The fusion of Western musical forms and tonality with music from parts of the world shaped by what Westerners call mode can be quite difficult, surprisingly so, since Western tonality evolved from an adaptation of modes. This is true from both ends of the spectrum:
Ravi Shankar, in his
Concerto for sitar and orchestra, dispensed with the strings and essentially turned the orchestra into a giant percussive accompaniment. Western composers often turn to orientalisms that have little or nothing to do with the source material. All this makes the work of composer
Malek Jandali all the more interesting, and here, he adopts the concerto form in a
Violin Concerto and
Clarinet Concerto, a fine vehicle for his ideas inasmuch as the division between Western and Middle Eastern elements is mapped onto that between tutti and soloists. It would be interesting to hear an evaluation of this album by a player or writer from the Syrian tradition. To these ears, it sounds like each element of the mixture is inflected somewhat to make it fit with the other. The tonal material of the tutti is derived from the maqam or mode of the soloists' parts, while those parts adopt the motion dynamic of Western concertos to a degree; each concerto is in the usual three-movement form, and there are strong suggestions of conventional concerto structure. The performances by violinist
Rachel Barton Pine and clarinetist
Anthony McGill (the clarinet concerto's dedicatee) are excellent, with
McGill handling the unusual texture
Jandali calls for. The album also contains layers of philosophical and moral significance, reflecting on the past of the Syrian people and their loss of freedom in the present. A fascinating release with much to chew on that should be played anew in cities with large immigrant populations. ~ James Manheim
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