It has been several years since the Lysander Piano Trio’s last release, ‘After A Dream’, a selection of trios by well-known composers including Ravel, Schubert and Haydn. In this release, entitled ‘Mirrors’, the New-York based ensemble present a program entirely consists of 21st-century American music, all premier recordings. The six contemporary works, lasting from a little over 2 minutes to more substantial works of around 15, punctuate the program into digestible chunks.
Opening with Gilad Cohen’s ‘Around the Cauldron’ (2016), the notes tell us that the composer’s musical tastes are diverse, taking in impressionism, grunge and klezmer, all of which can be heard in this piece. Based around the three witches in Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the work contains seven ‘scenes’. Familiarity with the drama brings an enhanced enjoyment of the work. From the austere atmosphere of “In Dusk” to the Stravinskian intensity of “Sacrificial”, the technical skill of the Lysander trio is impressive but also deeply communicative in bringing this mini tone-poem to life.
“Ghostwritten Variations” from Reinaldo Moya is a sizeable but highly approachable piece, moulded as four variations and based on musical protagonists in literature (Thomas Mann in Doctor Faustus, David Mitchell in Cloud Atlas, Richard Powers in Orfeo, and Kim Stanley Robinson in The Memory of Whiteness). The textures of this piece are varied, from sparse to complex, piercing to expressive, Moya has been inventive in this work and the players relish and celebrate this compositional creativity, especially in variations 1 and 3.
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The most well-know of the composers on this album is Jennifer Higdon, adding to the small canon of works for voice and piano trio with her song cycle, “Love Sweet” (2013). With parallels to Shostakovich’s “Seven Romances on Poems of Alexander Blok”, Higdon is as equally melodic throughout this set. Her approach to the trio is different to Shostakovich’s, but certainly no less innovative or intriguing. The five songs, setting texts by Amy Lowell, are exquisitely performed by soprano Sarah Shafer. Her lyrical but expressive voice has a clarity across her range. Diction is impeccable, as exemplified in “Absence” (track 14). The chemistry between Shafer and the Lysander Trio is strong and unified, which makes this work the undisputed highlight of the album.
The final three works contain two substantial pieces and a miniature. William David Cooper’s ‘An den Wassern zu Babel’ (2010) is the longest single-movement piece. Based on the melody ‘By The Rivers of Babylon’ by Martin Luther, this complex and textural set of variations is in an expressionist language, with influences from the Second Viennese School. Again, the Lysander’s relish the music, and their focus and strong technical assurance make this demanding piece engaging and thought-provoking.
The other two works — “Titania and Her Suite” (2014) by Sofia Belimova and “The Black Mirror” (2013—14) by Jakub Ciupinski, are highly characterful pieces. Belimova composed her piece aged 14, which is highly impressive considering its sophistication and maturity of the musical vocabulary. In it she evocatively captures the character of Titania and the wider nature of Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream. It links sympathetically to Cohen’s previously heard ‘Around the Cauldron”, adding a sense of unity to the program.
Finally, “The Black Mirror” refers to a 17th century painting tool and lens, which condensed a landscape down to a paintable size. This atmospheric piece is gently bewitching, creating a mysterious and magical mood, with hypnotic, almost minimalist conclusion. The sensitivity of the Lysander’s to the various styles is impressive. This persuasive performance provides the ideal close to such an intriguing and eclectic album.
“Mirrors” – 21st Century American Piano Trios
Lysander Piano Trio:
Itamar Zorman – Violin
Michael Katz – Cello
Liza Stepanova – Piano
with Sarah Shafer – Soprano
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