Search - Wayne Horvitz :: Wayne Horvitz: Whispers, Hymns and a Murmur

Lush and romantic.

Michael Stack | North Chelmsford, MA USA | 03/03/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

""Whispers, Hymns and a Murmur" is a collection of chamber works by Wayne Horvitz performed by the Koehne (string) Quartet with guest soloist Eyvind Kang and Horvitz credited with "electronic processing". Before I go any further, I should note that Horvitz's processing is virtually unnoticable, so much so that as I sit down to review this, I can't think of anywhere where his processing is apparent. I should also note that I'm completely unfamiliar with Horvitz's chamber music. As such, this is my only point of reference for his work.



The album neatly divides in two-- the title track and the "Mountain Language" pieces-- the latter being a piece Horvitz composed as a score to a stage performance in 1989 and later expanded upon-- three pieces in the series are presented here, Horvitz states in the liner notes they are not "movements" and as such should not be looked at as requiring ordered performances, and "Mountain Language I", 'III' and 'IV' (the latter two composed in 2001) are presented here. The title track is presented in five movements.



As a composer, Horvitz proves to be highly melodic with consistently strong theme and mood development. He also seems to work in lushness, taking advantage of the breadth of range that the string quartet can cover to convey a deeper sound in the arrangement then is actually present. This sort of feel tends to lead to a latent romanticism in the pieces that is present even when the mood evoked is bleak or angry.



As for the pieces themselves, Horvitz's evolution as a composer is well illustrated. Indeed, the later "Mountain Language" pieces sound like more sophisticated versions of the earlier piece, with all three essentially consisting of long tones, highly melodic (and lovely) themes and occasional passages of more jarring exposition. The problem is that while it's all quite nice, with the exception of "Mountain Language III", it doesn't ever really take off-- that piece features a more rhythmically trying section and a fine blend of arco and pizzicato performances that allows the piece to feel as though it's arriving somewhere.



"Whispers, Hymns and a Murmur" fares somewhat better, admittedly opening again with the sort of lush and romantic sounds but significantly less moodly then the rest of the album. It's a rewarding change of pace when the second movement picks up a lilting rhythm and a bit of drive as the piece seems to move from exciting and energetic to a bit more confused then eventually (in the third movement) into a darker feel. It all comes full circle as the piece closes with a mellow and laid back melodic statement. The piece itself is engaging and entertaining, but at about 36 minutes, it's a bit overlong.



All in all, the record is a decent piece-- it's all quite pleasant enough, but it's a bit too self-same for its own good."