PIERROT ENSEMBLE SERIES VOL. 1 • Marie Petrikova, Pavel Wallinger (vn); Eva Kovalova, Pavel Sabacky (vc); Petr Pomkla, Martina Venc-Matusinska (fl); Emil Drapela, Petr Vyslouzïl (cl); Lukas Danhel (b cl); Vladimir Halicek, Sarka Kravilova (pn); Lukas Krejci (dr) • ABLAZE 00035 

PELLEGRINO  what if.... ARNESEN  Seven Fragment for Pierrot Ensemble. PRICE  Aboard the Phantom Train. YIP Insight II. REALE  Le bonheur de vivre. LIN  L’Image reconstituée 

A “Pierrot ensemble” consists of the instrumentation that Arnold Schoenberg utilized for his seminal 1912 chamber music work Pierrot Lunaire, namely, a quintet of flute, clarinet, violin, cello, and piano. In the original work, the instrumental ensemble is augmented by a narrator (usually a soprano). Percussion is also an acceptable option. Oddly, one of the works on this album is for clarinet, piano, and cello (the lovely music of Paul Reale). Perhaps the title of the release should be “Mostly Pierrot Ensemble Series.” Ironically, most of this highly engaging music falls short of the still astonishing originality of the Schoenberg work, but many will be perfectly happy to discover this. 

In any case, this is nicely varied collection of contemporary music, regardless of the instrumentation. Matthew Pelligrino gets things off to a rollicking start with his jazzy what if..., which adds a driving drum set to the Pierrot Ensemble, with splashy hi-hat work providing the rhythmic backbone to the piece. Norwegian composer Per Christian Arnesen makes the most of the color combinations in the Pierrot Ensemble, with beautiful tonal blends in a kind of Impressionistic aura. Aaron Price’s music imagines a supernatural train ride, with the flute and clarinet suggesting train whistles, as the eerie locomotive picks up steam. It is a highly entertaining and well-crafted piece of musical drama. 

Hong Kong native Stephen Yip, currently residing in the United States, gives us, in his own words, a piece “inspired by the three major Buddhist ideas; nonobjectivity, idea-lessness, and nonattachment.” Not unexpectedly, Insight II is a work of careful contemplation, with precise examinations of the individual sounds and shaped phrases of the instruments, presented in unorthodox and imaginative melodic patterns. Taiwanese born, American trained composer Mei-Fang Lin offers the most electrifying music on this disc, a four-movement composition of arresting energy, featuring cascading waves of brilliant sound. In the final movement there is some repose, as the music ebbs away on a repeated note on the piano. This is a very powerful piece of music. 

And then there is our odd-duck trio composer. Actually, it is very nice to have the charming music of Paul Reale in this group. This is also a four-movement work, with each one representing titles or quotes from American cinema. Although Reale took his direct inspiration for this music from American culture, the jaunty opening section, The Big Parade, immediately brings to mind the music of a young Poulenc. The title of the suite, Le bonheur de vivre, comes from a painting of the same name by Matisse, about which Reale says “looking at this totally festive work has always made me feel glad to be alive.” That sentiment comes through vividly in his music. Performances and recorded sound are superb. 

Peter Burwasser  

This article originally appeared in Issue 43:6 (July/Aug 2020) of Fanfare Magazine.