Not his best chamber music, but characteristic, worth having
Frank Camm | Northern Virginia | 12/09/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Clean, completely tonal music, even when lines get somewhat angular. Clear structure is apparent throughout. Less thorny than Diamond's other chamber music, but still nicely edgy. Much of it feels frisky/playful.
Sonata #1: Orderly, almost marching piano; lyrical violin throughout. tr 1: Piano and violin often closely mirror each other's lines in up-tempo. tr 2: Quieter, more balanced lyricism. But piano still emphasizes quarter notes-none sustained. tr 3: Quieter still and slow. Can almost see graph paper under the piano part, even as sustained notes move to half and whole notes. tr 4 (standout): Vigorous, definitive music. Driving and compelling. Played with a firm, iron hand, even as it remains quiet.
Vocalise: tr 5 (standout): Clear wordless vocal with viola. Soprano effectively plays a soaring string instrument against the darker earthiness of a somewhat gritty viola.
Quintet: Feels like a series of events on a warm Saturday afternoon. tr 6: Closely tailored. Neoclassical. tr 7: Playful. Could easily be a dance of snowflakes, sunbeams, highlighted among shadows. Think Tchaikovsky sugar plums without the spun sugar. tr 8: Quiet, warm, gentle, lyrical but never sentimental; uncharacteristic. tr 9: Angular, muscular.
Preludes: Brings to mind a big friendly dog. tr 10: Formally neoclassical with a steady beat. tr 11: Spare, quietly firm fugue. Cool. tr 12: Hymn-like chords open to more typical Diamond. tr 13: Fugue with a light lilt. Very light-fingered, elegant. tr 14: Soft, filtered light; gentle hands. tr 15: Formal fugue with retro resonance. Light and nimble, but just so.
Sonata #2: tr 16: Subdued. Punctuated with more vigorous violin-piano entanglements. tr 17: Up and jumping. A firm hand on the music dissolves into a more lyrical mode, where the piano remains clean and deliberate. Firmness returns."