BMOP’s Masterful Execution of an Eclectic Array of Contemporary Music
by Thomas Healy
Boston MA, 22 May 2009. The performance in NEC’s Jordan Hall by The Boston Modern Orchestra Project was immaculate. Under the baton of Gil Rose, each piece on this extensive program (5 world premières totaling 2.5 hours of music), received an artful, engaging, and technically masterful performance. Each performer had her/his heart in the music. What broke this concert in the end was not the quality of the performances, but the quality of the compositions.
The 1st composition on the program, Geoffrey Gordon’s Shock Diamonds, was an endlessly engaging, technically flawless, and a beautifully unique experience. The work begins in the percussion section with inconclusive material that spills seamlessly and unexpectedly over into other members of the ensemble. As harmonies progress, certain points of concentration emerge amongst divided subsets of individuals while varied and lyrical lines are announced by solo performers. The melodic writing had 12-tone inclinations, but no traditional serial techniques were pursued. The harmonies remained dense yet beautiful throughout, and the balance of anonymous webs of sound with focused arrivals on single notes resulted in a very effective dramatic energy. All in all, this piece was a wonder to listen to. It offered the most to say while saying it with the least flash.
Classical Music | Orchestral Music
Geoffrey Gordon
Shock Diamonds Play
Recorded on 05/21/2009, uploaded on 07/22/2009
Musician's or Publisher's Notes
by Thomas Healy
Boston MA, 22 May 2009. The performance in NEC’s Jordan Hall by The Boston Modern Orchestra Project was immaculate. Under the baton of Gil Rose, each piece on this extensive program (5 world premières totaling 2.5 hours of music), received an artful, engaging, and technically masterful performance. Each performer had her/his heart in the music. What broke this concert in the end was not the quality of the performances, but the quality of the compositions.
The 1st composition on the program, Geoffrey Gordon’s Shock Diamonds, was an endlessly engaging, technically flawless, and a beautifully unique experience. The work begins in the percussion section with inconclusive material that spills seamlessly and unexpectedly over into other members of the ensemble. As harmonies progress, certain points of concentration emerge amongst divided subsets of individuals while varied and lyrical lines are announced by solo performers. The melodic writing had 12-tone inclinations, but no traditional serial techniques were pursued. The harmonies remained dense yet beautiful throughout, and the balance of anonymous webs of sound with focused arrivals on single notes resulted in a very effective dramatic energy. All in all, this piece was a wonder to listen to. It offered the most to say while saying it with the least flash.
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