Harlequin’s Rainbow
Albany, 2023
8/10
An artist whose music embraces humor, heavy attention to mood and might be described as ‘romantically dramatic’, Robert Xavier Rodríguez pens a song cycle for mezzo-soprano and string quartet based on poems from Albert Giraud's Pierrot Lunaire, as well as “Romance With A Double Bass”, which is for narrator, double bass, and piano and is based on a comic short story by Anton Chekhov.
The title track opens the listen with 12 chapters, where Rachel Calloway’s stunning mezzo-soprano soars with an expressive presence, as Misha Vitenson and Avi Hagin’s skilled violins, Michael Klotz’s well timed viola and Jason Calloway’s moody cello help cultivate a shifting landscape of exploratory, orchestral dynamics.
“Romance With A Double Bass” exits the listen, and places Michael Nix on double bass, Mikhail Berestnev on piano and Mary-Margaret Pyeatt on narration for the engaging storytelling that’s eloquent and complements the unpredictable and mature musicianship superbly.
A listen that continues Rodriguez’s position as an animated and creative composer with a sense of humor, the instrumentation provided by the Amernet Quartet and wordplay from Pyeatt only adds to the appeal of his inimitable vision.
Travels well with: Larry Thomas Bell- Twenty-Four Preludes And Fugues; Allen Shawn- Fantasia & Other Pieces