Mosaic: New Interpretations of Early Music for Horn, Cello & piano Duende
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- Release Date: 07/17/2007
- Sales Rank: 173,468
- Label: MSR CLASSICS
- UPC: 681585115824
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Mosaic: New Interpretations of Early Music for Horn, Cello & piano
Editorial Reviews
Mosaic: New Interpretations of Early Music for Horn, Cello & Piano is a genre-bending crossover album that crosses not one but three boundaries. Duende's very modern instrumentation is an unusual choice for covering these early music selections, which come from the eleventh to the sixteenth century -- a serious breach of authentic performance practice protocol. Second, the players don't deliver straightforward interpretations of the music on modern instruments; they treat the pieces as raw material for jazz-influenced improvisation. Third, a classical group that embraces improvisation is nothing new, but it's safe to say that this is the first instance of an ensemble consisting of horn, cello, and piano giving it a try. Hornist Jeffrey Agrell and cellist Gil Selinger have strong backgrounds in both classical and jazz, and pianist Evan Mazunik has had a distinguished jazz career, but one influence all three have in common is work with Walter Thompson, the composer and conductor who developed Soundpainting, a system of leading (mostly classically trained) musicians in controlled improvisatory experiences geared to unlock their aural imaginations and free them from dependence on notated music. The trio here explicitly reclaims the tradition of the improvising musician, which once included virtually all musicians, but which in the nineteenth century essentially became the exclusive domain of pianists.
The results are loads of fun and full of charm. There is real spontaneity, a sense of gleeful freedom, as well as considerable sophistication in the ensemble's performances. The players are scrupulous in avoiding clichés, and their takes on this repertoire have plenty of variety; this is very definitely not the one-size-fits-all approach that can deaden the efforts of classical groups that are only dilettantes in the realm of improvisation. For fans of jazz-classical crossover, there is more musical substance and inventiveness here than in many comparable efforts, and the album could have strong appeal for fans of just plain chamber music and just plain jazz. The choice of early music is inspired; its quirky rhythms, modalities, and melodic turns are a fresh alternative to the popular classics that have been the standard source material for so much improvisation over the last century. The ensemble pieces here have been carefully coordinated and developed, probably through countless group sessions, but the album is also punctuated by free solo improvisations on the same material. MSR's sound is clean, present, and lively. Stephen Eddins, All Music Guide
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