A Mask That Changes – Daniel Asia

GENRE: Classical/Composer

Amichai Songs & Pines’ Last Poems features: Jeremy Huw Williams, baritone, Daniel Linder, piano

Adrift on Blinding Light features: Robert Swensen, tenor, Tannis Gibson, piano

Amichai Songs is comprised of poetry by the Israeli poet Yehuda Amichai, Israel’s most prominent modern poet. The texts present an intriguing view of the modern Jewish Israeli experience. Amichai unwraps and unravels the relationship between the people of Israel, the Jews, the Situation (Israel’s place in the Middle East, in all of its ramifications), the individual living in these circumstances, and his relationship to God and the natural world. Included are discussions of God’s presence, slaughtered chickens, Auschwitz, the nature of life in Jerusalem/Israel, universal riddles, soldiering, and the natural world.

In all-Asia provides music that supports the texts and gives them his own curious and idiosyncratic readings. This means that the musical language is quite wide and inclusive, and is used to bring a deeper meaning and understanding to the texts. The music is Jewish in that Asia is Jewish, in the same way that Bach’s works are Christian as he was a Lutheran. But it is of course universal in the manner that all fine music is just that-God willing.

Astrobiology and the Arts are interested in the implications of life beyond Earth. This suggests many questions. What does this mean regarding the view of ourselves in relationship to the cosmos, to ourselves, to God? How do we re-configure our relationship to others out there, and our relationships with those right here? How do we understand our place in time and space? How does this affect our everyday lives? Pines didn’t seek to ask or answer these in his poems in Adrift on Blinding Light-but he does.

Pine’s Last Poems, left on his desk upon his passing, were sent to Asia by his wife. They remained on Asia’s desk for a long time before he could confront them, as the final documents his friend left for us. They confront the dying, the ambiguity of Spring and death, and some unfinished business of our history, Vietnam. They are dedicated to Paul’s memory.

REVIEW:

…Asia’s song writing offers a mesmerizing synthesis of tonal and atonal elements, always at the service of expressivity. He pays keen attention to the text, crafting the vocal and piano music to allow the poetry to be heard with utmost clarity. The writing for voice is often quite challenging, with striking intervals, and extended passages around or above the passaggio (the bridge from the singer’s chest voice to head voice). All of these elements create a highly expressive and other-worldly quality that reminds me a great deal of Britten’s songs. The fact that Jeremy Huw Williams (the vocalist in Amichai Songs and Pines’ Last Poems) sounds, both in vocal quality and diction, much like a baritone reincarnation of tenor Peter Pears, further emphasizes the Asia-Britten connection. Like Pears, Williams sings with superb musicality, clear diction, and keen expression. The same is true for tenor Robert Swensen (Adrift on Blinding Light), whose rich and attractive voice is a decided asset, too. Williams performs with pianist Daniel Linder, while Swensen’s collaborator is Tannis Gibson. Both Linder and Gibson are sympathetic, accomplished colleagues. The contributions of composer, poets, and performing artists to this enterprise are all first rate. Recommended.

Four stars: Expressive, affecting song cycles by Daniel Asia

-Ken Meltzer for Fanfare