Customer Reviews

Jay Greenberg: Symphony No. 5; Quintet for Strings [Hybrid SACD]

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This new CD of Jose Serebrier leading the London SO in the Fifth Symphony of prodigy Jay Greenberg heralds the official recording arrival of a major new talent to the world of classical music. For those who have been following this youngster's career from the piece on 60 Minutes and radio performances of his early works, you already know that Greenberg is a child prodigy who insisted on starting to play an instrument (cello) at the age of 3, and was composing shortly thereafter. His entry into the Julliard School and subsequent tutelage has been watched with anticipation the world over.

The Greenberg Fifth is utterly provoking and well orchestrated, but also by turns shows the influences of (to this listener's ears) Stravinsky, Shostakovich, and Bartok, among others. Of particular note is how Greenberg's often more bombastic fortes flow so evenly and wonderfully into his melodic and haunting pianissimos- such wonderful transition will hopefully become one of the earmarks of his style. This music is modern without being overly angular, melodic without pandering, and organized without sounding constructed. The String Quintet utilizes two cellos, and along with the two violins, they revolve around and respond to the central themes of the viola.

It should be noted, however, that there is nothing especially new here either compositionally or stylistically. However, in its imitation these works are part of the blossoming of an artist- one that points towards great things to come rather than any sort of apex in his evolution.

Needless to say, the conducting of Stokowski's protege Jose Serebrier is both sensitive and exciting, and the London Symphony is in top form under his direction. The Julliard Quartet, (augmented by an additional cello) takes to the Quintet like it has been playing this piece for years. This disc is offered in SACD hybrid format, and Sony's sound is top notch.

This disc should be heard by everyone who takes an active interest in classical music- and especially those who are interested in modern works. I believe young Greenberg is one of the faces of classical music to come. Urgently recommended.

**Update: I have had the opportunity to spend more time with this CD over the past week, and read a few of the other reviews that have been written on it (by admittedly much more learned critics). Overall, I believe they say that this disc is interesting, but most make comparisons to other great composer's works at the same age (Mozart, Saint-Saens, Mendelssohn, and Enescu among them). They find this disc lacking variably in originality, substance, and mature development when compared with the above titans and (as noted earlier) in places, albeit VERY few, I am forced to agree with them. However, the other reviews do not discourage me from keeping this disc at a 5 star rating because in my view, no matter where Mozart ended, he began somewhere- and that beginning certainly wasn't as a fully realized compositional genius. The essence of what made me give this record 5 stars in the first place is still there: Greenberg's one in a million ecstatic talent, Serebrier and the LSO's fantastic playing, and the chance to see this rising star develop.

Listening to this Greenberg debut CD, it becomes obvious that the brilliant performance, the beautiful phrasing, are a trademark of the conductor Jose Serebrier. The end result is a magnificent, ebullient performance by the great London Symphony Orchestra, obviously inspired by the maestro. The Symphony No. 5 (are there symphonies 1 to 4?) sounds like the work of a mature composer, not at all a 14-year old (he says in his liner notes that he worked on this symphony since he was 12!). The work does make an impact, in this great performance, and deserves to become part of the repertoire. Let us hope that orchestras around the world pick it up, and hopefully commission the young composer to write new symphonies and concertos.

The String Quintet, while not as impressive as the 5th Symphony, is also the product of a mature mind, and equally well performed by the Juilliards. The recorded sound is first-class. More, please.

Graciela L.

Philadelphia

I first got to know about Jay Greenberg from his astonishing 60 Minutes interview during which, I believe, it was mentioned that his 5th Symphony had been recorded. Mr. Greenberg is truly a prodigy with great gifts but also, as this disc demonstrates, he writes interesting music.

To have already written a 5th Symphony by age 14 bears comparison to Mozart, Mendelssohn and, in the 20th Century, Korngold, Prokofiev and Shostakovich. The symphony begins quietly with an introspective melody that gradually builds toward a climax when the themes are boldly developed, and the movement concludes with a flourish. The Scherzo is an energetic and playful movement with an ominous middle section that provides a brief respite before going back to the march-like tempo of the beginning. The third movement is bleak and introspective dominated by strings and percussion and the finale is a rousing and tuneful movement that brings the symphony to a triumphant conclusion.

