Feb/Mar 1990 Music Magazine by Barry Edwards
Reprinted with permission from the author

Oskar Morawetz, who last year was named a Member of the Order of Canada, numbers among the most widely performed and most frequently recorded Canadian composers. (His Memorial to Martin Luther King was recently programmed by the Cleveland Orchestra under Kurt Masur.) It is hardly surprising, then, that not one, but two CDs of his music have been issued, more or less simultaneously: one by CBC Enterprises and the other from the Canadian Music Centre's Centrediscs label.

The former offers two of the finest harp concertos of the 20th century. As a concert instrument, the harp has a small but important repertoire, which has been considerably enhanced by composers in this century. The late Alberto Ginastera has left a substantial legacy of works inspired by folk elements of his native Argentina, and incorporating as well contemporary techniques and novel sonorities. The Harp Concerto dates from 1965 and is a prime example of Ginastera's distinctive style, which combines masterly orchestration strong on percussion, striking solo effects, pulsating rhythms and gentle lyricism. Gianetta Baril, one of Canada's most accomplished young harpists, executes the fearsomely difficult solo part with considerable aplomb, ably accompanied by the Edmonton Symphony under Uri Mayer.

The Morawetz Concerto (1976) is perhaps a less overtly virtuoso vehicle than the Ginastera. Eschewing the sonorities traditionally associated with the harp, the composer calls for several challenging new effects, while at the same time retaining the melodic fabric and ingratiating directness that have characterized his other orchestral works. Baril is again fully equal to both the technical and musical demands of the Concerto, and her performance is richly satisfying. The recording quality is top-notch!

Centrediscs has a real winner with its latest release of vocal works by Oskar Morawetz. This composer has long been known for his sensitive and lyrical settings of great poetry, and his songs have been recorded by many fine singers including Jon Vickers and James Milligan. The present recording features three of Canada's most accomplished young performers - baritone Mark Pedrotti, tenor Mark DuBois, and soprano Joanne Kolomyjec - in a well-balanced program of four extended and representative works. Pedrotti uses his rich baritone and musical intelligence to marvellous effect in the delightful Souvenirs from Childhood, whose opening song captures perfectly the fascination and excitement of a child as it watches the world fly by from the window of a railway carriage. While the vocal settings of Benjamin Britten may come occasionally to mind, it must be emphasized that Morawetz' style and melodic contour are uniquely his own. In Scenes from Childhood and in the intensely moving Psalm 22, Pedrotti is ably assisted at the keyboard by Stephen Ralls.

Mark DuBois' light, lyric tenor soars confidently in The Weaver - to a text by Archibald Lampman, which Morawetz has set for voice, clarinet and piano. Clarinetist Joaquin Valdepeñas and pianist Patricia Parr contribute jointly to the powerful overall impression that this fine work makes. The four Sonnets from the Portuguese to poems by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, sung here by soprano Joanne Kolomyjec with pianist Robert Kortgaard, are especially lovely. Her high, bright voice effortlessly transcends mere technique to evince the composer's heartfelt emotional response to these exquisite love poems.

Full texts are given and the sound is just right. In short, the most beautiful recording of Canadian vocal music in many a year.