Transatlantic (CD review)
Stravinsky: Concerto in E-flat “Dumbarton Oaks”; Craig Urquahart: Lamentation for Flute and String Orchestra; Dorman: Nofim (Sights); Takemitsu: Toward the Sea II; Stravinsky: “No Word from Tom” from The Rake’s Progress; Copland: Appalachian Spring Suite (Original version for 13 instruments). Stathis Karapanos, flute; Chen Reiss, soprano; Noah Bendix-Blgley, violin; Marie-Pierre Langlamet, harp; Garrett Keast, Berlin Academy of American Music. ONYX 4223.
By Karl W. Nehring
This generously filled (82:07) release offers a fascinating and musical program presented by a fascinating musical ensemble. The Berlin Orchestra of American Music came into being as American conductor Garrett Keast, now living in Berlin, got together with bassist and friend Rosie Salucci, a fellow American Berliner, to see about organizing some chamber orchestra performances of works by American composers. Even though this occurred during the summer and fall of 2020 during the ongoing pandemic, the musicians enjoyed the experience and the idea of forming the orchestra and making this recording came together. Although the musicians represent many countries spanning five continents, more than half the orchestra either came from the United States or had studied there. One thing led to another, and this recording was finally made during January and February of 2021.
The eclectic program is a mix of the familiar and unfamiliar. From Stravinsky, (who the liner notes remind us became an American citizen in 1945), we get a perky and delightful performance of the “Dumbarton Oaks Concerto,” a rhythmically complex, at times harmonically tart, but overall whimsically delightful Stravinksian take on Bach’s Brandenburgs. We also get a selection from his opera The Rake’s Progress (the libretto is included in the liner notes), music with which most listeners are most likely far less familiar, but which should appeal to those who enjoy the sound of a lively soprano voice. From American composer Craig Urquhart (b.1953) comes another unfamiliar piece, his soulfully expressive Lamentation for Flute and String Orchestra, a truly moving composition of great beauty. Much different in mood are the Nofim (Sights) of Israeli-American composer Avner Dorman (b.1975), which are more lively, with three of the four Nofim also featuring the soprano voice of Chen Reiss. From the only non-American composer on the program, Japan’s Tóru Takemitsu (1930-1996), we get Toward the Sea II, a peaceful work that features the alto flute and harp in music that is meant to capture the rhythm of the sea. As with so much of the late Japanese master’s output, this music has a natural grace about it that is uniquely appealing.
The program concludes with Copland’s Appalachian Spring Suite, which music lovers have grown accustomed to hearing as performed by full symphony orchestras. Here, however, we have the music in its original arrangement for 13 instruments, which is something that those who enjoy the piece really ought to hear. The intimacy of the smaller forces produces a feeling of poignancy in the quieter passages and joy in the exuberant passages that is simply more direct and personal than is communicated by a large orchestra. I am not saying that this is the only way to listen to the piece, or even necessarily the best way; however, I think it is a vitally important way to experience Appalachian Spring for those who enjoy the music, and this recording from Onyx is a fine way to do so – with the added bonus of hearing some other excellent music as well. The liner notes, although brief, are informative, and the engineering is first-class (the engineers no doubt enjoying the advantages of being able to record relatively small forces in a space familiar to them, the Teldex Studio in Berlin). With 82 minutes of interesting music so well recorded and well played, Transatlantic proves that you don’t need to have household names recording for a giant label to make a truly fine recording. Highly recommended.
KWN
To listen to an excerpt from this album, click below;
John J. Puccio, Founder and Contributor
Understand, I'm just an everyday guy reacting to something I love. And I've been doing it for a very long time, my appreciation for classical music starting with the musical excerpts on the Big Jon and Sparkie radio show in the early Fifties and the purchase of my first recording, The 101 Strings Play the Classics, around 1956. In the late Sixties I began teaching high school English and Film Studies as well as becoming interested in hi-fi, my audio ambitions graduating me from a pair of AR-3 speakers to the Fulton J's recommended by The Stereophile's J. Gordon Holt. In the early Seventies, I began writing for a number of audio magazines, including Audio Excellence, Audio Forum, The Boston Audio Society Speaker, The American Record Guide, and from 1976 until 2008, The $ensible Sound, for which I served as Classical Music Editor.
