The dominant characteristic of Louis Karchin's music is energy. Even in the very infrequent moments of repose there is the obvious desire to be moving building in the background, waiting for the moment to burst forth and sweep all before that recalls Beethoven. The comparison between the forty-two-year-old Karchin and the great Viennese master is surprisingly apt in a number of ways. In addition to the sheer energy of his music Karchin also possesses a striking melodic style that intrigues the ear even as the music is threatening to rush the listener off his or her metaphorical feet with its vivid and seductive use of instrumental color Regardless of how the music is actually constructed, Karchin's harmonic practice is reminiscent of such "tonal" serialists as Berg, Sessions, and Argento. The liner notes by Fanfare's own Robert Carl make the point, with considerably more elegance than I am about to, that the method of composition is a means to an end. There is a current debate, both in this magazine and the New York Times, as to the death of serial and "atonal" music that is foolish beyond description. Inevitably what the writer is talking about is consonance and dissonance rather than anything resembling functional harmony (which is a technical requirement for music to be judged tonal--much of Debussy, for example. is "atonal" while consonant to the point of lushness). Karchin's dissonance quotient is relatively high, but it also does not have the relentless sense of disorientation that is associated with the serial school of the 50s and 60s. As I said earlier. Karchin deploys a striking and immediately attractive melodic style, again rather like Berg in an essentially dissonant environment. I find the combination exhilarating.
The Beethoven connection is most obvious in the Cello Sonata of 1989, which is modeled after Beethoven's Third. Like its model, the work lacks a slow movement, using a Scherzo to bridge between a sonata-form first movement and a vigorous, extended Finale. The Ricercare for solo violin of 1992 reaches back to Bach for what sounds like a rewrite by Berg of the Chaccone from Bach's Partita No. 2. In this work the rigorous form sounds more dutiful than expressive. The two works remaining to be discussed. Songs of Distance and Light from 1988 and Galactic Folds from 1992, represent either end of the time span covered by this disc. The three songs that make up the earlier work set poems by Elizabeth Bishop (including one set by Carter as part of A Mirror On Which to Dwell--Karchin is nothing if not fearless) and Jennifer Rose for soprano and small ensemble. The first song, Argument, pits a rather uningratiating vocal line, complete with rather prosaic word setting, against a fabulously interesting instrumental accompaniment. By the second song things are more evenly matched, and in the enormous third song, a setting of Rose's A Midnight Swim at Yaddo, Karchin's abilities as a composer of songs are in full flight. The song performances are the only ones that give me pause, mostly because soprano Andrea Cawalti is so far removed from what one expects in this sort of music. Cawalti made her New York Philharmonic debut as Marina in Boris Godunov, and deploys a voice that resembles Gwyneth Jones on one of her more in-control days. The grand manner and very heavy vibrato take some adjusting to. That said, it is a worthy performance of beautiful music.
Galactic Fields, for a mixed quartet using Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire ensemble, is to my ears the real find on this disc. Twenty minutes of rushing, furious energy divided into two movements, the music never lets up for more than a few seconds in its forward rush. The miniature cadenzas for the winds in the first movement come as moments when the players are so full of life they must break forth from the ensemble. The Finale has a wonderful, clockwork fury that abates briefly for an ethereal interlude before the final rush to the finish.
The recordings from a variety of venues and made over an extended period of time all sound fine. This is enthusiastically recommended.
John Story
Disc can be ordered over the WWW at CDCONNECTION