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Reviews
Reviews of Red Desert CD (Released 2015; Bridge 9450):
“This all-David Crumb CD
from Bridge introduces a composer who writes music to which performers
cannot help but give full measure…”
—Lawrence Vittes [Gramophone]
“It must be a blessing
and possibly a curse to have a father renowned in the same field as
yourself, but with this programme of “all première recordings, composed
within a timespan of two decades” we are faced with a voice whose
individual character shines through, and whose creative path is clearly
distinctive and different to that of Crumb the elder… With very fine
recordings and superb performances of some strikingly effective and at
times inspiringly powerful work, this is a release which has plenty
going for it. David Crumb is clearly a composer from whom we should,
indeed must hear more.”
—Dominy Clements [MusicWeb International]
“[This]
combination of familial pride and independence is made possible by the
unique signature of his own work, which is displayed here with an array
of chamber music and solo piano music.”
—Peter Burwasser [Broad Street Review, Philadelphia]
“[Crumb’s] work [has] a
spontaneity that’s quite attractive… Most reviews will lead with
something I chose to omit—David Crumb’s father. That’s because David’s
music has its own character and can stand on its own. I found these
works quite compelling and well-crafted. This album persuaded me I need
to further explore David Crumb’s catalog.”
—Ralph Graves [WTJU Radio, University of Virginia]
Reviews of Third Angle's '2 Crumbs' Concert (January 19, 2005):
"David
Crumb's "September Elegy," inspired by 9/11, and "Improvisations on an
English Folk Tune"…both unfolded at an easy, thoughtful pace…
"Improvisations" also featured captivating harmonies and contrasts of
timbre; there were echoes of the Estonian composer Arvo Pärt in the
sparse writing and ringing consonances but with an Appalachian flavor."
—James McQuillen [Portland Oregonian]
"The
differences that exist between father and son made this concert a rare
and exquisite event… [David Crumb's] September Elegy for violin and
piano…inspired by 9/11, conjured sweet triadic lullabies and single
string notes as endless as distance. His improvisations on the English
folk tune Scarborough Fair, however, pulled out every emotional stop,
with the familiar melody visible, invisible and visible again against
the turbid textures of strings, winds and piano, like a bird reflected
in the imperfect mirror of a lake.
—Grant Menzies [Willamette Week]
Reviews of Red Desert Triptych:
“…the massive 35-minute title-track, which Crumb
calls a ‘veritable symphony for solo piano’, [includes] moments of
granite that would have satisfied Beethoven. The work is inspired by
the monumental grandeur of Southern Utah’s national parks… But this
feels transcended as the pace and grandeur of each of its three
movements sinks in.”
—Lawrence Vittes [Gramophone]
“The work was
initially inspired by the same national parks of southern Utah which
resulted in Messiaen’s Des canyons aux étoiles,…there is a similarity
of scale and vision in the slow majesty of the first movement, Rock
Cathedrals Rising. The second movement is Dance of the Hoodoos,… There
is a greater and more pulse-oriented energy here, though this melts
into a vanishing horizon before regaining rhythmic cohesion and drive,
the coda once again spreading out towards huge and awe-inspiring skies.
The final movement…is another vast and craggily inspired piece and a
virtuoso tour de force for the pianist, powerfully rewarding but
hard-won through a genuine thicket of dense material, the final minutes
releasing us from the turmoil of life with the Dies Irae.”
—Dominy Clements [MusicWeb International]
“Red Desert Triptych, for solo piano, is the most
substantial piece on this program, even as it is the most spare. It is
that very economy of construction that lends the music a sense of
solemnity, in the manner of the great French master Messiaen. Crumb was
inspired by visits to the national parks of southern Utah, and with
that knowledge in mind, you can hear the stark majesty of those spaces,
and even the colors, in this music. It would be easy enough to let this
material become sentimental or pompous, but Crumb calibrates his
restraint with precision, and the pianist, the invaluable Marcantonio
Barone, captures this quality with his usual combination of rock steady
technique, intelligence, and stealthy passion.”
—Peter Burwasser [Broad Street Review, Philadelphia]
“The most substantial work on the album
is Red Desert Triptych. Crumb calls it a symphony for solo piano,
inspired by visits to southwestern parks. It’s aptly titled. The music
has a big, open sound to it. There are plenty of thick, shimmering
chords and cascading runs—but its all for a purpose. Crumb captures the
essence of the grandeur of big sky country. Marcantonio
Barone…performs Red Desert with élan, and a technique that makes
the big gestures sound big, but not overblown.”
—Ralph Graves [WTJU Radio, University of Virginia]
Reviews of September Elegy (Orchestral Version):
“…startlingly
original works. The three pieces by father-and-son composers George and
David Crumb were stunning examples of the possibilities of instrumental
and vocal music… It seems every contemporary composer has a “9/11
piece,” but Crumb’s was refreshingly cliché-free… The work’s central
section was an especially vivid distillation of the horror and
disbelief of that dreadful day.”
