As their fourth in a CD series of mixed-genre musical arrangements, the chamber ensemble Philharmonix has composed a musical love-letter to Latvia. In it, the seven members – some are musicians from the Vienna Philharmonic and the Berlin Philharmonic – play it from the heart, evoking their fascination with the Baltic country’s musical ether.
The Philharmonix group is a collection of some of Europe’s most prominent musicians: the string quartet of Noah Bendix-Balgley, Sebastian Gürtler, Thilo Fechner, and Stephan Koncz; plus Ödön Rácz on string bass, Christoph Traxler on piano, and Daniel Ottensamer on clarinet. Their collective alchemy on this disc is a magical mix of folk elements and creative contemporary scoring.
The “Baltic” nine tracks are short — from 3-6 minutes – but they manage to pack a lot of passion, reverie, portrait-painting, lighting-speed dancing, and even a children’s chorus made up of the members’ own children. Composer/violinist Sebastian Gürtler has composed the nine pieces whose descriptions are printed in the liner notes in Latvian, German, and English. Most of his inspiration comes from the fact that his wife is Latvian and they have a mutual love of her country.
Gürtler’s scores careen into the folk tunes with gusto, surrounding them with his own atmospheric (often electrically charged) impressions. The themes range from a harvest polka, birdsong in the forest, a young girl’s contemplation of her impending marriage, to the funereal drone of bagpipes.
Surprising us at every turn, initial upbeat themes quickly shape-shift into a totally different mood – often gloomy and cold — perhaps reflecting the icy vicissitudes of Baltic Sea weather. The suite starts off with a Latvian version of a hoe-down that builds in excitement until a dark cloud appears. But happy music nevertheless ensues, before it suddenly melts into the netherworld – and then a sprightly folkloristic dance with a children’s chorus at the end. (Latvia is known for its choral festivals and competitions.)
Though the pervading tonal language is standard major/minor, it occasionally leaps into medieval and non-traditional modes that give a more exotic feel, as witnessed in the spooky beginning of the exquisite “Requiem for a Partridge.”
The most intriguing is “Dark Night,” which cruises around the harmonic cycle before it jumps headlong to bounce-mode, followed by a lovely viola solo that guides us into a nocturnal mystery, slowly trailing off into fairy dust. The final score is a slow march through the morning fog that features a sweet denouement with a bass solo, and concludes with tapping on the viola to suggest a snare drum’s fading in the distance. Gürtler’s magic, once more.
Ottensamer’s brief contributions, surreptitiously woven in, add a welcome color change to the predominantly string texture, and I would have welcomed more of it. Nevertheless, Philharmonix fearlessly sweeps us into a colorful montage that swings from energetic dance to melancholy trance.
“Baltic,” under the label of Supreme Music Group, will be released on April 18.
