenthal that features tastefully swinging arrangements of music by classical composers. The program kicks off with a lively Chopin waltz that leaves waltz rhythm behind to infuse Latin energy. After some more dances from Dvorak and Chopin again, we come to one of the special highlights of the album, a hauntingly atmospheric take on Mussorgsky featuring veteran clarinetist Ken Peplowski. This is followed by another lyrical guest appearance, violinist Sara Caswell on Rachmaninoff’s Vocalise. Then we get an unexpected delight, a swinging yet faithful to the original arrangement of the bittersweet Allegretto movement from Brahms’s Third Symphony. Rosenthal then offers a solo improvisation based on the second movement of Beethoven’s ‘Pathetique’, followed by a trio arrangement of the third movement. The Brahms and Beethoven are the highlights of the program; however, Impromp2 is a joy from start to finish, and I highly recommend it to jazz and classical fans alike.

Recent Reases No. 86 (CD Reviews)

by Karl Nehring

Schubert: Symphony No. 8 in B minor, D. 759 “Unfinished”; Symphony No. 9 in C major, D. 944 “The Great”. Park Avenue Chamber Symphony; David Bernard, conductor. Recursive Classics RC6758911

Today we think of these two Schubert symphonies as old friends, natural discmates on CD, works that have been part of the standard orchestral repertoire ever since Schubert completed putting pen to paper. However, the actual story is much different, as music critic David Patrick Stearns explains in his liner note essay: “Franz Peter Schubert’s nine symphonies represent a Viennese musical crossroad – a busy one – though when different currents came together in his final few works, nobody knew it for decades. In Schubert’s lifetime (1797-1828) Symphony No. 8 (Unfinished) was partly completed in 1822, later forgotten and not heard until 1865. Symphony No. 9 (The Great) was finished in 1827, not published until 1849, was considered unreasonably long and laughed at by orchestral musicians.” Fortunately, conductor David Bernard and the musicians of the Park Avenue Chamber Symphony (a full-sized symphony orchestra) hold these symphonies in high regard and present them here in performances that strive for balance and clarity. The music seems to simply unfold naturally, without exaggeration, an approach that is especially well-suited to the Ninth, which can become exhausting if a conductor tries to over-dramatize the score. Not here. Maestro Bernard seems to find the sweet spot between the Classic and Romantic sides of the work, an interpretive approach that comes across as neither buttoned-down nor overblown. The sound quality of this recording is also exemplary, offering an excellent stereo spread plus a sense of depth and warmth. The Stearns essay is a welcome bonus, making this CD an easily recommendable release.

 

Orff: Carmina Burana. Chen Reiss, soprano; Reginald Mobley, countertenor; Audivi, chorus; Detroit Opera Youth Chorus, children’s chorus; Detroit Symphony Orchestra; Jader Bignamini, conductor. PENTATONE PTC 5187 519

Back in the 1970s when I first began to develop an interest in classical music, there were a couple of compositions that seemed to get a remarkable amount of airplay. Every few days on the local classical FM station we would hear Pictures at an Exhibition or Carmina Burana – or maybe even both. In addition, it seemed as though every classical record label had new recordings of these compositions coming out, not to mention all the recordings already in their back catalogs. These days, however, things seem to have changed. FM classical radio is barely hanging on, and neither Pictures at an Exhibition nor Carmina Burana seem to be attracting much public attention. Lo and behold, however, suddenly it’s 2026 and along comes Pentatone with a new recording of Carl Orff’s greatest hit. As we have come to expect these days, it’s a live concert recording – the days of assembling such a large group of musicians for a “studio” recording are pretty much behind us. Fortunately, the first-class engineering team from Soundmirror has done a commendable job and the sound has convincing impact and clarity – not quite Telarc-class, given the restriction of live performance, but still more than adequate. The performance comes across with life and conviction, reminding the listener of how entertaining this piece can be when performed with conviction by musicians at the top of their game. For those music lovers who have not yet encountered Orff’s spectacular composition, this new performance from Detroit would serve as an excellent introduction.