If anything, the String Quintet is even more impressive and was written for the standard string quartet with the addition of a cello. An introspective opening movement gives way to a charming Scherzo and is followed up by an energetic final movement with a nice interplay between the soloists. For me, this piece sounded much like some of Shostakovich's string quartets but this is only my opinion and I mention it so that someone could gauge what the music is like. The music of Jay Greenberg does not comfortably fit into a "mold" so I cannot say comfortably that his music (the symphony in particular) reminds me of other composers, and perhaps this is an unfriendly approach to his music.

This disc is also memorable because Mr. Greenberg's mentor and teacher Jose Serebrier conducts the London Symphony, and Maestro Serebrier (himself a composer at a young age) added some interesting notes to the booklet. The music is beautifully recorded and certainly a must if you are interested in contemporary music.

Let's be honest -- the only new thing about this is the composer. If I didn't know who wrote this symphony, I would guess Walter Piston, circa 1940. But that doesn't make it bad. The recording and performances are first-rate, and the pieces bear repeated listenings. I hear memorable melodies, a raft of interesting ideas and deep emotion. But is this great music? No. Derivative? Sure. So what? Let's see where this kid's obviously prodigious and precocious talent takes him. I look forward to hearing much more from him.

I once took a course in 20th-Century Music at Princeton taught by Milton Babit back in the early 1970s. He was condescending toward tonal music, but even he said, if I am not mistaken, "Not everything worth writing in the Key of C has been written yet."

At first, I rated this four stars, in large part because while I thoroughly enjoyed the symphony, I didn't find it exciting. After listening to the quintet several more times, I found the excitement. The album is worth it just for the quintet alone -- as accomplished as anything I've heard in this genre from contemporary composers in the last 10 years.

What this sounds like to me is if you took some great composers and a few uninspired themes, mixed them up in a blender and put them into a computer program. Although amazing for a youngster, it seems somehow lacking in emotional quality. It has logic and mathematic precision but NO SOUL. Perhaps one day he will be able to produce something with a little more emotion but this music seems like a math formula with some lifted orchestration techniques.(Read the composer's own decsription, the 3rd movement is based on y=1/x2?) WTF?
I also recall from the 60 minutes piece how detached he seems to his own music. I get the sense even he doesn't enjoy this music emotionally, just mathematically. He seems to construct a symphony like a kid stacking mathematical blocks into a pattern in his head with little effort. That's not how originality is cultivated and it sounds like someone doing crossword puzzles with sound rather than expressing himself.
He's like a guy who is born with the ability to fly but gets no joy from flying.
If you want to hear great symphonies, go back to the great masters, this kid isn't there yet.

I think Jay's fame is not doing himself a service. He needs to mature outside of the spotlight. I think it hurts him that so much attention has been lavished on these youthful exercises. If he sticks with the study of music, eventually he's going to get interested in things like making a large-scale form work, handling transitions, editing material, etc... and he may wish these works were never published. I know that some find this music inspiring, especially considering it comes from a kid. Personally, I have to rate it by comparison with any other new classical music.

Amazon,
I'm from Brazil, city the Salvador, state the Bahia and the Cd the Jay Greenberg is very good, bring the you positive energy.
Tank you

Jay Greenberg's Symphony NO. 5 is wonderful. It is full of life that you would think a young man of 13 would possess. There are some movements on the CD that remind you of his youthfulness, which makes it all the more enjoyable. The symphony is like watching a child at play having the time of his life. Jay Greesberg is a genius and one could only hope that there will be many more symphonies yet to come.

The Sym. #5 would be considered a masterwork for an established composer, but coming from the "pen" of a 14 year old boy, this is quite amazing. Jay Greenberg is being touted as the "next Mozart" by many notable musicians.

This is a magnificient work, comperable to the great masters of music. To understand that a twelve year old could construct a symphony of this magnitude is beyond imagination. Although the string pieces that follow this great work do not match the splendor of the 5th, they are in a class of their own.