Edward Cowie (b. 1943)
Where the Wood Thrush Forever Sings (2022-2023)
Anna Hashimoto (clarinet)
Roderick Chadwick (piano)
rec. Ayriel Studios, Whitby, UK (no date given)
Métier MEX77104 [2 CDs: 89]
The remarkably poised, evocative Where the Wood Thrush Forever Sings for clarinet[s] and piano is Edward Cowie’s third “epic cycle” of bird portraits in recent years. Bird Portraits (2020/2021) was reviewed here, and Where Song was Born: 24 Australian Bird Portraits (2021) here.
There is a long pre-compositional process in the creation of these cycles. Cowie recalls that he could “draw sounds from nature” before he was able to write down crotchets and quavers. He uses four notebooks in the “field” to develop the music. The first records the “shape” or “form” of what surrounds him. The second majors on prevailing colour schemes, and how they “blend or clash”. The third is devoted to representational drawing which will embrace items in the local landscape such as insects, flowers and birds. These are usually developed in full colour. The fourth notebook details the musical notation of what Cowie hears. These “being in the form of a translation or relocation of those natural sound-sources [are made] into a potentially musical outcome”.
The literary inspiration for the new work comes from American author Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862). Cowie explains: “During the 12 months of writing it, these words from Thoreau’s Walden have helped me to keep focus on my ‘in-field’ experiences – ‘I long for wildness, a nature which I cannot put my foot through, woods where the Wood Thrush forever sings’”. He does not actually say when and where he nade the observations for this composition, but he notes a previous drive in Virginia down the Shenandoah Highway and a trip along the peak of the Blue Ridge Mountains. These places were “a continuous revelation of new kinds of forest and new forms of avian choral music at the same time”. He then visited the Deep South – Alabama, Tennessee, Florida – and California. During these explorations he has filled many notebooks “with responses to different kinds of American habitats and bird-scapes”. He pulled together this “field work” in 2022-2023.
The key to enjoying and appreciating these twenty-four pieces is to consider them holistically. They are not just “transcriptions” of birdsong from the Americas. They are designed “to create an immersive tapestry of avian dramas”. This, I understand, incorporates landscape, background and human interventions. For better or worse, “We are transported into a world where nature’s symphony collides with human musical expression”. Equally important is the bird in action: “the way they fly, display and use their coloured plumage in their ritual dances”. To this end, Cowie calls upon resources such as Indigenous cultures and the vivacious spirit of jazz. There is even what I imagine to be musical onomatopoeia of landscape features such as water, geological features and vegetation.
I explored the cycle Where the Wood Thrush Forever Sings slowly, a Book at a time; there are four books, each motivated by six birds. Else, the near-ninety-minute unremitting sound of clarinet and piano may pall. One can put the avian titles of each Book aside and enjoy the pieces as absolute music. Yet, the evocative nature of the birdsong and the landscape-song is ever-present.
It would have been helpful to know the location of Cowie’s study of each “birdsong”. The USA is a big place, with many different bird habitats. For example, the Great Road Runner is native to the south and west of the States, and the Least Bittern spends winters in the Baja California Peninsula, breeds in the Eastern Seaboard States and lives year-round in the Northeast parts of South America.
Clarinettist Anna Hashimoto and pianist Roderick Chadwick give a performance that is subtle, nuanced and always creative and revelatory. The duo are clearly committed to Cowie’s visionary, numinous achievement. The ideal recording enhances the recital.
As with previous releases of Cowie’s “nature” music, the booklet for Where the Wood Thrush Forever Sings is a model of design. (I have quoted from it here, with thanks.) The composer wrote the main contextual and descriptive notes. Both soloists contribute their thoughts on the performance and recording of this repertoire. There are biographies of all three. The illustrations are of outstanding value. As noted above, Cowie’s compositional methodology involves a fusion of representational art and musical sketching as preparatory material. Several examples are printed in full colour: Northern Goshawk, Great Horned Owl, Broda Tailed and the Blue Throated Hummingbirds. These preliminary sketches are works of art in their own right. Further examples of this process can be viewed at Cowie’s website, here (see the Four Stages links on the left of the page). The booklet includes photographs of the performers and the composer “in the field”. The beautiful “quilt-like” landscape painting on the cover is Square moves in Green by Heather Cowie.
The liner notes close with a sobering thought. Cowie expresses his fear that Thoreau’s use of the word “forever” may be problematic. He reminds the reader that in the past forty years, Great Britain has lost 80% of its bird population. It may well be the same in Australia, the United States and Africa. He concludes: “This cycle should stand as a wonder, but also warning. We need birds far more than they need us…”
John France
To gain a 10% discount, use the link below & the code musicweb10
Contents
Book 1
1. American Fish Crow
2. Wood Thrush
3. Eastern Meadowlark
4. Common Loon
5. Belted Kingfisher
6. American Winter Wren
Book 2
7. Broad tailed and Blue throated Hummingbirds
8. White winged Dove
9. Common Nighthawk
10. Greater Roadrunner
11. Least Bittern
12. Great Horned Owl
Book 3
1. Blue Jay
2. Mockingbird
3. Yellow Crowned Night Heron
4. Northern Goshawk
5. Say’s Phoebe
6. Red Winged Blackbird
Book 4
7. Northern Cardinal
8. Virginia Rail
9. Turkey Vultures
10. Yellow Breasted Chat
11. Horned Lark
12. Bald Eagle
