From its first notes, it's clear that Van Gogh is the work of a
Bang On A Can composer -- the rhythmically irregular, percussive ostinatos, the orchestration, the harmonic and melodic language. The distinctive
Bang On A Can sound is hugely influenced by the music of
Louis Andriessen, but many of the works of
Gordon,
Julia Wolfe, and
David Lang incorporate his influence without being merely imitative. Van Gogh, though, wears its debt to
Andriessen proudly on its sleeve. Even the subject matter -- the life of a Dutch painter -- could be construed as copycatting, except that the
Bang On A Can composers' longstanding interest in the visual arts is demonstrable and can be traced back at least to
David Lang's opera Modern Painters (1995), which predates
Andriessen's Vermeer opera.
Gordon assembled the texts of the work's six movements from the painter's letters, and the work is a concert piece rather than an opera, for three singers and chamber ensemble.
Gordon's text setting closely resembles that of
Andriessen's Rosa and Writing to Vermeer, both of which use English texts. In spite of Van Gogh's derivative sound,
Gordon has good dramatic instincts and is especially effective in the work's dramatic opening and its melancholy ending. The strongest movement is the fourth, in which van Gogh describes a devastating meeting with art dealer Hermanus Tersteeg, who tells him, "You are no artist," a phrase
Gordon hammers home in brutal isorhythmic repetitions.
Gordon is a terrific orchestrator, and the ensemble
Alarm Will Sound plays with clarity, incisiveness, and passion. Soprano Sarah Chafly and tenor Mathew Hensrud are stronger than bass Clay Greenburg, but together their direct and straightforward delivery puts the text clearly across. Canteloupe's sound is clean and present, with excellent balance.