William Bolcom - Chamber Works (Steven Gross; Philip Ficsor; Constantine Finehouse)

Information

Composer: William Bolcom

• Trio for Horn, Violin & Piano
• Suite No. 2 for Solo Violin

Steven Gross, horn

Philip Ficsor, violin

Constantine Finehouse, piano

Date: 2021

Label: Naxos

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Review

The two works on this album, appearing on record for the first time, are typical of the stylistic versality of William Bolcom’s music. The Trio for horn, violin and piano was commissioned by the American horn player Steven Gross as a response to Brahms’s Horn Trio of 1865, and is similarly structured in four movements. Composed in 2016 and described by the composer as being ‘profoundly marked by the dark times we are living in’, the Trio’s opening movement communicates a weary tread and a sense of struggle, followed by a short but vitriolic second movement. Contrast is provided by the wistful and evocative horn melody that opens the third movement, although even here a sense of unease is not far away. The final movement, a sardonic march with moments of mystery, does little to alleviate the pervading sense of disquiet. Despite the work’s unremitting darkness, I found it an inventive and rewarding listen.

Although a longer work than the Trio, the Suite No 2 for solo violin is for the most part a lighter and more relaxed one. Composed in 2011, the writing in all nine movements has an improvisatory air, bookended by the rhapsodic opening ‘Morning Music’ and the similarly peaceful ‘Evening Music’. In between come a variety of moods, ranging from the whimsically humorous ‘Lenny in Spats’ portrait of Leonard Bernstein to the bleak and melancholic ‘Fuga malinconica’, with its echoes of late Shostakovich.

The performance of the Trio by Steven Gross, Philip Ficsor and Constantine Finehouse is splendidly intense and involving. Ficsor, who previously recorded Bolcom’s works for violin and piano with Finehouse as the ensemble American Double (Albany), provides a similarly impressive account of the Suite No 2. The recording was made in Martinů Hall in Prague and presents the performances with an ideal combination of warmth with transparency.

— Christian Hoskins

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William Bolcom (born 26 May 1938) is an American composer and pianist known for bridging popular and classical music traditions. Educated at the University of Washington, Mills College, the Paris Conservatory and Stanford University, he later served as professor of composition at the University of Michigan. A prolific composer, Bolcom wrote works across genres, including piano études, operas, orchestral music and song cycles, and showed a particular affinity for ragtime. He received the Pulitzer Prize in 1988 and multiple Grammy Awards in 2006. Bolcom has also been active as a performer, writer, editor and educator.

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Horn soloist Steven Gross is a former member the Atlanta Symphony, National Symphony, Santa Fe Opera Orchestra, and was for 24 years principal horn of the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra. He has performed widely as a soloist and presented masterclasses across the United States, Europe, China and South Africa. Gross is professor of horn and head of winds, brass and percussion at the University of California, Santa Barbara. A recipient of the Czech Horn Society's Stich-Punto Commemorative Plaque, he has released six acclaimed solo recordings and serves as executive director of the International Horn Competition of America.

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Violinist Philip Ficsor is a dedicated advocate for contemporary American music, particularly the works of William Bolcom and Emma Lou Diemer. As a member of American Double, he recorded Bolcom's complete works for violin and piano for Albany Records, earning praise from The Strad for his performance quality. Ficsor has collaborated closely with Diemer, releasing two recordings of her music and premiering her Violin Concerto in 2012. Committed to education, he has presented outreach programs at Boston Symphony Hall and serves as an editorial advisor for Bolcom's violin works published by E.B. Marks/Hal Leonard.

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Pianist Constantine Finehouse has performed widely in the United States and abroad. His recordings span solo, chamber, and collaborative repertoire, including Backwards Glance, which pairs Brahms with American composer Richard Beaudoin, and acclaimed recordings of William Bolcom's works on Albany Records and Naxos. As a member of the ensemble American Double with violinist Philip Ficsor, he recorded Bolcom's complete works for violin and piano, praised by Fanfare. An active chamber musician, Finehouse holds degrees from Juilliard and Yale and teaches at New England Conservatory.

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