A powerful and intimate collection of song sets by British composer Symon Clarke. To texts by Lervatov, Celan and others Clarke portrays a dimming world of autumnal beauty and stark nostalgia brought to life by superb soprano Natalie Raybould and the gifted musicians of the Brno Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Mikel Toms. HIGHLY Recommended.

FANFARE MAGAZINE REVIEW
S. CLARKE—Songs for the Last Act

Secret Diversions.1 Time’s Eye.2 Requiem3 • 1–3Natalie Raybould (sop); 1–3Mikel Toms, cond; 1, 2Pavel Wallinger (vn); 1Misha Greco, 3Michal Hreno, 2Katarina Madanová (vc); 1Martina Matušínská, 2Petr Pomkla (fl); 1Lukáš Danhel, 2, 3Emil Drápela, 2, 3Jíří Sedláček (cl); 3Petr Hladik, 1Max Jopp (vib); 1Domenika Turková (hp); 2Tomoe Sonoda (perc); 2Jíří Hrouby (pn) • 

ABLAZE 55 (71:01 Text and Translation)

Three song cycles appear here (in chronological order) from the talented British composer Symon Clarke (no relation). I previously enjoyed a disc of his music on this label in Fanfare 43:6; this one is no less stimulating.

The first cycle, Secret Diversions (2003–04), sets texts by the Canadian poet Denise Levertov, a writer who concentrated on the natural world in the microcosm of the space around her own house. The literary focus is very much on the animal and plant kingdoms. Clarke’s settings are beautiful, concise, and elusive. Structurally, he creates an arch around the fifth movement (“Three Short Solos”); each of these “solos” finds the voice accompanied by a solo instrument (flute, harp, and cello) so in a sense they are duos. They hold the source material of the cycle and in so doing hold the music’s “key.” Martina Matušinská is a fine flutist; Lukáš Danhel is an expressive cellist, while Domenika Turková creates droplets of purest beauty. The vocal line is expressive in a sort of post-Bergian way, and Natalie Raybould relishes each and every nuance. Clarke’s evocation of a liminal space in “Singled Out” is remarkable; he is a master not only of harmony but also of scoring, creating a gauze of sound which Raybould interacts and intertwines with.

We move more towards the world of humans with Time’s Eye (2005). Inspired by a trip to Poland and an encounter with Auschwitz, Clarke opted for texts by Paul Celan, adding two of his own which are to be spoken at the beginning and at the end, and two instrumental interludes. There is a new bleakness to the sound picture here. Arrivals at near-consonances in “Draft of a Landscape” add color to the palette rather than offer solace, while the cello solo “monologue” is beautifully, achingly phrased by Katarina Madanová. The strength of the performance is its sensitivity to instrumental color, the way the instruments relate to the colors of the voice. When the spoken mode of delivery returns at the work’s close, it is impressively powerful.

The areligious Requiem of 2016–17 sets only two poems by Osip Mandelstam, one from early in his career and one from the year before his death. The smaller instrumentation invites further intimacy but by no means reduces the emotional force of Clarke’s statement. Intriguingly, the first movement is based on and leads to a direct quote from Contrapunctus XIX from Bach’s The Art of Fugue, in response to the final lines of Mandelstam’s poem: “Why has the music stopped?/Why is there such silence?” With the second and final movement, there is a sudden whirlwind of sound, with Raybould hardening her upper register to match the sound of the instruments around her (it works superbly). When warmth arrives it feels like cold comfort, with the music quickly reverting to a more desolate arena.

This is poignant, important music from a fine composer who deserves more recognition. 

Colin Clarke