Chamber Music

Approfondimenti

Dave Soldier (aka, Dr. Dave Sulzer) is a professor of neuroscience at Columbia, but also manages to find time to teach New York City schoolchildren to write and perform their own songs. He also organizes various ensembles, including rock groups, a string quartet, and an orchestra of elephants, to perform his music, which includes operas, oratorios, ballets, film scores, chamber music, and songs for Sesame Street. The music on this two-CD set is as eclectic as his résumé would lead one to expect. Soldier's music is marked by the kind of high energy and high spirits that would be required to sustain someone of his diverse interests and activities. Each of these pieces, for ensembles from one to four players, bristles with irreverent inventiveness, a carefree indifference to the opinion of the musical establishment, and the conviction that making music, even serious music, can be fun. Soldier writes for a variety of ensembles, including electronics as well as solos for alto saxophone, organ, and bass flute, but he shines brightest in his writing for strings. His Duo Sonata for violin and cello is one of the finest examples of music for that ensemble since the Ravel sonata. Soldier draws a remarkably full sonority from what can be an anemic-sounding combination of instruments; sometimes it's hard to believe he isn't using a string quartet. Clever Hans, a sly and quirky ballet for violin, cello, and harpsichord, is also especially engaging. Soldier's work would be of interest to anyone who's a fan of new music that transcends the categories of uptown/downtown and academic/popular. The sound quality on the recording is clear and lively.
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