Recent Releases No. 85 (CD Reviews)

 by Karl Nehring

Bamboo Grove. Zhou Long: Bamboo Grove for Unaccompanied Violin; Chen Yi: Xian Shi for Viola, Percussion, and Piano; Zhou Long: Tales from the Nine Bells for Clarinet, Violin, Viola & Piano; Chen Yi: Suite for Viola and Chamber Winds. Patrick Yim, violin and viola; with Kirsten Docter, viola; Catherine Ramirez, flute; Jennet Ingle, oboe; John Diodati, clarinet; Anna Marsh, bassoon; Matthew Oliphant, horn; Charles Roberts, trumpet; Riley Leitch, trombone; Paul Vaillancourt, percussion; Shuai Wang, piano; Paul Hostetter, conductor. Pentatone PTC 5187 586 

In his extensive liner notes, Patrick Yim writes that “across these works, Western instruments are reimagined in striking and often unexpected ways. The violin and viola become vessels for the sounds of the erhu, guquin, yehu, pipa, xiao, lusheng, and ancient bell ensembles; intricate textures evoke the energy of Peking opera percussion and regional folk traditions such as Chaozhou xianshi. Through extended techniques sound color itself becomes an important expressive force… Exquisite orchestration, whirling timbres, finely woven textures, and impassioned lyricism define a sound world that is at one ancient and contemporary.”  The program begins with Yim playing the album’s title composition, Zhou Long’s Bamboo Grove, and yes, he truly does coax some unexpected sounds from his violin. I will confess that the first time I auditioned this track, I was put off; however, as I have listened to it more, I have come to appreciate its intricacy and energy. Still, I suspect it will be the most divisive piece on the album for most listeners. The remainder of the album is more likely to appeal to bring more joy to more ears. Chen Yi’s Xian Shi is rooted in folk ensemble music from the composer’s mother’s hometown; although the melodies are rooted in another culture, they still have melodic appeal, and the energetic percussion adds extra appeal. Zhou Long’s Tales from the Nine Bells has more of a dramatic character, the instruments seeming to convey shadowy characters from those mysterious tales. It’s an absorbing musical portrait. Then it’s back to Chen Yi for the final piece on the program, the four-movement Suite for Viola and Chamber Winds, which also features percussion. Adapted from a work for cello and string quartet, it lacks the immediate melodic appeal of her Xian Shi but is still enjoyable on its own merits.

 

All in all, then, Bamboo Grove is an album well worth seeking out by those music lovers with a desire to broaden their musical horizons. The music is of excellent quality, as is the engineering; moreover, Yim has provided an extensive booklet essay with background information on the composers and their music. For more background on this release, here is a link to a YouTube video. 

 

Constellations. Ravel: Le Tombeau de Couperin (transcr. Mason Jones); Pavane pour le Infante Défunte (transcr. Guy du Cheyron); Barber: Summer Music, Op. 31; Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 8 in C Minor, op. 110 (transcr. David Walter); Èlègie (arr. of Act I, Scene 2 from Lady Macbeth from Mtsensk, transcr. Nicolas Ramez). Ouranos Ensemble (Mathilde Calderini, flute; Amaury Viduvier, clarinet; Philbert Perrine, oboe; Rafael Angster, Bassoon; Nicolas Ramez, horn). Alpha Classics ALPHA 1183

 This is one of those releases about which you don’t quite know what to expect, but the idea sounds like an interesting one. A wind quintet playing the Ravel sounds perfectly plausible; however, a Shostakovich string quartet? Hmmm… Intrigued by this unusual program, we gave Constellations repeated auditions, ultimately finding it to be something of a mixed bag, although not without its rewards. Right out of the gate, the Ravel arrangement came across as a slight bit off. Perhaps the problem is one of familiarity with Ravel’s original arrangement for orchestra; in any event, as played here, the weight of the horn and bassoon parts seem to thicken the sound. It is certainly well played; however, there is just something about the overall sonority that just doesn’t quite feel Ravelian. The Barber Summer Music, however, is another story, sounding perfectly balanced for this ensemble; furthermore, like most of Barber’s music, it is engaging and entertaining. Perhaps not surprisingly, it is the only composition on this album that is not a transcription: Barber composed it as a wind quintet. The transcription of the Shostakovich String Quartet No. 8 is the boldest stroke here, and the hardest to assess. On the one hand, it is certainly interesting to hear this familiar piece presented this way, but on the other hand, the original string quartet packs vastly more emotional wallop. The brief Èlègie brings the program to a peaceful, pleasant conclusion. For woodwind fans, Constellations is worth a listen, particularly for the Barber.