Today, I'm retired from teaching and use a pair of bi-amped VMPS RM40s loudspeakers for my listening. In addition to writing for the Classical Candor blog, I served as the Movie Review Editor for the Web site Movie Metropolis (formerly DVDTown) from 1997-2013. Music and movies. Life couldn't be better.
Karl Nehring, Editor and Contributor
For nearly 30 years I was the editor of The $ensible Sound magazine and a regular contributor to both its equipment and recordings review pages. I would not presume to present myself as some sort of expert on music, but I have a deep love for and appreciation of many types of music, "classical" especially, and have listened to thousands of recordings over the years, many of which still line the walls of my listening room (and occasionally spill onto the furniture and floor, much to the chagrin of my long-suffering wife). I have always taken the approach as a reviewer that what I am trying to do is simply to point out to readers that I have come across a recording that I have found of interest, a recording that I think they might appreciate my having pointed out to them. I suppose that sounds a bit simple-minded, but I know I appreciate reading reviews by others that do the same for me — point out recordings that they think I might enjoy.
For readers who might be wondering about what kind of system I am using to do my listening, I should probably point out that I do a LOT of music listening and employ a variety of means to do so in a variety of environments, as I would imagine many music lovers also do. Starting at the more grandiose end of the scale, the system in which I do my most serious listening comprises Marantz CD 6007 and Onkyo CD 7030 CD players, NAD C 658 streaming preamp/DAC, Legacy Audio PowerBloc2 amplifier, and a pair of Legacy Audio Focus SE loudspeakers. I occasionally do some listening through pair of Sennheiser 560S headphones. I miss the excellent ELS Studio sound system in our 2016 Acura RDX (now my wife's daily driver) on which I had ripped more than a hundred favorite CDs to the hard drive, so now when driving my 2024 Honda CRV Sport L Hybrid, I stream music from my phone through its adequate but hardly outstanding factory system. For more casual listening at home when I am not in my listening room, I often stream music through a Roku Streambar Pro system (soundbar plus four surround speakers and a 10" sealed subwoofer) that has surprisingly nice sound for such a diminutive physical presence and reasonable price. Finally, at the least grandiose end of the scale, I have an Ultimate Ears Wonderboom II Bluetooth speaker and a pair of Google Pro Earbuds for those occasions where I am somewhere by myself without a sound system but in desperate need of a musical fix. I just can’t imagine life without music and I am humbly grateful for the technologies that enable us to enjoy it in so many wonderful ways.
William (Bill) Heck, Webmaster and Contributor
Among my early childhood memories are those of listening to my mother playing records (some even 78 rpm ones!) of both classical music and jazz tunes. I suppose that her love of music was transmitted genetically, and my interest was sustained by years of playing in rock bands – until I realized that this was no way to make a living. The interest in classical music was rekindled in grad school when the university FM station serving as background music for studying happened to play the Brahms First Symphony. As the work came to an end, it struck me forcibly that this was the most beautiful thing I had ever heard, and from that point on, I never looked back. This revelation was to the detriment of my studies, as I subsequently spent way too much time simply listening, but music has remained a significant part of my life. These days, although I still can tell a trumpet from a bassoon and a quarter note from a treble clef, I have to admit that I remain a nonexpert. But I do love music in general and classical music in particular, and I enjoy sharing both information and opinions about it.
The audiophile bug bit about the same time that I returned to classical music. I’ve gone through plenty of equipment, brands from Audio Research to Yamaha, and the best of it has opened new audio insights. Along the way, I reviewed components, and occasionally recordings, for The $ensible Sound magazine. Most recently I’ve moved to my “ultimate system” consisting of a BlueSound Node streamer, an ancient Toshiba multi-format disk player serving as a CD transport, Legacy Wavelet II DAC/preamp/crossover, dual Legacy PowerBloc2 amps, and Legacy Signature SE speakers (biamped), all connected with decently made, no-frills cables. With the arrival of CD and higher resolution streaming, that is now the source for most of my listening.
Ryan Ross, Contributor
I started listening to and studying classical music in earnest nearly three decades ago. This interest grew naturally out of my training as a pianist. I am now a musicologist by profession, specializing in British and other symphonic music of the 19th and 20th centuries. My scholarly work has been published in major music journals, as well as in other outlets. Current research focuses include twentieth-century symphonic historiography, and the music of Jean Sibelius, Ralph Vaughan Williams, and Malcolm Arnold.
