Customer Reviews

Pann: Piano Concerto & Dance Partita

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The reactions of people who listen to Carter Pann's debut recording are likely to take the form of questions rather than comments: "Who's Carter Pann?" and "He's only twenty-eight?" and "Was that a snippet of Beethoven's Emperor Concerto I heard?" and "When is his *next* disc coming out?". Those tired of dutifully sitting through concerts that feature new music only to breathe a sigh of relief when it's time for Eine kleine Nachtmusik are in for a shock, a treat, and possibly a belly laugh or two.

Though it's clear that Pann's music can only be the work of a very serious composer, it is also tremendously funny--and that's the "ha-ha" kind, not the strange kind. (Well, maybe a bit of the latter.) There's nothing harder to convey in music than genuine wit and humor, and it's a trait that Pann's work has in plenty. (And lest anyone dismiss the composer as merely a musical class clown, also be prepared to be moved by music of great tenderness, exquisite intimacy, and pure, elemental exuberance.) There's a real sorcery in the way the composer assembles, for example, melodramatic baroqueries, gestures straight from the classical piano concerto, almost embarrassingly straightforward (for music written on the cusp of the twenty-first century, that is) folk dances, and television-music cliches into a single work (the Dance Partita) that is so simply *right* in its pacing, balance, and the only thing that really matters, the impression it makes. If you chuckle as you listen to this disc, as I do, it will just as likely be a reaction to the music's sense of don't-look-back brashness as from its sly and ever-acute parodistic sense.

The greatness of these pieces, especially the aforementioned Partita and the Piano Concerto, lies in the fact that given their wildly disparate elements, they should by all expectations be a chaotic, muddled mess. Instead, the confidence and mastery with which this cornucopia of contrasts and oppositions are bound together into an effective whole suggests the work of a striking and truly original compositional talent. With the world of new music flooded with works that range from mediocre to unremarkably competent, this is by no means an inconsiderable achievement.

It's new, it's a knockout, and it's even on a budget label: Do yourself a favor and impress your friends by being able to say that you came to know Pann's music *before* he hit the big time. Move over, Elliott--new music has a new Carter.

One of the newest additions to the excellent American Classics series on Naxos label is Carter Pann's <Piano Concerto, Dance Partita> (8.559043) that also includes his "Deux Sejours" and "Two Portraits of Barcelona." Since these were written between 1994 and 1997, I will leave it to the philosophers to debate if such recent works can properly be called "classics" if that word implies "having withstood the test of time." Granted Pann uses "classical" forms--the concerto, the partita--and a "Romantic" one--the tone poem--and granted one would never call this "popular" music, I still reserve judgment to see if the great promise this young composer shows is not just "a flash in the pan."

Conductor Jose Serebrier writes that Pann's compositions stand out "for their boldness and outrageousness" while his orchestration technique "seemed far advanced for someone still in school." Of course you will hear echoes of Satie, Stravinsky, Respighi, and many others; but these quotations are quite deliberate and "well-planned, distilled through the composer's special voice."

Consider, for example, that he names the movements of his Piano Concerto "Pina Colada," "Nocturne," "Your Touch," "Blues," and "The Concert." On the other hand, with a composer like Satie, some of his piano pieces never quite come up to the promise of their humorous titles. I was not, however, in any way disappointed with what I heard on this CD. The "four "Baroque" movements of his "Dance Partita" certainly show their 1990s origins as well as their 17th century inspirations. And the very authentic "Bullfight" that ends the program is impressive in its literal Granados-like power.

The Czech State Philharmonic, Brno does the music justice. Highly recommended.

Carter Pann is a hugely talented 28-year-old composer, student of, among others, William Albright and William Bolcom at the University of Michigan. A CD of his music, conducted by José Serebrier and stupendously played by the Czech State Philharmonic, Brno, on Naxos 8.559043, has just been released. It includes: Piano Concerto (1996/7), Barry Snyder, piano; Deux séjours (1994;Dance Partita (1995), Barry Snyder, piano obbligato; Two Portraits of Barcelona (1994)

The overall comment I would make about Pann's music is that he is a master orchestrator, a brilliant pasticheur, a sly practitioner of musical humor, and that he is capable of some of the most lusciously melodic and moving slow music.

The piano concerto has five movements. The first, entitled Piña Colada (yes, inspired by that silly pop song of some years ago), is a loose-jointed Caribbean-influenced piece that reminds me a lot of Michael Torke in his slaphappy mode. The second, Nocturne, is quiet, slow, Debussyesque. The third, Your Touch, is for solo piano and sounds an awful lot like jazz pianist Denny Zeitlin's smoky classic 'Quiet Now.' This is a high recommendation; it's got a gorgeous tune and luscious harmonies. The fourth, Blues, sounds like updated jazzy Bernstein in its dislocated accents, stride bass, throwaway virtuosity. The fifth, Concert, is a hilarious knockoff of just about every classical concerto cliché and even quotes, almost note for note, a bridge passage from Beethoven's Emperor Concerto, before exploding into one of those hilarious never-ending classical-era tonic-dominant endings. I found myself laughing out loud.

Deux séjours (Two journeys) are evocations of two small towns - one in France, one in Italy - and are intentionally modeled on the orchestrations by Debussy of Satie's 'Gymnopédies'. Quiet gardens, civility, serenity, lovely melodies.

Dance Partita is an eight-movement (actually four movements and four ritornellos) orchestral suite, with piano obbligato, based on baroque models. Stravinsky in his neoclassic music - think 'Jeux de cartes' or, better, 'Pulcinella' - comes to mind. Also Bolcom's 'Orphée-Sérénade' (an under-recognized masterpiece) is evoked. Brilliantly done. One's toe taps until tripped up by the irregular time signatures. Delicious.

