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Contemporary compositions can exciting - if a little catawampus. And seeing an elaborate collection of pitched percussion on stage is always a thrill for this reviewer.  A series of gongs hung above vibraphones and marimbas; congas and crotales mix with brake drums and suspended springs.   It is impossible to anticipate what is to come.   The under-performed bass clarinet takes center stage.  Instruments are pulled, plucked and pressed to create mysterious harmonics.  I can even forgive the occasional conceit, like playing an entire movement with left hands only.  There is an off balance sense of expectation.

NewEar audiences know that the players are among the very best in the area - and the instrumentation for the chosen pieces pulled from a unique pallet of timbres. On deck for this concert was violin (Chuang Chun Chien) cello (Lawrence Figg) contrabass (Johnny Hamil) piano (Robert Pherigo) percussion (Patrick Alonzo Conway and Mark Lowry) and bass clarinet (Thomas Aber).  The music was so demanding that only highly skilled musicians in complete command of their instruments are able to execute it with accuracy.  NewEar did exactly that and more Friday night at All Souls Unitarian Church presenting  American Currents, a collection of late 20^th century pieces curated by composer Stephen Hartke, who was in the audience for a pre-concert lecture and post concert reception. 

Opening with Gradus (1999) by Stephen Hartke, the violin drew slow dry lines that chromatically rose and fell like dusty, desert dunes.  The vibraphone, like a heat wave, hovered.  The composer noted that the title comes from a treatise on counterpoint, but chose to use the Latin meaning of the word instead to move the piece step-wise, as if taking a journey.  The over-all effect was modern and fresh, but unfortunately, the vibe was too close to the bass clarinet obscuring the view and drowning out his contribution. 

Not to worry, clarinetist Thomas Alber had his chance to shine in Morton Feldman's 1981 piece, Bass Clarinet and Percussion.  With music that is challenging and difficult to connect with, a title can become a crutch for the listener, so with a simple statement of instrumentation, Feldman solved the problem. This was my favorite piece on the program.  Its genius lay in the way Feldman tuned the ear with three note motifs played across the range of the bass clarinet.  The perfectly-tuned percussion softly supported the angular movement of the "melody".  Gongs quietly shimmered in unison to the pitch classes.  To change the tonal center, the bass clarinet played a series of long notes and the progression was reset. The intervals between instruments was coordinated - reminding me of an abstract painting where the bass clarinet drew the lines, and the percussion filled in the colors.

Scree (1997) by Donald Crockett had a definite Aaron Copeland-like expansiveness.  Referring to a type of terrain at the base of a mountain or hill, the work is a journey that the audience takes with the cello. It is rough, rugged and often excruciatingly sad and lonely.  It opened with a bright, clean, active sound full of intensity.  The second movement reminded me of the Kronos Quartet with sliding cello strings and spunky accompaniment. Percussionist Lowry had the biggest challenge in the fourth movement moving at light speed across his space.

Stephen Hartkes' Night Rubrics (1990) and The Horse with the Lavender Eye (1997) filled out the second half of the program. 

Night Rubrics is a two-movement work for solo cello based on the mind's inability to control thoughts during insomnia.  It began with a creepy, dry harmonic followed by the cellist using a variety of techniques to depict the agitated mind.  One can hear the annoyance and the ticking away of passing time. In one particularly memorable section, an almost rock-and -roll-like jangle broke through the heavy desire for sleep. The second movement, "Envoi," allowed the cellist to play more traditional melodic material - which he did with passion.  I hope to hear cellist, Lawrence Figg perform again. The piece was well crafted by the composer.

The Horse with the Lavender Eye (1997) was completely lost on me.  Not being familiar with the pop culture references that inspired it, I felt out of the loop.  According to the program notes, "The sources for the titles of this trio are quite disparate, ranging from Carlo Goldoni to Japanese court music to the cartoonist R. Crumb as well as the 19^th century Brazilian novelist, Macchado de Assis and Looney Tunes."  This is an example where over explanation and emphasis on titles can alienate and affect the success of a decent composition.  This one was definitely for insiders.

Overall the program was tight and offered listeners the chance to hear new sound combinations in unexpected ways.  Being a little off-kilter isn't necessarily a bad thing.

REVIEW:
newEar Contemporary Ensemble
American Currents
Friday November 8, 2009
All Souls Unitarian Church
For more information visit www.newear.org

By Megan Browne Helm

Classical, Vocal and Theatre Contributor

Megan Browne Helm grew up singing, dancing and acting.  Inspired by Emma Kirkby as a high school student in St. Louis she went on to study voice and sing with the Collegium Musicum at the Oberlin Conservatory in Ohio where she also had a radio show of contemporary classical music on WOBC.  At the University of Kansas she had the pleasure of working with former Kings’ Singer, Simon Carrington in his Collegium Musicum and Oread consort. Years later, she was a choral fellow at the Yale School of Music’s  Norfolk Chamber Music Festival.  She is currently singing with the Kansas City Symphony Chorus under the direction of Charles Bruffy. 

 As a freelance music and culture writer her work can be found on KCMetropolis.org, presentmagazine.com, the Lawrence Journal World, Shawnee Magazine, Leawood Lifestyle Magazine and KC Parent.  She was one of 26 journalists in the country chosen as a NEA Institute Fellow for Classical Music and Opera at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. 

Her current interest is how classical music remains relevant through active collaborations with artists in different fields, including science.  She also sees a connection between classical music, travel and food as a way to engage all of the senses in a 360 degree cultural experience.  She blogs at raworganum.wordpress.com.