This album and a companion,
Music for Wind
, appeared in 2024, and together, they can serve as a retrospective view on the music of British composer
Brian Elias
.
Elias
is a British serialist, a student of
Elisabeth Lutyens
, and unlike the majority of composers who began their careers in high modernist idioms but then returned to tonality, he has not backed off a bit; it is hard to hear much stylistic evolution in the pieces here, which span nearly 50 years. The music will naturally be of most interest to those in serialist circles, but the performances here make it more broadly accessible to an extent.
' serial idiom has a broad melodicism that may bring to mind
Schoenberg
more than any other practitioner of the method. The most substantial work is the
String Quartet
that opens the program, and the
Castalian Quartet
captures the melodic aspect. The material of the piece develops from a 12-tone theme at the beginning that serves as the basis for a set of double variations in the opening movement and recurs in the others. There are several works for a solo instrument on the album, and one might think that these would offer an easier opportunity to follow
' method, but to these ears, the
is the best. The players throughout, mostly younger, are totally committed to the music.
Signum Classics
' church sound adds a chilly layer that is somewhat at odds with what the performers are trying to do, but listeners wondering if serialism is still around in Britain will find a resounding affirmative here. ~ James Manheim