Through the Night

Album review

Night has been the subject of countless works of art in every genre imaginable, and it is the journey through the dark to the dawn that is woven into this program by the United Strings of Europe and its director, Julian Azkoul. Two familiar works make up nearly the entirety of the program: Schoenberg's Verklärte Nacht, Op. 4, in the composer's version for string orchestra, and Richard Strauss' Metamorphosen, in an intriguing arrangement by Éric Mouret. Mouret pares the work down only slightly from 23 players (ten violins, five violas and cellos, and three basses) to 16 (eight violins, four violas and cellos, and one bass). While this keeps the distribution percentage of instruments nearly identical, it allows the viola and cello lines to come through more naturally without forcing the issue. Written as the Second World War was nearing its conclusion, there is a natural sense of awakening from the horrors of the war with dawn and optimism for a future after one of the darkest periods in our collective history. The ensemble's phrasing and cohesion are undeniable, and there is little wonder that it fits perfectly into a program of this nature. So, too, does the newest piece on this program, Daniel Kidane's Be Still, written in late 2020, following months of lockdowns and uncertainty caused by the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. While it easily falls into the program's subject, the ensemble's playing is not quite in lockstep as it is elsewhere. The arrangements of Renaissance works by Maddelena Casulana and Carlo Gesualdo are done and performed well; the Casulana is worth consideration as Simon Parkin's arrangement begins with a fantasy on the original madrigal before segueing and concluding with the source. The ensemble is once more up to the task in the Schoenberg, passionately and precisely played. While lovely, Stokowski's arrangement of "Dido's Lament" from Purcell's Dido and Aeneas seems like an odd addition. It may be best considered an encore at a live performance of this program.

© Keith Finke /TiVo