Malek Jandali: Concertos (CD Review)

 by Karl Nehring

Concerto for Violin and Orchestra; Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra. Rachel Barton Pine, violin; Anthony McGill, clarinet; Marin Alsop, ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra. Cedille CDR 90000 220

 

Once again I have had the delightful experience of discovering the music of a composer heretofore unknown to me and finding it to be a most pleasant surprise. What’s more, I now have the opportunity to pass the word along – so here we go. Malek Jandali (b. 1972) is a Syrian-American pianist and composer who works to integrate Middle Eastern musical idioms into Western classical musical forms, as evidenced by these two large-scale concertos. At the end of his acknowledgements notes for the album, Jandali writes, “This album is an attempt to present the Arabic musical elements of my homeland Syria and the Middle East. I have always felt that music eloquently expresses the inherent connection between the past and the present. In all cultures throughout history, it has served as a humanizing force, which is common to all.”

 

The Violin Concerto that comes first on the program is the more Western-sounding of the two. Its three movements are arranged in the usual faster/slower/faster configuration that is typical of a concerto; however, what is unusual is that the first movement is nearly as long (17:31) as the remaining two movements combined (the second clocks in  at 9:42, the third at 8:28). Another unusual feature is the inclusion of an oud (an Arabic string instrument, similar to the lute) among the usual instruments of the orchestra, although its sound blends in quite unobtrusively yet effectively when it appears from time to time. “Just hearing that sound,” Pine says of the oud, “as I’m playing my music on this Western instrument in this Western symphony context was really very inspiring and helped me capture the flavor of what I was doing that much better. 

 

But of course the star of the show is Pine’s violin, which oftentimes displays a Middle Eastern flair, then at other times sounds more like what we expect in a more standard modern violin concerto. Ms. Pine’s name might not be at the tip of everyone’s tongue when asked to name premier contemporary violin virtuosi, but on this and numerous other recordings she has proven that she is clearly a violinist of the highest caliber. Interestingly enough, when Jandali first completed the work in 2014, he planned to dedicate it to Gidon Kremer, but as time went on, he decided to rededicate it to “Rachel Barton Pine and all women who thrive with courage,” and now we have this fine recording of it, performed by Ms. Pine on a violin named for a woman and accompanied by an orchestra conducted by a woman. Brava! This is a beautiful, satisfying concerto that deserves to be heard in the concert hall.

 

Among music lovers, the names of clarinet virtuosos are generally not as familiar as those of violin virtuosos, but among those who are in fact somewhat attuned to the world of the classical clarinet, the name of Anthony McGill, the principal clarinet player of the New York Philharmonic, is a familiar name indeed. We have reviewed some of his previous recordings at Classical Candor, including a disc with the Brahms and Mozart quintets (reviewed here by JJP) and another that features some works by contemporary American composers (which I reviewed here). According to the CD booklet (which, by the way, contains a wealth of interesting information about the two concertos as well as the musicians), “the work is dedicated to McGill ‘in memory of all victims of injustice’ and, like all of Jandali’s works, is infused with ancient themes from Jandali’s homeland as a means of preservation. Unlike the conventional fast-slow-fast arrangement of its discmate, the three movements of this concerto are marked I. Andante Misterioso – Piû Mosso, II. Nocturne: Andante, and III. Allegro Moderato; or roughly speaking, kinda slow, kinda slow, and sorta fast. The first movement truly does have an element of mystery to it, the orchestra opening with some almost spooky sounds and then McGill joining with some fluttering effects from his clarinet. The middle movement Nocturne is not soothing evening music; it has an element of intrigue, of exploring mysterious regions in the dark by caravan. The final movement has McGill’s clarinet seemingly whirling and spinning as it dances above the orchestral accompaniment with energy and abandon. As in the violin concerto, the music has a Middle Eastern feel, yet is also solidly embedded in the Western orchestral tradition. McGill says of this concerto, “There are so many moments in this piece that really, really spoke to me deeply. And when I’m playing them, it makes me connected to something that maybe I wasn’t familiar with before. And that’s an amazing feeling to try to step inside the hearts of the Syrian people.”  

Kudos to Cedille for bringing us such interesting music played by first-rank musicians and recorded by an engineering team who knows how to capture the sound of these musicians and their space so superbly. As a bonus, the notes on the music by musicologist Jane Vial Jaffe are also superb. In all respects, this is a release that classical music fans need to hear – Malek Jandali is an exciting new composer (well, maybe not all that new, he has other recordings out there that I am eager to seek out) who has brought us two new exciting, original, and highly rewarding concertos that are well worth seeking out.