Sebastian Currier is a New York-based composer who officially subscribes to neither the "uptown" nor "downtown" aesthetic, though if pressed one might perceive his work as being more "uptown" than "down." Currier has held teaching posts at the Juilliard School and Columbia University, and his piece Static (2003) earned him the 2007 Grawemeyer Award offered annually by the music department of the University of Louisville. Static was written on commission by
Music from Copland House, the expert chamber ensemble heard here, based out of Copland House in Cortlandt Manor, NY. In On the Verge, Koch's disc of Currier,
Music from Copland House plays Currier's music like it means it. Though only one of the four works here was composed with this group in mind, it performs as if the three pieces on which it is heard were written to the musicians' strengths and specifications.
Verge (1997) was written for the Verdehr Trio, which gave it its first recording. Taking a hint from the performance direction of "Almost too serious" in Schumann's Kinderszenen, Verge consists of nine short movements headed with similar directions, such as "Almost too fractured" or "Almost too calm."
Curtis Macomber sits in on violin for Nicholas Kitchen on this one; some of the clarinet writing is exceptionally difficult, though
Music from Copland House's Derek Bermel makes short work of it. Static starts out in a manner as suggested by its title, but does not stay there; it's actually a rather active piece that references the opening material here and there as it skitters through a number of ideas, sort of like dialing through the stations on the radio. Night Time (1998), performed by guest artist violinist Jean-Claude Velin and harpist Marie-Pierre Langlamet, is the most immediate and appealing of the four works here. While the sound of the two instruments and Currier's occasional referencing of tonality goes part of the distance, he does make interesting use of novel instrumental effects in Night Time's five short pieces, and they do feel like complete statements.
Currier thinks of his work as "being on the verge of extremity but not crossing" and that this "seems like an ideal place to be." For some listeners, On the Verge will not be crossing far enough, and for yet others it might still be too far out on the limb. While the music sometimes has its expressive qualities, it is difficult to tell just whom Currier is trying to reach through his music. Some of it is a little like being involved in a conversation that drops into silence for a moment then comes back in on a different topic. Repeated listening may reveal more of On the Verge's inner arguments, though one may need patience to pursue it; the question here is if one can remain so in order to revisit this enough times to get more out of it than what is offered on the surface.