Influenced by composers such as Morton Feldman and Steve
Reich, his compositions include Music for
Wood and Strings commissioned by Carnegie Hall, three String Quartets
for the Kronos Quartet (including Tenebre
commissioned by the Kronos Quartet and the Barbican Centre), Lachrimae for the Amsterdam Sinfonietta,
Scottish Ensemble, and the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra, St. Carolyn by the Sea for the American Composers Orchestra and
Muziekcentrum Eindhoven and Raphael, commissioned
by the Kitchen and American Composers Forum through a grant from the Jermone
Foundation, 2007.
English composer, guitarist and keyboardist, Jonny Greenwood (b. 1971) www.fabermusic.com/composers/jonny-greenwood
is best known as a member of the rock band Radiohead but started out as a viola
player. The multi-talented Greenwood also plays harmonica, glockenspiel, Ondes
Martenot, banjo and drums, as well as working with computer-generated sounds
and sampling. He is also a computer programmer writing the music software used
by Radiohead.
His classical works include Smear for two ondes martenots and ensemble, Popcorn Superhet Receiver for
string orchestra, Doghouse for string trio and large orchestra and 48 Responses to Polymorphia for 48 strings.
Sections of the score for Popcorn Superhet Receiver were
later worked into his soundtrack for the Oscar-winning Paul Thomas Anderson
film There Will Be Blood (2007). The
soundtrack itself was, controversially, declared ineligible for an Oscar as
‘the majority of the music was not composed specifically for the film.’ However, Greenwood went on to be awarded Best
Film Score at the 2007 Evening Standard British Film Awards, and Critics’
Choice Award for Best Composer by the Broadcast Film Critics Association of the
USA.
Deutsche Grammophon
www.deutschegrammophon.com has
recently released a new recording with the Copenhagen Philharmonic Orchestra
www.copenhagenphil.dk conducted
by André de Ridder www.andrederidder.com
of
Bryce Dessner’s St. Carolyn by the Sea,
Lachrimae and Raphael coupled with Jonny Greenwood’s Suite from his film score There Will Be Blood.
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Bryce Dessner’s St Carolyn by the Sea for electric guitars and orchestra is based on an episode from Jack Kerouac’s www.jackkerouac.com novel Big Sur that deals with a writer’s mental and physical deterioration culminating in his nervous breakdown and brings all Kerouac’s surreal hallucinations into his musical soundscape.
The music seems to appear from out of nowhere with a long
held, string chord to which points of sound are added by various instruments. The
strings become more dynamic with rapid bowing before a cello joins. The sound
of two electric guitars, played here by Bryce Dessner and his brother, Aaron
Dessner http://posthocmanagement.com/client/aaron-dessner
, are heard strumming as this intoxicatingly attractive theme moves forward.
The two guitars become more prominent acquiring a rather Iberian flavour with
the strings adding to the texture. The music rises to a number of little
climaxes with some lovely textures from the orchestra. Eventually the main theme
becomes more insistent, with repetitions, though always varied in texture.
Percussion is often used to good effect as, indeed, are all of the sections of
the orchestra providing subtle colouring of the orchestral texture. Occasionally
Latin rhythms appear and, later, some attractive electric guitar effects to add
to the atmosphere with the music leading to a suddenly assertive coda.
This is an often dramatic and always very effective score
that provides much attractive music.
Dessner had played John Dowland’s (1563 -1626) Lachrimae at school and based his own
Lachrimae for string orchestra on that work, with Benjamin Britten’s
Dowland inspired Lachrymae and
Bartok’s Divertimento for Strings in
his mind.
Strange string murmurings open this work out of which a
melody slowly and quietly tries to emerge. The strange string sounds continue
and become more dynamic but eventually fall back meditatively. The strings
eventually take on a repetitive nature around which the higher strings provide
a more melodic thread. Later the strings become agitated before the repetitive
motif returns. Towards the end the music stops on a sudden flourish before the return
of the opening murmurings on strings as the work fades to end.
This is a most effective and unusual work.
Raphael for mixed large ensemble was constructed
around a drone from a harmonium and has, in the composer’s words, ‘a lot in
common with some early minimalist pieces.’
The work opens on a held chord or drone from the harmonium
to which other instruments of the orchestra slowly join, creating some lovely
textures, so finely wrought and showing Dessner’s fine ear for colours and
textures. Out of this drone the orchestra give the feel of slowly moving toward
one. Little points of sound are added before a guitar, played here by the
composer, moves towards a melody, broadly laid out. There are some gorgeous,
rich textures that emerge as the piece develops; minimalist in nature, but always
catching the ear with their fine colouring. Soon one becomes aware that the
music is rising up dramatically, inexorably. There are many instrumental
sounds, percussive, intoning and swirling, creating a spectacle of sonic
display. Half way through the music drops as the harmonium can be heard. Two
electric guitars join in a repeated motif before strings join to add to the
texture. Eventually the music rises up dramatically, forcing its way forward
before suddenly dropping as the harmonium plays a little tune to which a cornet
joins as does a solo cello leading to a gentle string led orchestral melody and
a glorious coda to this piece.
The 2007 film, There Will Be Blood, starring Daniel
Day-Lewis, is a story of family, religion, hatred, oil and madness, focusing on
a turn-of-the-century prospector during Southern California's oil boom. Jonny
Greenwood has created a six movement orchestral Suite from ‘There Will Be Blood.’
Open spaces
provides deep, rich string chords that rise up in swathes of sound, with little
trails of sound breaking away. This is music that breathes open spaces though with
a slightly menacing undertow. It is
beautifully orchestrated with woodwind subtly adding to the texture and colour.
Staccato strings bring a decisive sound to Future
Markets lightened by pizzicato passages before the strings provide a
sweeping melody. The music drops to a gentle melody leading to the end. Strings
move forward with a sweeping melody in HW/Hope
of New Fields soon hushed before pulsing forward again in this beautiful
section.
Sliding strings sounds slowly emerge in the opening of Henry Plainview out of which a string
melody appears. The cellos try to hold the melody over the swirling, sliding
strings before all drops to a hush. A sudden dart of sound from the strings
pulls the orchestra up, swaying back and forth before a final surge leads to a
fading coda.
Rhythmic and pizzicato strings open Proven Lands in a determined fashion. A theme develops that works
its way around the rhythmic motif. There is some terrific playing here in this
spectacularly fine piece of string writing. A gentle calm arrives with Oil, a movement that rises in drama,
occasionally, but overall there is a warmth and resignation to this music.
This suite sits together well as a separate work with some
exceptionally fine string writing.
Conductor André de Ridder likes to programme these two
composer together and one can easily see why as they complement each other very
well. Greenwood perhaps provides greater form and melody whereas Dessner gives
us fine textures and colours in a more minimalist framework.
The Copenhagen Philharmonic conducted by André de Ridder
provide first rate performances, with notable contributions form Bryce and
Aaron Dessner, and are finely recorded at the Royal Danish Academy of Music,
Concert Hall, Copenhagen
There are informative booklet notes.
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