Friday, January 15th, 2007 ... 6:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. ... KZSU, 90.1 FM

Another of my just-about-annual subs for Mixed Up Class, the classical music show put on by Romain. More than ever before, I gave a nod to the vocal/choral music that Romain emphasizes.

Format:
COMPOSER: "PIECE" -- ARTIST -- ALBUM TITLE (LABEL, YEAR)
Boldface indicates the central focus of the album... sometimes classical recordings focus on the composer; sometimes they're more geared toward showcasing a particular artist. The distinction is often arbitrary, so -- no griping!

Webern, Anton: "Five Pieces," opus 5 -- The Juilliard String Quartet -- Berg: Lyric Suite/Webern: Five Pieces, Six Bagatellen (RCA, date unknown)

Starting things out a bit harsh, which I guess is what you get when you pull randomly from the library vinyl.

? Shapiro, Alex: "Of Breath and Touch" -- Carolyn Beck, bassoon; Delores Stevens, piano -- Beck and Call (Crystal, 2005)

Still modern, but in a friendlier tone. From Beck's album that includes some premiere work by a few composers, including a couple of pieces for a bassoon and pre- recorded tape.

Milner, Richard Pierce -- "New Mexico Memories" -- Richard Pierce Milner (Four Winds, 1984)

While this one didn't look that new-agey -- black-and-white cover photo of Milner, sitting thoughtfully at the piano -- the release date and the fact that it's on indie vinyl made me worry. A few needle drops revealed some reasonably "classical" work, pleasant but not saccharine-lyrical. Sadly, I think went and picked the album's first track to play ... and it's totallly new-age. Sigh.

* Beethoven, Ludwig Van: "Sonata No. 27 in E Minor," opus 90 -- Andrew Rangell, piano -- Beethoven Sonatas (Bridge, 2005)

Yes, we do put classical -- even "normal" classical -- into rotation, thanks in part to an overwhelmingly generous CARE-package dump by Bridge Records (they sent us bascially a huge cube stocked with CDs). This one's gotten quite a bit of airplay, too, although I must say it's too incongruous-soundin with most shows.

Schubert, Franz: "Quartet No. 13 in A Minor," 4th mvmt -- The Juilliard String Quartet -- Schubert: Quartet No. 13/Quartet No. 9 (Epic, date unknown)

More vinly from the library, this time aiming for a more conservative sound, paired with the Mendelssohn below.

Mendelssohn, Felix: "Concerto for Violin and String Orchestra" -- Kyoko Takezawa, violin; Bamberg Symphony -- Violin Concertos (RCA/BMG, 1994)

? Vainberg, Moishei: "Chamber Symphony No. 1 for String Orchestra," 1st mvmt. -- Moscow Soloists; Yuri Bashmet, conductor -- Shostakovich/Sviridov/Vainberg, Chamber Symphonies (Onyx, 2005)

Surprisingly upbeat, considering Vainberg is a modern composer from Warsaw whose family escaped during the Holocaust. From a CD that includes a string-orchestra reworking of Shostakovich's Symphony No. 8; now that's gloomy stuff.

? Dowling, John: "Come, Heavy Sleep" -- Philip Langidge, tenor; Stephen Marchionda, guitar -- Songs for Tenor and Guitar (Chandos, 2005)

Gentle and, well, Dowling-like, a sudden quietness that I used as the clarion call announcing the vocal music segment of the show.

Ethereal, slightly surreal feel, as you might expect from the artists and record label involved. From a 2-CD set of music by Armenian composer Mansurian, most of it performed by, or even written for, violist Kashkashian. One piece pairs her with saxophonist Jan Garbarek; I'll probably be tossing that onto my regular show one of these days.

I'll admit, one problem I have with classical songs is that those operatic tones make the words difficult to discern. Still, I do enjoy hearing some of the vocal music from time to time. This is from a suite of pieces related to -- you guessed it -- the Holocaust tragedy. Slow moving and sad, at times, sharply dramatic, this three-song cluster makes up the concluding and longest track (13 minutes).

Not played in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, at least not consciously. Interesting modern piece with, I suppose, some traces of the serialism that influenced Musgrave's education in the '50s.

Messaien, Olivier: "Cinq Rechants" -- Frank Martin/Olivier Messaien (Harmonia Mundi, 2004)

Choral work that's definitely modern but not so weird. Which is surprising considering it's in a made-up language combining Sanskrit and Quechua (whatever that is). Sources for the piece, one of Messaien's last, include Peruvian traditional music and medieval troubadour songs.

? Dufay, Guillaume: "Adieu Ces Bons Vins de Lannoys" -- Darkwood Consort -- Cafe Musik (Rampur, 2005)
? de Machaut, Guillaume: "Helas! Pour quoy Se Demente" Darkwood Consort -- Cafe Musik (Rampur, 2005)
? de Machaut, Guillaime: "Je Ne Cuit Pas" -- Darkwood Consort -- Cafe Musik (Rampur, 2005)

From a bass clarinet and viola duo out of Boise, Idaho, three pieces commissioned for a 2004 Bastille Day celebration. From the late 1300s; very traditional-sounding stuff. Darkwood also performs pop pieces and more modern stuff.

Schuller, Gunther: [conversation with David Starobin] -- Music of Gunther Schuller (Bridge, 1999)
Schuller, Gunther: "Sextet For Bassoon, String Quartet And Piano, Mvt. 2" -- Music of Gunther Schuller (Bridge, 1999)

This CD includes an interview snippet where Schuller talks about his perception of music, including the influence of Duke Ellington and jazz in general. He would transcribe jazz solos just to see what the music looked like. I followed that up with the middle segment of a concerto -- a radio no-no, since it's the first and third movements that typically have all the dramatic turns, faster tempos, and cool endings. But in this case, the second movement seemed closer to the timbres and ideas Schuller was talking about, so I went with it. It's your typical second movement, an understated stroll that sets you up for the sharply dramatic swoops opening the third movement.

A couple of pieces outside the domain of "Mixed-Up Class," to note the coming of the San Francisco Tape Music Festival, Jan. 26-28, 2007. A group called sfSound has been putting this on for a few years; it involves 16 speakers in a certain acoustically planned arrangement. This year's fest includes pieces by the likes of James Tenney, Gyorgy Ligeti, and Karlheinz Stockhausen, and a world premiere by Brian Eno -- yeah, that Brian Eno.

* = Item in KZSU rotation
! = Pop anomaly
? = Item not in KZSU library

-- Go back to Memory Select playlists.
-- Bay Area free/improv music calendar: http://www.bayimproviser.com.