ANNA CLYNE Blue Moth

BLUE MOTH

LEE HYLA Riff and Transfiguration

Riff & Transfiguration presents four pieces of truly excellent modern classical music of the strong, dramatic vein. The earliest of Hyla's compositions on this release is "Amnesia Variance," from 1989. It is performed by a small ensemble of strings, clarinet, piano, and hammered dulcimer. Based around the idea of musical memory, or the loss of such, it often leaves out the usual transitions between the active, strongly dramatic sections and the quiet, spacious moments that are led briefly by alternating single instrument solos. The other three compositions -- all composed during the '90s -- are solo piano works, each performed by a different pianist. All of them are extremely accomplished virtuosos, lacking in neither technique nor passion. Judith Gordon and Stephen Drury perform the first two pieces, respectively. It bears repeating that the virtuosic work here is head-turning, not to mention the works' compositional strength. The title piece is a suite for solo piano, and is performed by Mia Chung. The suite's movements range from "very fast, eruptive" (the first movement) to "quietly, con rubato" (the sixth movement), and all are carried off beautifully (Joslyn Layne)

LOIS V. VIERK River Beneath the River

River Beneath the River features four compositions, covering a ten-year span in the life and work of the composer. It is meant to be a kind of introduction to Lois V. Vierk's work, a primer for the uninitiated, or a "greatest hits" for the aficionado, and is one of the prestigious Tzadik catalog's most welcome additions. The title track, a string quartet from 1993 commissioned by Kronos -- but played here by violinists Eva Gruesser and Patricia Davis, cellist Bruce Wang, and violist Lois Martin -- features several Vierk trademarks. First there is the sense of stillness that slowly evolves into glissando movement. It begins as a downward slide into the point of stillness, but before reaching it, the second trademark comes into play, as systematic activity and movement travel ever upward to a polyphonic epiphany. Energy accumulates until the violins become almost free within the score, placing you on the edge of your seat. Next is a string quartet commissioned by a dance troupe, the flowing "Into the Brightening Air," first written in 1994 and reworked in 1999. The third piece, "Jagged Mesa," is perhaps the most serene and beautiful piece on the album. So gradual is its unfolding, so long are the intervals between the predominate fourths and fifths, that it feels as if the piece is one long unraveling ball of yarn. Perhaps the best-known work here is "Red Shift" (1989), for electric guitar, synthesizer (played by Vierk herself), cello, and percussion (courtesy of Jim Pugliese). It is as close as possible to rock in the post-classical age. Glissando is the strategy here, as the work slides from its somber, spare beginnings into a near-operatic frenzy. "Red Shift" has yet to be equaled as a single piece that brings the visceral dynamics of rock together with the sophistication and emotional control of classical music. (Thom Jurek)