William Bolcom: Symphony No. 4; Session 1 | George Berry, John Sant'Ambrogio, ...

classical music: William Bolcom: Symphony No. 4; Session 1 | George Berry, John Sant'Ambrogio, ...

classical music:

William Bolcom: Sy...

	William Bolcom: Symphony No. 4; Session 1 George Berry, John Sant'Ambrogio, ... New World Records, 1992 average customer review:based on 1 review view larger image
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The music of William Bolcom (b. 1928) is characterized by his staunch refusal to obey any rules. He's a cross between Frank Zappa and Edgar Varese. Session 1 (1965) is a loose free-for-all that has at its core a strict 12-tone base. It sounds like several instrumentalists tuning their instruments and percussionists beating away at their drums. It's almost entirely a work of abstract "colors." Symphony 4 (1987) has some elements of serialism, but Bolcom mixes into it a subtle tonality, particularly in the second movement which centers around the poem "The Rose" by Theodore Roethke. This music does have its rewards. --Paul Cook

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The clearest delivery of a text

William Bolcom's fourth Symphony is a wonderful piece of music. It is huge, diverse and wonderfully focused. The most notable thing about it is the setting of the text of Roethke's poem "The Rose", a description of a mystical experience of the integration of memory, present experience and maybe the whole universe. Bolcom's music is an extension of the poem, much more than just a setting. When one of the major climaxes comes on the word roses it is like experiencing a hot house in full bloom (I've worked in a rose house and know the experience at first hand.) Joan Morris' singing is a miracle of clarity and delivery. Her work here should be required listening for anyone speaking or singing a text.

Session 1 is a fairly early work, an intersection between jazz and twelve tone (more or less) writing. I liked it.

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Tracks
Session I | Symphony No. 4: I Soundscape | Symphony No. 4: II The Rose