DAVID DZUBAY: Antiphonal Fanfare No. 2; Brass Quintet No. 1; Acrostic Variations; Solus 1 for solo horn; St. Vitus’ Dance – Manhattan Brass – Bridge 9230, 53:34 ***1/2 [Distr. by Albany]:
David Dzubay is a noted composer, especially in brass circles, his name popping up all the time in recitals and quintet concerts, as here. The music is difficult to categorize; even when he makes use of twelve-tone elements, as in the horn solo Solus 1, it remains distinctly tonal, though not necessarily tonally grounded. Yet it is for the most part clever, original, and short enough to make an impact without outstaying its welcome.
The most substantial piece here is the St. Vitus’s Dance, an almost symphonic in scope work that is based on the historical episode of the origin of St. Vitus’ Dance, where those affected (afflicted?) with the then-popular practice of religious dancing mania caused a bridge above the Maas River in Germany to collapse, killing many of the participants. Allegedly many were restored to full health in a chapel near the town dedicated to St. Vitus. Having seen one person in my life who had this disorder, I can testify that the four movements, “Tarantella in the churchyard of St. Magnus”, “Lamentation of the Afflicted”, “Kindling of the Nodfyr”, and “Festival of St. John’s Day”, each dwelling on aspects of this tradition, are rigorously apropo.
The second of his Antiphonal Fanfares (for trumpet, trombone, and horn) goes by so quickly as to almost be out of reach of comment, but the first Brass Quintet and the Acrostic Variations are both substantial works, the second especially being more to my liking, while the quintet seems a little disjointed in message and is more difficult to follow. But none of this music poses challenges out of the mainstream, and you would be well pleased to hear almost any of it in a recital.
The Manhattan Brass is one of America’s foremost such ensembles, and is well-suited to the music at hand, being old hats at it according to the notes and as evident in the secure playing. Sound is excellent, and this can be chalked up to one of the better efforts of the genre if indeed the genre holds interest for you.
— Steven Ritter
