Benjamin Hochman - Resonance

(Avie Records, 2024)

Omri Ben David

The rarest animal in the classical music jungle is the well-designed concept or themed recording. Recordings dedicated to a single series of compositions, like Bach’s French Suites or Beethoven’s Nine Symphonies, are the easy releases to achieve. The project incorporates the concept naturally. The real challenge in bringing different music and composes together in a way that shows thoughtful consideration and sound integrity. A simple example of this is Víkingur Ólafsson’s Johann Sebastian Bach (Deutsche Grammophon, 2018). Bach is the major integrating factor with a play list drawn from across Bach’s entire output: clavier, cantata, oratorios. The slice of intellectual challenge comes in justifying the program. “Why was this piece chosen over that one?” It is a fine program.

Another, slightly differently constructed thematic recording is Hélène Grimaud’s For Clara–Extended Edition (Deutsche-Grammophon, 2023). The theme here is Clara Schumann, but not Clara Schumann, the composer or pianist, rather the love interest of both husband Robert Schumann and close friend, Johannes Brahms. This was a fruitfully creative trio who generated much music from these friendships. Schumann’s contribution was his Kreisleriana while Brahms provided his Neun Lieder und Gesänge (Nine Songs), Op. 32. Clara Schuman inspired both selections. For kicks and grins (and so DG can make more money on a deluxe edition) programmers threw in a live recording of Grimaud performing Robert Schumann’s Piano Concerto in A minor Op. 54 upping the original release to deluxe status. This was an imaginatively conceived project.

Benjamin Hochman sets a high standard with his creative music selection on Resonance. Qualitatively, this recording places British George Benjamin’s 2001 Shadowlines (Six Canonic Preludes For Piano) between two short Renaissance-era transcriptions, which are further placed between two late Beethoven piano sonatas. More linearly, this is a playlist to be heard in the order presented. Hochman assembles a soundtrack for challenging times, something to listen to for perspective, clarity, and gratitude. As Hockman states in his notes that”… framing Beethoven with very old and very new music gives it surprising resonance, opening our ears to hear things afresh.

Or, more precisely, framing the very old and very new with the eternal Beethoven, revealing a resonant stream that passes through both music and time.

Hochman chooses Beethoven’s Sonatas Opp. 109 and110 (Nos. 30 and 31) from among the composer’s late period sonatas to act as the outside bookends of the project. Beethoven’s late works bear the gravity of history, Beethoven having composed them after his hearing loss was complete. Hochman finds the tender center of these pieces, showing off Beethoven as almost mirthful compared to the ginormous Sonata No. 106 “Hammerklavier.” It is like Hochman finds Beethoven’s sunshine in the later works.

Where Hochman’s No. 106 performance is sunny, his take on the Piano Sonata No. 31 is equally bright but much more introspective. They provide a solid boundary within to consider the Renaissance juxtaposed against the modern. Following the No. 109 is Josquin des Prez’s “Ave Christe” as realized by composer Charles Wuorinen in 1988 (a bit of the old and new together). It lays a melodic and harmonic groundwork for the daring music provided in Benjamin’s Shadowlines, which sound almost jarring and almost as if the two compositions belong together 500 years apart.

Benjamin’s Shadowlines lay at the center of this recording. Strange and craggy, these slim pieces stumble over one another with originality and smarts. The notes of Beethoven and Josquin/Wuorinen preceding find their way through Benjamin’s six pieces. A low hum of excitement and anxiety characterize the compositions, allowing Hochman to come out the other side of John Dowland’s Pavane Lachrymae (from the Pavane for Lute) another modern reading of an ancient piece of music. As a play list, Resonance is as provocative as it is informative. It does what every well-conceived project does, makes you want to hear more.