VARIOUS COMPOSERS: a/rhythmia – Alarm Will Sound – Nonesuch 467708-2, 62:00 *****:
If you’ve never heard Alarm Will Sound, then try a cut or two from a recent Kronos Quartet CD first. When the Kronos Quartet burst onto the scene in the early eighties, it was hailed as the bête noir of contemporary performance. Think of Alarm Will Sound as the quartet’s ill-behaved younger sibling. Like the Kronos Quartet, the group focuses on recordings and performances of contemporary music. But unlike them, they perform mostly short pieces, sometimes just selections from larger works. They interpret them in unusual ways. And they are often humorous, as their croaking squawking rendition of Benedict Mason’s “Dégringolade Des Pingouins” or his impossible-to-dance-to “Disgraceful Bossanova With Lemurs” gloriously demonstrates. Their takes on Conlon Nancarrow’s eccentric "Player Piano Studies 3A and 6" are finely interpreted gems, as is the middle-eastern inspired “Dessert Search For Techno Baklava.” (My dancer wife couldn’t resist giving it a spin.)
Have no fear. There are no boring or skipable pieces on this CD. Alarm Will Sound has done as admirable job of selecting pieces as well as performing them. The most outrageous stunt they pull off is to dress old works like Johannes Ciconia’s "Le Ray Au Soley" (14th century) and Josquin des Prez’s "Agnus Dei II" (15th century) in 21st century attire. They wrap them in garish themes, unraveling rhythmic counterpoint, and jagged finales. Despite the title, this CD doesn’t really contain arhythmic music, just music with quirky rhythms, and outlandish chords and percussion. It could shock and throw your friends off, possibly prompting them to say "What the hell was that?" Then they’ll ask to hear more.
TrackList:
1. "Jitterbug Mécanique" 2. Yo Shakespeare 3. "Camouflage Des Agréments" 4. "Movimento Preciso E Meccanico" 5. Dessert Search For Techno Baklava 6. Le Ray Au Soley 7. "Highland Balls And Village Halls" 8. Player Piano Study 6 9. Carmen Arcadiae Mechanicae Perpetuum 10. "Dégringolade Des Pingouins" 11. "Agnus Dei II" 12. Cfer 13. "Disgraceful Bossanova With Lemurs" 14. Player Piano Study 3A
— Peter Bates
