Photo by Jason Evans
It was a relaxed affair, thank goodness, in which Vancouver’s Turning Point Ensemble presented a program of some of the more interesting new classical music recently produced, in this case, built around the compositions of Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood. Conductor Owen Underhill gave a short but thoughtful introduction and later in the program, musician Estelle Lemire gave a short history and demonstration of her instrument, the ondes Martenot, a fascinating early electronic keyboard instrument which has a sound similar to a theremin because of its wavering pitch.
Jonny Greenwood has always been my favourite part of UK rock band Radiohead, and his relentless experimentation in sound and love of trying new instruments led naturally to the compositions he is now creating. Turning Point presented four of his works, several of which are so new that extraordinary measures were necessary to procure the music. The most compelling piece, I thought, was Greenwood’s five minute composition, “Miniature,” which features the Indian tambura. It was excellent to throw another drone sound into the mix. This, like almost all the pieces, was restrained in tone and mood, with a combination of melody and dissonance.
The ondes Martenots were the other unifying theme and were featured in five of the eight pieces, two of which were by French composer Olivier Messiaen, in arrangements by Lemire, one of two musicians from Quebec who came to showcase their expertise. At their best these instruments add an uncanny, dreamy quality to the ensemble.
Canadian composer Christopher Butterfield was on hand to introduce his one piece in the program, which is a new version of sounds created for an art installation by Sandra Meigs at the Art Gallery of Ontario. He described the instillation’s bright yellow swirls and the fifteen minute appearance by a brass trio as well as the speakers he and the artist build especially for his background sound. He was utterly charming and the piece was as evocative as promised.
The piece I was most anticipating was legendary minimalist American composer Steve Reich’s 2013 composition “Radio Rewrite.” Reich wrote this sonic musing inspired by some melodies and fragments from the Radiohead songs “Jigsaw Falling into Place” and “Everything in its Right Place,” which he listened to after Greenwood played on one of his own pieces. While there were certainly signature Reich pulsating, building rhythms, this piece didn’t reach the transcendent, slightly off-kilter heights of Reich’s most famous works from several decades ago. It had some great moments but as a whole it felt a bit safe and conventional.
This was a subtle program, and while none of the pieces was showy or intense, each was a tiny unusual gem.