Takács Assad Labro [Pure DSD]

The seven compositions jump around stylistically yet still connect. Circles by Bryce Dessner begins with Labro’s calming bandoneon changing to fast florid virtuosic lines supported by contrasting strings with detached ascending/descending lines and rhythmic shots. Labro composed Meditation No.1 during the pandemic. The lyrical bandoneon plays held notes above string lines, tight conversations with strings, bellows shakes and tango stylings referencing Labro’s respect for Piazzolla and Saluzzi.

Multi-talented Clarice Assad is represented by three works here. She composed and performs Luminous from Pendulum Suite for solo piano where the fast percussive piano start leads to modulating lines drawn from Brazilian jazz supporting her rhythmic scat-like vocalizations. Constellation is a three-movement work for piano and violin to be played in any order. The final track, Assad’s Clash, is inspired by society’s stressful social tensions. Intriguing strings at times sound like solos yet all fit together. A great mix of snippets of styles and tempi, I like the accents and string plucks making a “clash” effect, and the closing dark, grim cello and bandoneon interchanges. Intriguing works by Milton Nascimento and Kaija Saariaho are also included, making for a brilliant, wide-ranging and colourful disc.

… a breath of fresh air in every respect…  this is a must listen. You will rarely hear these artists recorded with this much color saturation, warmth, transparency and immediacy.

This release Yarlung Records hits the trifecta—engaging unfamiliar music, committed performances, and spectacular sound.  Clarice Assad is a Brazilian-American composer/pianist, who moves effortlessly between classical, jazz, and popular idioms.  She accompanies her own scat singing on two selections (Luminous and Milton Nacimento’s Cravo e Canela) while Constellation for violin and piano features a touchingly songful slow movement.  Completely different is the slashing, angular Clash for bandoneón and string quartet.  Bryce Dessner’s quasi-minimalistic Circles is scored for the same forces, and Julien Labro, the album’s featured bandoneón virtuoso, contributes Meditation No. 1, an eight-minute reverie for this instrumental grouping as well.  Kaija Saariaho’s Nocturne, for solo violin, fits the program’s aura of anxious melancholia. The Takács Quartet is approaching their semicentennial, and although only the cellist remains from the original ensemble, the group’s intensity and technical fluency is intact.  Yarlung’s sonics are revelatory.  Balances are believable, and although the recorded perspective isn’t immediate, Assad’s first vocal entrance on the Nascimento piece made me jump.  I listened to the program as a 24/88 WAV file; a DSD version, CD, and vinyl options are also available.

Through their work with the Hungaraton, Decca and Hyperion labels the Takács Quartet are very much associated with the core repertoire, so this release featuring five contemporary composers, bandoneón (a cross between a concertina and accordion) and a piano piece with scat vocals looked fascinating.

The album features three pieces using bandoneón and string quartet. In Clarice Assad’s Circles you have a minimalist drone-like treble and snatches of dance over a heavy bass, which is hypnotically distinctive and while the much longer Clash is more abrasive, again you have snatches of melody and dance that create a distinctive sound-world. In a softer vein Julien Labro’s Meditation No.1 mixes longer melodic lines and dance, where the bandoneón is very eloquent and more than a little Parisienne.

Luminous features scraps of language, which are essentially scat vocals, while Milton Nascimento’s Cravo e Canela has actual lyrics, over boogie-woogie like piano and while the performances are obviously authentic, you can’t help but wonder what the far stronger voiced Ella Fitzgerald and Oscar Peterson might have made of them.   

Constellation for violin and piano begins and ends with a melancholy song, which frames a piece of modernist salon music, with a reference to The Lark Ascending at 9.30 and Kaija Saariaho’s Nocturne is a more astringent short Étude for solo violin. In both Edward Dusinberre’s tone is less than refulgent.

Yarlung record in analogue and DSD256 without editing. The DSD512 download is marvellous, with beautifully rich sonorities and timbres, which is far superior to anything Decca and Hyperion can offer. However I have no idea why the highest resolution you can stream is a mere 24/88.4, which is very good, but lacks the space and impact of the DSD.

The booklet is very informative, but like so many contemporary music albums you have to put up with loads of purple prose, where everyone and everything is absolutely wonderful and the running time is rather short.