The Gruber is disappointing, was hoping for something with the inventiveness of Busking, only to get a grey generic percussion concerto that, despite being “modern”, feels like it’s already been written a dozen times before. Personally, the Hugh Wood piece offends me far less probably due to the fact that I don’t regularly listen to British composers from the mid 1900’s, and this composer strikes me as one who has carefully discerned what does and doesn’t work with an avid ear. Sure, it’s as artistically bankrupt as a violin concerto in the style of Bach being straightfacedly written today, and can be ignorant of the words it purports to musically convey, but it still succeeds due to its craftsmanship. It is a detailed piece that is not only enjoyable moment to moment, but flows quite well musically between these moments, something many poetry settings fail at miserably. Whatever its faults, this isn’t some twenty minute Bax tone poem that feels like it drags on for bloody hours, it’s musically enjoyable, and personally, that’s all I ask from a piece like this.
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The Gruber is disappointing, was hoping for something with the inventiveness of Busking, only to get a grey generic percussion concerto that, despite being “modern”, feels like it’s already been written a dozen times before. Personally, the Hugh Wood piece offends me far less probably due to the fact that I don’t regularly listen to British composers from the mid 1900’s, and this composer strikes me as one who has carefully discerned what does and doesn’t work with an avid ear. Sure, it’s as artistically bankrupt as a violin concerto in the style of Bach being straightfacedly written today, and can be ignorant of the words it purports to musically convey, but it still succeeds due to its craftsmanship. It is a detailed piece that is not only enjoyable moment to moment, but flows quite well musically between these moments, something many poetry settings fail at miserably. Whatever its faults, this isn’t some twenty minute Bax tone poem that feels like it drags on for bloody hours, it’s musically enjoyable, and personally, that’s all I ask from a piece like this.