Classical Album Review: Composer Derek Bermel’s “Intonations” — Turning Acerbity and Complexity on Their Heads

By Jonathan Blumhofer

For Derek Bermel fans, Intonations is a must. For new music enthusiasts and the otherwise curious – ditto.

There’s an assumption that’s grown up around contemporary concert music, to wit: that, by definition, it must be expressively difficult, harmonically diffuse, melodically obscure, and only appeal to a select few (let’s call them “The Elect”). That most of what’s been written in the past century defies this stereotype is beyond the point; the perception prevails, thanks to the advocates of “serious” music (like Arnold Schoenberg, Charles Wuorinen, Pierre Boulez, Elliott Carter, and their disciples in the field and press).

Thankfully, times change and, if influences might linger, aesthetics can change pretty quickly. That’s what Derek Bermel’s new album, Intonations, reminds us, especially as it turns formerly dogmatic principles regarding acerbity and complexity on their heads.

In fact, the best moments on this disc, which focuses on pieces Bermel wrote for clarinet, violin, guitar, and string quartet (sometimes accompanying the other instruments, sometimes not), suggests just one direction that so-called classical music might have headed had it more eagerly embraced vernacular (particularly Black) musical forms rather than following offshoots of esoteric European formulas and mathematical-driven procedures.

That’s most true of the title track, a three-movement string quartet that was partly inspired by Ralph Ellison’s novel The Invisible Man. This is mightily character-driven music, not once lacking for personality or a willingness to explore a range of extended techniques.

The first movement, “Harmonica,” blends vernacular influences, microtones, and motivic rigor in striking fashion: it’s not until the middle of the movement that its recurring, glissando-ish figures (with their occasionally walking bass-like accompaniments) forms itself into a recognizable refrain. Similarly compelling is the central “Hymn; Homily,” with its bluesy thematic lines and Corigliano-worthy aleatoric cadenzas, and the dense, gritty “Hustle” that blends Messiaen-esque metric divisions with grooving riffs that suggest a 21st-century, urban reincarnation of Bartók.

Similar stylistic catholicity is evinced in A Short History of the Universe, Bermel’s 2013 quintet for clarinet and string quartet. Here, the ghost of György Ligeti seems particularly close by.

Composer Albert Bermel. Photo: Faber Music.

In the first movement, jaunty, bouncing figures give way to fleet, skittering clarinet doublings with the low strings. The second movement, “Heart of Space,” is aptly buoyant, its gently morphing harmonic progressions culminating into an ecstatic climax one might associate with the music of Osvaldo Golijov – or, perhaps, Hildegard of Bingen. In the concluding “Twistor Scattering,” the Ligeti of Musica ricercata seems to meet the James MacMillan of …as others see us…: the principal musical ideas alternate the between a wild street party and a church service. It’s riveting stuff, ever engrossing and never predictable.

The remainder of the album consists of solo pieces: the soulful Thracian Sketches for solo clarinet, virtuosic Violin Etudes, and an arrangement of his Ritornello for guitar and string quartet.

Of Bermel’s many works, Ritornello stands as one of his most persuasive. Structurally, it is bracingly clear (a Baroque concerto form applied to a decidedly 20th-century instrumentation) and his manipulation of the music’s materials is consistently precise and inventive. This arrangement, which reduces the original string orchestra to just four players, is bright and airy, not stinting at all on the score’s stark tonal contrasts, section-to-section.

As played by Wiek Hijmans, it’s an excellent Ritornello, brimming with color and heart.

In fact, all the performances are top-drawer. Bermel is a convincing advocate for the Sketches, which add layers of grit as the music proceeds. His playing in A Short History is, likewise, compelling.

But the real heroes of this disc are the members of the JACK Quartet. This is an ensemble that can make the hardest music – think the Xenakis quartets – sound like child’s play. Their performances of Bermel’s scores are exceptional. Intonations never wants for heart or confidence. Ritornello is discreetly accompanied. A Short History unfolds with uncanny naturalness. And violinist Christopher Otto’s take on the Etudes, especially its dancing “Figure and Ground” and swerving “Chôros,” are brilliantly handled.

Taken together, this is an compelling, nuanced, virtuosic collection from all involved. For Bermel fans, Intonations is a must. For new music enthusiasts and the otherwise curious – ditto.


Jonathan Blumhofer is a composer and violist who has been active in the greater Boston area since 2004. His music has received numerous awards and been performed by various ensembles, including the American Composers Orchestra, Kiev Philharmonic, Camerata Chicago, Xanthos Ensemble, and Juventas New Music Group. Since receiving his doctorate from Boston University in 2010, Jon has taught at Clark University, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and online for the University of Phoenix, in addition to writing music criticism for the Worcester Telegram & Gazette.

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