In 2024 composer-pianist Michael Stephen Brown was in residency at Yaddo, the artist retreat in Saratoga NY. He was among 30 others from the allied arts all working in solitude and getting together in the evenings to socialize. Brown’s just released album ‘Twelve Blocks’ is his musical memoir of his three summer weeks of creative freedom in a cabin in the woods sans cellphones, media, or the noise of a troubled world.
‘Twelve Blocks’ is a compendium of his work at Yaddo and other recent works that showcase Brown’s range as a composer. The title of this recording refers to the central work he composed in tribute to the institutions founders, Spencer and Katrina Trask. The couple established Yaddo in 1926 as a haven for artists and in memory of their four children, all of whom died before the age of ten. The name comes from their daughter Christina, referring to the way she would say ‘shadow.’
The opening work on the album is ‘Four Lakes for Children’ each movement named for the Trask children – Lake Alan, Lake Spencer, Lake Christina, Lake Katrina- movements Brown notes in the CD booklet are “solo piano pieces designed for children, each with a keyboard game to play.” These journeying solo piano pieces are wistfully meditative and evoke the wonder of children discovering the natural world, meanwhile they illustrate Brown’s classicism and singular aesthetic.
Next, ‘Pas de trois’ a dive into the SPA Trio’s musical dynamic- Susanna Phillips (soprano) Paul Neubauer (viola) and Anne-Marie McDermott (piano). ‘Piano’ ‘s libretto set to D.H. Lawrence’s poem ‘Piano’ which Brown says, “evokes a quiet, nostalgic introspection that mirrors Anne-Marie’s profound artistry and thoughtfulness.” It showcases Phillips’ lithe upper vocals, shadowed by Neubauer’s viola and McDermott’s soulful articulation.
Brown is composer and librettist for ‘The Violist’ a study of that often ignored instrument so often swamped in a forest of violins and cellos. Brown’s viola is the protagonist and Neubauer’s ignites the contrapuntal play with McDermott’s piano. The piece concludes with ‘Soprano’ Phillips vocal illuminating a portrait of the singer singing, with text by Rita Dove’s poem ‘Soprano’ (1957) a musical portrait of the singer singing.
Brown’s 2018 work ‘The Relationship’ is an instrument duel between clarinetist Osmo Vänskä and violinist Erin Keefe, which Brown composed at their request that would musically reflect their personalities and the “inescapable artistic fireworks” via miniature movements – The Meet, Connection, The argument(s), Ballad and ‘Hora.’
The title work is ‘Twelve Blocks for Piano’ (four hands) and Poetry
Brown writes that the piece is attributed to his musical mentors pianists Ursulas Oppens and Jerome Lowenthal. During the Lowenthal would walk 12 Blocks to visit Oppens and would recite poetry on his trek. The text is Brown assigns “the choreography of four hands at one piano is acrobatic at times, but Jerry and Ursula embraced it with ease.” It is musically illustrative as the text of garden imagery from French writer Paul Verlaine’s Clair de lune- Voici des fruits, des fleurs, des feuilles et des branches, recited by both Lowenthal and Oppens, in French and English
‘Love’s Lives Lost’ was composed by Brown for Susanna Phillips Brown enlisted poet Evan Shinners to write 8 poems about two former lovers running into each other after years apart. While an unspoken chemistry lingers between them, they each hold contrasting interpretations of their shared past, adding depth and complexity to their journey.” -“ I wanted to respond to Schumann- and write a companion cycle inspired by his. Like Schumann, the piano is a central character.”
‘Breakup Etude for Right Hand Alone’ composed by Brown in 2020 is he notes “ a masochistically difficult piece written for my right hand alone when my left hand was stuck in a splint.” Brown’s keyboard pyrotechnics express trip to whispering resolve. He composed it in 2020 during the pandemic, the piece he writes “reflects my inner state, from loss and longing to personal growth and discovery. “
The final track a miniature ‘Pour Angeline’ a piano meditation dedicated to Brown’s fiancée artist Angeline Gragasin. The piece is a “whisper between intimacy and desire.” And is inspired by Chopin’s Mazurka No. 4, op. 17.
Michael Stephen Brown has assembled a stellar group of musicians, you feel their presence on this recording and through this poignant music, Brown’s compositional range of pulses energy, innovation and heart.
