Carr: Landscapes and Lamentations

Richard Carr belongs to the ever-burgeoning band of American composers who have left the academia of their youth behind, instead creating music that happily draws from a variety of sources, including pop and folk music. This latest collection of his chamber music works is mainly devoted to material inspired by nature, which tempts the listener to hear it as a sort of contemporary impressionism. But that is somewhat misleading, suggesting imitative writing in the manner of Debussy. Carr more often takes his cues from his beloved nature walks (including waterfalls, woods, and ice caves) and flows into abstract language that incorporates bluegrass, jazzy rhythms, Stravinsky-like angular Neoclassicism and fugal construction that honors Bach. His musical collaborators are the American Contemporary Music Ensemble (ACME), whom he joins, variously, on violin, piano, and guitar. The performances are partially improvised and also performed from scores, although the blend is seamless and difficult to hear. ACME scrambles a bit in some of the faster passages, and there are some occasional intonation misses, but these are minor issues. This is, overall, a fine example of radiant contemporary American chamber music, skillfully constructed and fun to listen to.