SOUNDS OF TRANSPARENCE AMERICAN ORGANIST

Each member of the Trio is a virtuoso in his own right, enjoying an independent career. The Trio has commissioned many works. Their modus operandi is ”modernism with a traditional footing.” The majority of the nine works recorded here are avant-garde in their conception, exploring a multitude of compo- sitional and instrumental techniques and possibilities. Swedish-born Catherina Palmer composed Sounds of Transparence for flute, percussion, and organ 2005. She states ”My starting point for this work was ’glass’ with the associations that word can create… transparency, hardness, shimmer, shine, prism…” Hungarian Miklos Maros came to Sweden in 1968. He co-founded the Maros Ensemble, known for its perfor – manees of new music. His composition, Gorg for marimba and organ, was composed in 2002, originally for guitar and organ. Inspired by a visit to San Michele on Capri, Staffan Storm of Sweden composed his Tre canti dal giardino in rovina (Three songs from dilapidated garden) in 2003 for flute, marimba and organ. The most conservative and best-known work on this program is Frank Martin’s Sonata da Chiesa for flute and organ, utilizing the composer’s penchant for twelve-tone patterns within a tonal framework. Pettersson and Tribukait perform it with emotional intensity. The organ is not identified, but is well suited to this and the other works on the program. The flute is bright and somewhat steely. In remaining works, the organ is absent. A colleague of Daniel Berg at the Academy of Music and Drama in Goteborg, Ole Lotzow-Holm composed Rhyme and Pairs for solo marimba in 2002. Dedicated to Berg, the work is aleatorie, offering options as tempo, direction, repetitions, or omissions. Barry Guy of London has ”a burning desire to experiment and to communicate.” Much of his music, including the Whistle and Flute for flute and 8-track tape emanate from personal relationship and new thinking. Flutist Rachael Brown, who commissioned the work, is heard on the tape, performing a virtual duet with the live performance of Mr. Pettersson. Russian Victoria Borisova-Olias received musical training in Moscow, Stockholm, and London. She composed the brief, haunting piano solo, Serenade for Twins, in celebration of the 40th birthdays of Bengt Tribukait (performing here) and his brother, Arne. Known as a ”searcher and explorer,” Henrick Strindberg creates music ”dominated from the search for technical conditions.” His Model2 (flute, marimba, piano) evolved from an earlier version, ”which was created just as a model for compositional technique.” Composed in 1984, it was originally named ”Hustle an’ bustle.” The version recorded here was made expressly for the Tribukait/Pettersson/Berg Trio. The final work, Trio, was likewise composed for the ensemble by Lithuanian Remigijus Sileika in 2004. Cast in the classical slow-fast-slow-fast format, it embodies the composer’s ”emotional, dramatic” style, particularly by those fascinated by new techniques, ideas, and repertoire. The Trio performs with authority, skill and obvious commitment. The disc is well named; the clarity and precision of the performances render every detail distinctly.