Music Review: Sequenzas I-XIV by Luciano Berio (1925 – 2003) - Page 2

On an equally virtuosic but less serious note is the Sequenza V for Solo Trombone, performed capably by Naxos regular Alain Trudel. This is an almost vaudevillian performance, with Trudel using all of the tricks in the book to make the instrument talk. The string Sequenzas (VI for Solo Viola, VIII for Solo Violin, XI for Solo Guitar and XIV for Cello) are edgy affairs with dense trilling and double-stop modulations (VI for Solo Viola), dissonant double-stops (VIII for Solo Violin), percussive Flamenco schizophrenia (XI for Solo Guitar) and anxious melancholy (XIV for Cello).

Sequenza IX for Solo Clarinet is moody, shrill, nervous while Sequenza X for Solo Trumpet is bright and exuberant quite the opposite of the less serious trombone recital. As a finite collection of music, The Sequenzas exist among the most important compositions of the twentieth century. Naxos capably captures these pieces with immediacy and intimacy, as much as the music allows. This recording would please all fans of classical and jazz avant-garde.

Track Listing:

CD 1: Sequenza I for Flute solo, Nora Shulman; Sequenza II for Harp solo, Erica Goodman (Harp); Sequenza III for Female Voice solo, Tony Arnold (Soprano); Sequenza IV for Piano solo, Boris Berman (Piano); Sequenza V for Trombone solo Real Audio, Alain Trudel (Trombone); Sequenza VI for Viola solo, Steven Dann (Viola); Sequenza VII for Oboe solo, Matej Sarc (Oboe).

CD 2: Sequenza VIII for Violin solo, Jasper Wood (Violin) Sequenza IXa for Clarinet solo, Joaquin Valdepenas (Clarinet) Sequenza X for Trumpet and "silent" Piano Guy Few (Trumpet); Sequenza XI for Guitar solo Pablo Sainz Villegas (Guitar).

CD 3: Sequenza XII for Bassoon solo, Kenneth Munday (Bassoon) Sequenza XIII for Accordion solo "Chanson," Joseph Petric (Accordion), Sequenza XIV for Cello solo, Darrett Adkins (Cello); Sequenza VIIb for Soprano Saxophone solo, Wallace Halladay (Soprano Saxophone); Sequenza IXb for Alto Saxophone solo, Wallace Halladay (Alto Saxophone).

Naxos Classical (Naxos 557661-3, 2006) 

Article Author: C. Michael Bailey

Arkansas son C. Michael Bailey has been in hiding since he revealed his family's abolitionist position prior to the War Between the States. He is a Senior Reviewer for All About Jazz and publisher of the webblog Kultur. Michael’s day job is spent as a clinical data analyst.
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