—Catherine Reese Newton [Salt Lake Tribune]
—Edward Reichel [Deseret News, Salt Lake City]
"David
Crumb's 'Hearing Bells' is based on ancient Chinese poems, which
appealed to the composer's interest in illustrating the moods generated
by nature… The composition…is full of breathtaking combinations of
sound. There were too many to mention, but breathing into the flute, or
using it as a percussion instrument with staccato lip sounds, worked
well, as did some explosive combinations of piano and percussion. The
vocal part seemed like Mahler as transcribed by Alban Berg."
—Christopher Hyde [Portland Press Herald]
Reviews of Primordial Fantasy:
“…Crumb’s adaptation for piano and small ensemble of his Primordial
Fantasy…shamelessly, raucously and winningly clamours for attention as
it rises from an elemental goo into a semblance of coherent harmony and
life.”
—
Lawrence Vittes [Gramophone]
“…a spectacular concert work and cleverly pieced together...”
—
Dominy Clements [MusicWeb International]
“…Primordial Fantasy show[s] off Crumb’s excellent craft, with a rather
decorative sense for timbre blending and rhythmic variety. The brash
sounding percussion…may be a nod to his father’s music, consciously or
otherwise.”
—Peter Burwasser [Broad Street Review, Philadelphia]
“The
53-year-old composition professor at the University of Oregon wrote the
piece after 9/11 and, for its gentle, timeless mingling of love and
pain, it needs to be heard.”
—Lawrence Vittes [Gramophone]
“Work
on September Elegy was started before the 9/11 tragedy in the
U.S., but the effect of such an event during its composition resulted
in an inevitable and appropriate dedication to the victims of the
attack. Framed by melancholy and lyrical moods, there is a “sudden
dissolution” at the centre of the piece which stands for violence and
destruction. This all leads to a moving final coda into which the
spirit of J.S. Bach is invoked through haunting quotes of a chorale as
the notes reach out into infinity.”
—Dominy Clements [MusicWeb International]
“…the
music has an eerily bipolar profile, with a rather traditional and
upbeat first section, and concluding with a dreamy ending, including
ghostly quotes from a Bach chorale that seems to convey both sadness
and hope at once.”
Peter Burwasser [Broad Street Review, Philadelphia]
“September Elegy is an evocative work for violin and piano…Crumb
incorporated his reaction to 9/11, giving the work a powerful emotional
center, with wide-open intervals and poignant half-step turns in the
melody.”
—Ralph Graves [WTJU Radio, University of Virginia]
"Elias
and Janove reunited in the first half in David Crumb's poignant
"September Elegy," his musically forceful response to 9/11. The piece
is tonal and traditional in format, yet intense in its expressions and
quite emotional."
—Edward Reichel [Deseret Morning News]
"I
like David Crumb's first piece, Harmonia Mundi. This spacious and
dramatic work is scored for two pianos and two percussionists. He takes
advantage of the resonant qualities of the pianos, and there are some
beautiful doublings with cymbals and metallophones. He employs a
curious pitch language that is sonorous but complex. The piece works
fine on records, but I bet it would be a fantastic concert experience."
—MacDonald [American Record Guide]
Reviews of Variations for Cello and Chamber Ensemble:
"Crumb
has written a…little essay that manages a graceful fusion of lush
sonorities and faux-romantic harmonies within a taut, progressive
structure. The basic tone is sweet, even when the inherent accents are
not. The voice of the solo cello functions as part of an agitated
ensemble, breaks loose in an effusive cadenza, and finally leads the
way to an elegiac benediction."
—Martin Bernheimer [Los Angeles Times]
"Crumb's
six-year-old piece is a winner. Any cellist would be glad to get his
fingers on Variations, which takes about a half-hour to perform and
conveys so particular and gripping a sound world one is hardly aware of
time passing. The music begins with a tremulous motif. A harp plucks
back an answer. From this, the cello finds its theme, stretching high
and sustaining a phrase whose strange beauty concludes on a slight
dissonance. Gradually, other instruments enter the discourse.
Colors become more vibrant, as the cello alters and argues its theme.
Momentum builds, and suddenly a burst of percussion and woodwinds, a
clamoring chaos that suggests Stravinsky's Petrushka. It's a wonderful
moment because it catches us by surprise. Up to this happy climax, the
music has sounded gravely searching."
—Lesley Valdes [Philadelphia Inquirer]
"The
night's other big solo work was David Crumb's Variations for Cello and
Chamber Ensemble, which basks in tonal language of appealing vibrancy
and poetic appeal. The variations mix flavors of American folk idioms
and other influences. You might discern a hint of Copland here and
Stravinsky there, but Crumb's animated unfolding of materials has a
forceful voice of its own."
