Clyne: Dance (CD Review)

Also, Elgar: Cello Concerto. Inbal Segev, cello; Marin Alsop, London Philharmonic Orchestra. AVIE AV2419.

By Karl W. Nehring

A while back I came across the name of composer Anna Clyne. I can’t remember exactly where or when, but my guess it was some reference to her in either a music publication or, more likely, something I saw on Twitter. In any event, not long after that, I mentioned her name to Bill Heck during the course of a phone conversation. To my surprise and delight, Bill responded that he and his wife had attended a concert by the Pro Musica Chamber Orchestra in Columbus, Ohio, where they had both been greatly impressed by a piece titled Within  Her Arms – a piece written by none other than Anna Clyne.

Intrigued, I checked Amazon for a recording, but alas, there was none to be found. I was soon able to audition it, however, thanks to YouTube, where I found a video of a live performance. Like Bill and Mary, I too was greatly impressed. I quickly sent the link to another music-loving friend, who was also impressed. How is this wonderful music not yet available on CD?!

Fast-forward several months and I see an ad in Gramophone for a CD featuring a work titled Dance by Ms. Clyne. My interest is aroused to the point that I immediately submit a request for a review copy. Fast-forward another couple of weeks and Dance shows up in  my mailbox. Fast-forward another hour or so (hey, it was dinnertime) and Dance is spinning in my CD player, where it has since remained on heavy rotation.   

Anna Clyne

London-born composer Anna Clyne (b. 1980), who now resides in upstate New York, composed Dance as the result of a commission from Israeli-American cellist Inbal Segev, who premiered the work at the 2019 Cabrillo Festival. Segev has now recorded the piece with the LPO under the direction of conductor Marin Alsop, who had first introduced Segev to Clyne. Dance comprises five moments with rather unusual titles: I. when you’re broken again; II. if you’ve torn the bandage off; III. In the middle of the fighting; IV. in your blood; V. when you’re perfectly free. In the liner notes, Clyne, whose own instrument is also the cello, explains that “I knew that I wanted to write a multi-movement work in which each movement had its own personality, its own character. I’ve known this Rumi poem for a while and always thought it would be a good source of inspiration – it’s short, has repetition, a clear form of five lines and a strong physicality (for example, ‘broken open,’ ‘in your blood’). It also has a sense of urgency that I found compelling for this piece. It was a great way to structure the piece – to break it up into the five lines of the poem.” 

The first movement is slow, lyrical, and utterly beautiful. When I first listened to it, I was surprised that it did not seem at all dance-like. Only later, upon finally reading the liner notes, did I realize that Dance was never intended to be a suite of dances, as I had blithely assumed. This opening movement may not be a dance, but whatever it is, it is certainly gorgeous.

The second movement, which does sound a bit more dance-like, opens energetically and then soon features some fierce eruptions from the cello. There are some skittish melodies scurrying up and down in the strings, a yearning motif on the violin, and a stately, courtly dance figure from the cello. The overall mood is imaginative and playful, with an abrupt ending. It is this movement that exposes, alas, a sonic flaw with this recording. The cello is just pushed too far forward, to the point where it can sound gigantic, dominating the soundstage when Ms. Segev digs in hard.

The third movement adopts a slower pace and more somber tone. The melodies are  simpler, with the overall feeling being rhapsodic in nature. There is some pleasant interplay with the woodwinds before the movement comes to a peaceful conclusion.

Marin Alsop

The fourth movement opens with Segev’s cello sounding serious and reflective. As the music proceeds, her playing grows more frantic. Tympani stokes herald a shift to a slightly martial undertone. To my imagination  at least, the feeling evoked as this movement continues is suggestive of someone fighting against fate, trying to escape from some form of entrapment. For those listeners who might have reservations about music by contemporary composers, please allow me to point out that this composition is tonal, overflowing with recognizable melodies and themes.     

The fifth and final movement begins with low notes from the cello, perhaps expressing a sense of agitation. As the movement unfolds, you can sense a hint of Jewish melody (think Bloch, for example) from time to time as the playing seems to whipsaw between two modes, frantic and measured. My notes read, “Portrait of indecision?” The ending of the movement – and the piece as a whole – is calm and settled. All in all, Clyne, Segev, Alsop, and the LPO have given us 25 truly enjoyable minutes of music.

But wait, there’s more! If you call now, AVIE will throw in a performance of the venerable Cello Concerto by Sir Edward Elgar!

Seriously, though, although the focus of the release is the Clyne, this disc also includes a truly fine performance of the Elgar, which was composed 100 years prior to Dance. I would venture that many music lovers who follow this blog are familiar with the Elgar and may well have a favorite recording. Or two or three.

I must confess that although I have been a lover of classical music for 50 years now, and am now 71, it has only been within the past five years or so that I have finally begun to have much interest in the music of Elgar; indeed, only within the past two years or so have I been able to develop an actual love for some of it, the twin peaks of my Elgarian affection being his Violin Concerto (Hilary Hahn makes my heart flutter!) and Cello Concerto (Jacqueline du Pré makes me gasp at her passion and energy!). Although Segev does not play with quite the passion of du Pré, she does bring passion to her interpretation, clearly communicating a love for this deeply moving music. Segev plays the Elgar with lyrical precision.

Fortunately, the forwardness of her cello in the mix is not as obtrusive as it is in the Clyne. Perhaps the engineers backed off a little for this session, or perhaps Elgar’s score serves to make the orchestra more assertive in its role. The much older du Pré/Barbirolli recording is darker in tone, sounding at once a bit warmer and more natural; however, the modern Segev/Alsop recording sounds more focused and clear. Both recordings present the Elgar as a sublime combination of intellect and emotion, and both recordings include wondrous disc-mates (the AVIE with Clyne’s Dance, the EMI with Elgar’s Sea Pictures sung by the incomparable Janet Baker).

Despite my quibbles about the engineering, my enthusiasm for both the music and the performances leads me to give this new release from AVIE a highly enthusiastic recommendation. It also leads me to wish ever more fervently for more recordings of music by the most remarkable Anna Clyne. Bring it on!

KWN

To listen to a brief excerpt from this album, click below: