UNACCOMPANIED CELLO
BECOMES THE BEST COMPANY OF ALL
It’s a sunny Sunday morning in Los Angeles. Spring is in full swing: the birds are chirping insanely as a lovely breeze wafts in from the window, bringing with it a scent of night-blooming jasmine’s sweet perfume. Then I put in a new CD (released May 27, 2021) of Nineteen Movements for Unaccompanied Cello (2018) composed by Scott Ordway and played by Arlen Hlusko, and it’s as if Mr. Ordway — a cellist himself — has written a soundtrack for my soulful experience with nature. While a few tracks invoke solitude and deep introspection (which there has been plenty of in 2020!), others could also accompany a rainy day’s sorrow. It is quite possibly the best example of minimalism breaking new ground — redefining the form while making it wholly accessible.
I’m especially excited because, after twelve years of reviewing music, I’ve said all I need to say about so-called New Music, which really isn’t all that new if we consider minimalism and forebears the likes of Schoenberg and Dutilleux have been around for eons. What has become boring, if not intolerable, is that this form of music can quite often be seemingly atonal to the point of irritation (many new operas have now taken that on as well).
There is nothing atonal-sounding or pretentious about this astounding, commanding, essence-shaking work. Listen closely and you’ll hear themes and variations — with every pluck, dig, and thrum emotionally pulsed by the magnificent and lovely Ms. Hlusko.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
available at Amazon
