Kreutzer Quartet / Roderick Chadwick / CalArts Orchestra / Susan Allen GLORIA COATES Piano Quintet - Symphony No. 10

The quantum leap forward the American composer, Gloria Coates, is bringing to the sounds of classical music is parallel to the advent of the Second Viennese School. Whether you are yet prepared for such a change is very much a personal reaction, though if you are willing to explore her world, then the Piano Quintet, composed five years ago, would be a good starting point. It begins with the notion of tuning the strings of two of the quartet members a quarter tone higher, which in itself could prove a problem for those with perfect pitch. It certainly has the life-changing impact Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring must have made on its early audiences, the unusual tone of the piano—it sounds more akin to a ‘prepared’ piano in this ‘live’ concert recording—adding its own dimension. There is a programme to each of the four movements explained in the enclosed booklet, and is in essence a sound picture influenced by Emily Dickinson’s poetry. Coates has been based in Germany since the 1970’s, the Tenth Symphony influenced by the ancient Celtic tribes who settled in Bavaria. It is scored for a small group of brass and percussion, its hollow and repetitive nature creating a sense of timelessness in the opening movement; the central ‘The Glory of Decay’, scored for percussion describes that nature is repetitive but is still constantly changing; then add brass and you have the sounds of the final movement. The recording was taken from one public performance and brings with it the sadness that it was the final concert appearance of the America conductor, Susan Allen, before her untimely death. All of the performances come from those who are interested in exploring and promoting modern music, the Kreutzer Quartet being particularly associated with the music of Coates. Recordings of good quality. (David’s Review Corner)