photo © Françoise Simoneau
Review
American Record Guide May/June 2004
Guide to Records p.171
SVOBODA: Clarinet Chamber Works 1
Michael Anderson, Todd Kuhns; Kristen Halay, fl; Edward McManus, hn; Thomas O'Connor, ob;
Steve Vacchi, bn; Tomas Svoboda, (p) North Pacific 16--67 minutes
Mark Lehman and Jack Sullivan have handled the bulk of the Svoboda reviews over the last six or
seven years, the former finding the com-poser moderately interesting, the latter much more than
that. I find myself, if possible, be-tween these poles. Mr Lehman rightly points out that Svoboda
doesn't really sound like any-body else, yet his influences are detectable everywhere. Mr Sullivan
seems most taken with the complexity and craftsmanship of the composer, considering the Czech-American
composer (now retired as Professor Emeritus at Portland State University) a major talent.
A major talent these days is indeed quite a find, as most of the so-called major talents that have
been composing since my birth are writ-ing music that barely qualifies as music. Svo-boda won't set
the world ablaze with his inspi-ration, but it would be a grave mistake to ig-nore someone who has
found his voice, despite my inability to categorize him. Several things do come through loud and clear.
He knows his style and sticks to it; he writes with a remarka-bly confident authority and maturity;
he is prolific in a number of forms and genres; and he writes with sincerity--there are no pas-sages
that seem like passagework. Stylistically, Shostakovitch, Prokofieff, and Bartok all make brief
appearances, but I would counter that the main influences are Hindemith and folk music. Let's call
it Hindemith light, as much of that composer's tanginess has been removed.
But this is no bad thing, as the Clarinet Sonata demonstrates so well. What starts out as pure
Hindemith in I changes to a falsified jazz flavor by the time we get to III, but it is always
interesting and entertaining. The two pieces for solo clarinet, Folk Dance and Con-fession, are
very nice examples of how to write for a solo woodwind, the former especially relying on certain
key pedal notes to set off the melody the same way Bach does in his solo string writing. The second
work, as an exercise in atonality, is not quite as persua-sive, though its expressive qualities are
quite pronounced. The Conversations for two clarinets is a real hoot. The notes tell us that the best
way to per-form this work is on the stage, with each player acting out the part he or she is playing.
I can see where this would be very entertaining, but it works as pure music as well. The writing again
is complex but affable, easy to follow, and cleverly done. Summer Trio for oboe, flute, and bassoon,
opens in a remarkably similar fashion to Barber's Knoxville, if not in instru-mentation, then certainly
in spirit, and per-haps initially even in design. This is a most attractive work.
Finally we come to the unusual Concerto for Woodwind Quintet. What Svoboda has done is to give each
instrument a mini-concerto in this five-movement work. Kiss Hindemith good-bye in this oneÑit could
have been writ-ten by Diamond, Creston, or any number of American composers with a penchant for
exu-berance and wide-eyed optimism. One of the things most notable about this composer is his comfort
in a variety of formatsÑhe displays equal prowess in almost any instrumental combination.
The notes are well done, and the sound is excellent. This is Volume 1, chamber works with clarinet,
so I assume we have a lot coming down the pike. Michael Anderson is a fine player (as are all the players
here), and the Oregon Festival of American Music must be an attractive place to be every year if the quality
is this high. Svoboda has much to offer, and while this is my first exposure to him, I can definitely
recommend it to newcomers. -- RITTER
Copyright 2004 by Record Guide Productions. All rights reserved.
Reviewed by Steven E. Ritter
