The Kanawha River at Night

Over the past decade, SMF audiences have enjoyed a generous sampling of music by George Crumb (b. 1929). Crumb’s unique voice gathers disparate strands together, from nature and mysticism (Voice of the Whale) to war and chaos (Black Angels). In recent years the 87-year-old composer has worked steadily on a series of folksong settings called The American Songbook, which includes the two works heard this evening. “The Kanawha River at Dusk” opens with evocative slow gestures in percussion combined with a meandering vocalization from baritone voice. The vocal line includes whispered words and sound effects, as well as more traditional patterns. Its predominant message (“The river sleeps”) hovers over the entire work like an incantation, a lullaby to something timeless, but also mysterious and powerful. “Black is the Color” retains more familiar melodic contours set amidst Crumb’s distinctive timbral effects. This song, like the collection in general, revels in wondrous dichotomies—between voice and instruments, between melody and percussion, between the poignantly familiar and the strikingly unfamiliar.

(c) Jason Stell