I am honored to contribute writings to Classical Candor. In an age where the classical recording industry is being subjected to such profound pressures and changes, it is more important than ever for those of us steeped in this cultural tradition to continue to foster its love and exposure. I hope that my readers can find value, no matter how modest, in what I offer here.
Bryan Geyer, Technical Analyst
I initially embraced classical music in 1954 when I mistuned my car radio and heard the Heifetz recording of Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto. That inspired me to board the new "hi-fi" DIY bandwagon. In 1957 I joined one of the pioneer semiconductor makers and spent the next 32 years marketing transistors and microcircuits to military contractors. Home audio DIY projects remained a personal passion until 1989 when we created our own new photography equipment company. I later (2012) revived my interest in two channel audio when we "downsized" our life and determined that mini-monitors + paired subwoofers were a great way to mate fine music with the space constraints of condo living.
Visitors that view my technical papers on this site may wonder why they appear here, rather than on a site that features audio equipment reviews. My reason is that I tried the latter, and prefer to publish for people who actually want to listen to music; not to equipment. My focus is in describing what's technically beneficial to assure that the sound of the system will accurately replicate the source input signal (i. e. exhibit high accuracy) without inordinate cost and complexity. Conversely, most of the audiophiles of today strive to achieve sound that's euphonic, i.e. be personally satisfying. In essence, audiophiles seek sound that's consistent with their desire; the music is simply a test signal.
Mission Statement
It is the goal of Classical Candor to promote the enjoyment of classical music. Other forms of music come and go--minuets, waltzes, ragtime, blues, jazz, bebop, country-western, rock-'n'-roll, heavy metal, rap, and the rest--but classical music has been around for hundreds of years and will continue to be around for hundreds more. It's no accident that every major city in the world has one or more symphony orchestras.
When I was young, I heard it said that only intellectuals could appreciate classical music, that it required dedicated concentration to appreciate. Nonsense. I'm no intellectual, and I've always loved classical music. Anyone who's ever seen and enjoyed Disney's Fantasia or a Looney Tunes cartoon playing Rossini's William Tell Overture or Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 can attest to the power and joy of classical music, and that's just about everybody.
So, if Classical Candor can expand one's awareness of classical music and bring more joy to one's life, more power to it. It's done its job. --John J. Puccio
Contact Information
Readers with polite, courteous, helpful letters may send them to classicalcandor@gmail.com
Readers with impolite, discourteous, bitchy, whining, complaining, nasty, mean-spirited, unhelpful letters may send them to classicalcandor@recycle.bin.
This generously filled (82:07) release offers a fascinating and musical program presented by a fascinating musical ensemble. The Berlin Orchestra of American Music came into being as American conductor Garrett Keast, now living in Berlin, got together with bassist and friend Rosie Salucci, a fellow American Berliner, to see about organizing some chamber orchestra performances of works by American composers. Even though this occurred during the summer and fall of 2020 during the ongoing pandemic, the musicians enjoyed the experience and the idea of forming the orchestra and making this recording came together. Although the musicians represent many countries spanning five continents, more than half the orchestra either came from the United States or had studied there. One thing led to another, and this recording was finally made during January and February of 2021.
The program concludes with Copland’s Appalachian Spring Suite, which music lovers have grown accustomed to hearing as performed by full symphony orchestras. Here, however, we have the music in its original arrangement for 13 instruments, which is something that those who enjoy the piece really ought to hear. The intimacy of the smaller forces produces a feeling of poignancy in the quieter passages and joy in the exuberant passages that is simply more direct and personal than is communicated by a large orchestra. I am not saying that this is the only way to listen to the piece, or even necessarily the best way; however, I think it is a vitally important way to experience Appalachian Spring for those who enjoy the music, and this recording from Onyx is a fine way to do so – with the added bonus of hearing some other excellent music as well. The liner notes, although brief, are informative, and the engineering is first-class (the engineers no doubt enjoying the advantages of being able to record relatively small forces in a space familiar to them, the Teldex Studio in Berlin). With 82 minutes of interesting music so well recorded and well played, Transatlantic proves that you don’t need to have household names recording for a giant label to make a truly fine recording. Highly recommended.
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