Things She Carried.(Review)

Compact disc, 1997, Bridge 9076; available from Bridge Records, P.O. Box 1864, New York, New York 10116, USA; electronic mail bridgerec@bridgerecords.com; World Wide Web www.bridgerecords.com

Paul Lansky and Hannah MacKay's collaboration, Things She Carried, brings to mind Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's verse:

 
   When she was good 
   She was very, very good, 
   But when she was bad she was 
   horrid. 

The eight movements that comprise the hour-long work have a distinctive, largely laid-back aesthetic which at times recall the feelings evoked by the music of Laurie Anderson, David Byrne, Charles Dodge, Arvo Part, Steve Reich, and the percussive way Igor Stravinsky used the piano. These references are only intended to place the work into context stylistically.

The first movement is the weakest and I suggest that one start with the second, Things She Noticed, as it is a much more subtle introduction to what follows. This movement evolves from spare recitation to a rhythmic flowering with a wonderfully understated bass-line. It continues through several diverse musical and poetic episodes that are effortlessly stitched together.

Mr. Lansky is famous for the moods he creates with voice processing and sustained gestures. These qualities carry the work along with grace and internal consistency. The third movement, Wish in the Dark, one of two called "wordless songs" by the composer, is one of the most striking and evocative pieces of electroacoustic music I have heard. I don't know why he calls it "a fake pop song" since it contains no evidence of falsehood or even parody.

The fifth movement is stunning. Mr. Lansky calls it an "interlude" and it consists of various ostinati that evolve and revolve around sustained pedal tones. The seventh movement has some magnificent chordal, choral passages and contains momentary, dramatic harmonic movement, yet it concludes merely a half-step lower at the end of its 6:33 min duration.