Rami Levin: Silk Apples: Chamber Music
Acis

It's telling that in the portrait photo of Rami Levin on the back cover of Silk Apples, books about Stravinsky are visible alongside others on shelves behind the composer. While there are obviously differences between them, she brings consummate craft and care to the work she produces, just as he did throughout his long career. As if designed to purposely illustrate the fact, each chamber setting on this splendid follow-up to 2024's Wings shows fastidious attention to detail and imaginative handling of compositional form. Drawing on her extraordinary imagination, enriching cultural experiences, and highly developed skill-set, she presents six diverse pieces written over the past two decades that speak to that range.

Of course every composer needs musical collaborators capable of presenting the material with integrity, and Levin's struck gold in that regard. Assorted instrumentalists, the chamber groups Cavatina Duo and Quintet Attacca, and soprano Amy Broadbent lend their artistry to the project, and Levin's work is all the better for it. The number of players involved in a performance is never greater than five, which makes for an intimate presentation that amplifies the clarity of the writing. The pieces reflect her creative work in two cultures and languages, with some drawing for inspiration from time spent in Brazil and others reflecting her identity as an American composer who studied at Yale University, the University of California San Diego, and the University of Chicago and who's created commissioned pieces for a host of vocal and instrumental ensembles.

At the album's start, the Trio for Viola, Cello, and Piano (2003) pairs Avalon String Quartet members violist Anthony Devroye and cellist Cheng-Hou Lee with Chicago pianist Kuang-Hao Huang, an MVP who appears on four of the album pieces. Written in response to the war in Iraq, the opening movement “Wistful” is, its placid surface notwithstanding, marked by tension, and, in its sparse distribution of piano chords, recalls the central “Adagio religioso” movement of Bartók's third piano concerto. The refinement of Levin's writing is clearly shown in the slow and graceful dialogue enacted between the instruments; the sprightly waltz at the work's centre lives up to its “Whimsical” marking, while the vivacious “Wild” sees Levin weaving jazzy rhythms and harmonies into its swinging makeup.

Others pieces for duo and trio follow, including the 2019 titular work performed by Cavatina Duo members Eugenia Moliner (flute) and Denis Azabagic (guitar). Aspects of the Brazilian choro seep into the duo's engaging performance, a breezy one marked by a fast pace, beguiling melodies, and arresting counterpoint. On 2012's Dois Irmãos for piano four hands (titled after “Two Brothers Mountain” in Rio de Janeiro), pianists Winston Choi and Huang deliver an intricately embroidered work inspired by the composer's twin grandsons that accentuates the similarities and differences siblings share. Reinstating the trio format, Huang partners with Quintet Attacca members Jennifer Clippert (flute) and Barbara Drapcho (clarinet) on Dualidades (dualities). While enjoying a 2008 semester-long teaching stint in Brazil (she subsequently lived there from 2010 to 2017), Levin was struck by the contrast between the scorching heat of Brazil and the bitter cold of Chicago. Whereas a shadowy quality understandably permeates “Noturno,” with the woodwinds particularly effective at painting the stillness of the night scene, the rousing “Diurno” lifts the spirits with youthful radiance and bright harmonic gestures. At album's close, the full Quintet Attacca—Clippert, Drapcho, Erica Anderson (oboe), Collin Anderson (bassoon), and Jeremiah Frederick (horn)—presents 2005's Danças brasileiras, Levin's enriching portraits of three Rio de Janeiro neighbourhoods. It's easy to be swept up by the scenic colour and charm of “Humaitá” and seduced by the soothing splendour of “Lagoa” and the life-affirming liveliness of “Botafogo.”

May 2025