Two Portraits of Barcelona. The first, 'Antoni Gaudí's Cathedral' is a six minute tone-poem that builds from a mysterious opening, evoking the religious grandeur of the Cathedral, to a wicked Rouse-ian description of Gaudí's wild architecture. The second, 'The Bullfight', starts with mock-heroic Spanish bullfight music, complete with trumpet duo flourishes, and builds to a frenetic danza, ending the CD with high spirits and this listener with a desire for more. ¡Olé!

Lest it sound like I think Pann has no 'sound' of his own, I want to emphasize that this man has the goods and is discovering a voice that I predict will be increasingly listened to.

A number of critics lately have batted around the idea of a "classical music crisis" in America. With the recent passings of such modern greats as Aaron Copland and Leonard Bernstein, many have been more than willing to perpetuate the myth that classical music's future is a dismal one. But I beg to differ. After hearing the first collection of the works of twenty-eight year old Carter Pann, I can't help but see the light at the end of the classical tunnel. His work, which primarily seems a mixture of John Cage's thumping dissonance, Charles Ives's robust textures, and Bernard Herrmann's dark romanticism; Pann's music stands as some the finest contempory work I've had the pleasure to hear. As part of Naxos' ambitious "American Classics" series, this collection also stands as one of that series' finest recordings so far. Among its most promising moments are those within the Dance Partita, which adds hints of the Baroque style to give it a surprisingly heated sound. However, the centerpiece of this CD, the Piano Concerto is what makes this CD. Blending latin and blues sounds into an ethereal and dissonant world, it is one the finest piano concertos to be written by anyone in decades. A budget priced CD, this a musical oil strike for connoisseurs of modern composition.

Obviously we will hear the name Carter Pann again. This is most unusual music. The listener will probably either love it or hate it. The constant, unexpected changes of style can be disturbing and shocking, as are the constant quotations of Beethoven, Tchaikovsky and many others. The 28-year-old composer obviously has a mature technique and great skills as orchestrator. Also, and most unusual in contemporary classical music, Pann has a great sense of humor. The music is constantly sparkling with fireworks. Pann is blessed to have such great artists to present his music in such superior fashion. Conductor Serebrier and his Czech orchestra deliver virtuoso performances at every turn, and the piano solo is magnificent.

Like many American jazz artists, classical composers seem to get their hearing by going to Europe. Fortunately, Naxos provides fine recordings of their compositions with award-winning performers and at budget prices. This album of a grand selection of Carter Pann's compositions at the outset of his career is such an example. With José Serebriet at the podium of the Czech State Philharmonic and Barry Snyder at the piano, the wit and charm of Pann's works are manifest. Youthful play is matched by craft. The sweet melodies and complex structures of Deux séjours surprise us after the classic last movement of the Piano Concerto. As soon as we are lulled by the romance of a pastoral and gymnopédie, we are treated in his Dance Partita to some strange and wild corners of the baroque, with an odd nostalgic Celtic-like folk dance and a Broadway jazzy Mozartian kaleidoscope thrown in...musical guffaws. The final tracks are tourist impressions of Barcelona. Gaudi's own peculiar organic architecture is keenly suggested by the jaggedness and dark orchestral drones amid the cathedral bells. The Bullfight, whose traditional tunes develop into an airy ballroom dance, is sympathetic to the bull. Thus. this album is rich in musical moods and is a showcase of Pann's wide-ranging art. Olé!

The only reason that I
bought this CD was because
of the "Two Barcelona Portraits"
which I really liked when I first
listen here at amazon.com.
Little did I knew that I in for
something really good.Mr.Pann is
a really good composer whose
music WILL NOT put you to sleep.
In his Piano Conecerto, he opens
with "Pina Colada" a very popular
sounding piece, and I think
that it was inspired by a song
of the same name. The following
movements are nocturne, which is

non-drowsy; a smokey-lounge piano
solo "Your touch", which does
its very best not to fall sleep,
blues; which is in a short jazzy
piece.The concerto concludes with a
piece called "The Concert" which
I find amazing, here is a symphony
orchestra imitating a symphony orchestra,
a bit hard to explain, but that's the
easiest way for me to put it. There is
the music of the movement, but at times
we hear little also, "little tunes" in the
stlyes of Mozart, Beethoven, and Gottschalk.
The only direct quote of the movement is
one from Tchaikovsky's scherzo from the second
movement of the Pathetique symphony.
In the Dance Partita, the composer pays
his respect to the past, a set of dances
with four ritornellos,(Like Mussorgsky's
"Pictures at an Exhibition") in the
Barque style, each four is taken care of
differently."Deux Soujur" are again
two pieces where the composer pays his respects
to the past, this time to Satie and Debussy
in particular. The two pieces are in the
style of "Gymnopedie" as orchestrated
by Claude Debussy.Fine recording,
great music of the late 20th century,
Great job Mr. Pann.....

Hi everyone
This CD of Carter's music is great.It gives you an insight into Carter's composition style.However,there is much more to him than this CD.Knowing Carter personally(as a friend and composer) and performing his music(I am piano major at the University of kansas),I have to say that his music goes much deeper than what can be heard on this CD.His music is "groovy" and classical,but above all it is american.His music is also very enjoyable to listen and his melodies stick in one's mind.
On a personal note,I love playing his music and I would advise anyone to either buy his CD or to listen to his music LIVE.
I am,myself,involved in performing his music and in about a month I will record his piece "Slalom" with the University of Kansas Wind Ensemble.I will perform more of his music later on.If you would like to know more about me performing Carter Pann's music,please feel free to visit my website at www.avgusteantonov.com

Avguste Antonov
Lawrence,kansas