—Donald Rosenberg [Cleveland Plain Dealer]
"Crumb's
1993 Variations for Cello and Chamber Ensemble is the major prize on
the disc…how can you argue with its intoxicating range of instrumental
color?"
—David Patrick Stearns [Philadelphia Inquirer]
"It
would be nice to know if David Crumb is related to George Crumb, who
has often been recorded in this series. His Variations for cello and
chamber orchestra are colorfully orchestrated, which suggests George,
while both idiom and instrumentation are traditional compared with the
rest of this generally spiky program. They are expressive and
beautiful…
—[American Record Guide]
"[Crumb's]
1993 Variations is a glowing work, sumptuous in its sound. Crumb
definitely has a lyric sense related to his father's, and certain
melodic formulae from non-Western scales trigger memories of George
Crumb's music. The same goes for the full color palette, especially the
ecstatic percussion writing. But David Crumb also tends to evoke a
fuller orchestra sound, deliberately less tinged by silence. The music
moves seamlessly from variation to variation (and the form itself is
stretched to the limit, as the "theme" is over four minutes long and
multisectional to begin with), and projects a Romantic spirit without
sounding like a rehash of any precise previous music."
—Robert Carl [Fanfare]
"The final and perhaps most accessible work for the listener on this recording is David Crumb's Variations for Cello and Chamber Ensemble (1993). Despite its time-tested form, involving nine variations and tonal materials, this work is far from pedestrian. Crumb claims he is not interested in reiterating the past, and proves this claim throughout this 21-minute work. Rather than being representative of the past, Crumb simply nods at his predecessors. A total blend of styles is artfully displayed in this set of variations. Not only does it display the sometimes overly romantic style of the 19th century but seems to pay homage to the 20th century, as well—not as a classification for Crumb's work, but out of respect for what went before. The composer seems to be clearly separating himself from the past by simply acknowledging that these movements did exist.
The
theme opens with the sweetest, most soulful flute passage imaginable,
its notes dripping with sonority, letting the listener know these are
not traditional variations. In fact, the cello seems to emerge from the
ensemble with each passing variation. This is, for sure, highly
virtousic music which undergoes a dramatic personality change—from
Bach-like solos, to rustic folk-like tunes, to sappy romanticism. The
seventh variation is a cello cadenza, which appropriately seems to
represent the melodramatic role of the 19th century soloist. The piece is a true amalgamation of musical styles…"
—Laurie Hudicek [New Music Connoiseur]
Reviews of Vestiges of a Distant Time:
"…Crumb’s
vision is filtered through an essentially ethereal aesthetic, based in
very solid musical thinking. The result, even without its “story,” is
both lyrical and inventive. The composer is an especially gifted
orchestrator… A first-rate outing for composer, conductor and
orchestra.”
—Tom Manoff [The Register Guard, Eugene, Oregon]
"Mr.
Crumb, inspired by visits to sites of ancient civilizations, has
written a haunting, eclectic score that toggles between an eerie light
dissonance and harmonies that hint at antiquity without actually
quoting antique styles."
—Allan Kozinn [New York Times]
Reviews of Soundings:
“Crumb works…wonders with the unlikely trio of clarinet, bassoon, and
piano…in Soundings…he produces a delicious new sonic environment by
setting the two trilling, crooning and rollicking woodwinds against a
glittering piano score.”
—Lawrence Vittes [Gramophone]
“The composer admits to ‘a raw energy and level of excitement that
might be expected from a (relatively) young composer’, but this is
superbly written for the instruments, with both idiomatic and indeed at
times virtuoso exploration of timbre and individuality in the high
registers. The occasional use of damped piano strings is the only
family ‘trademark’ sound here.”
—
Dominy Clements [MusicWeb International]
“Soundings…show[s] off Crumb’s excellent craft, with a rather decorative sense for timbre blending and rhythmic variety.”
—
Peter Burwasser [Broad Street Review, Philadelphia]
“In Soundings…Crumb…wanted to write idiomatically for the clarinet and
bassoon. He succeeded. Each instrument has its own character, with the
music thoroughly integrated into the technical demands of the
instrument.”
—
Ralph Graves [WTJU Radio, University of Virginia]
"…attractive, accessible, imaginative, well-crafted…"
—Robert C. Marsh, Chicago Sun-Times
"[David
Crumb] evinces a keen sense of the expressive uses of sound-collage and
repetition. "Clarino" is visceral in its excitement."
—John von Rhein, Chicago Tribune
"Crumb…showed talents for imaginative and delicate textures and for putting an eloquently soft period to a piece…"
—Stephan Wigler, Baltimore Sun