Sheet Music Review
David Campbell
September/October 2006
Les Flammes sont des Éponges Ngànga et Frappez, huit études dada en paires disjointes
Nicolas Gilbert
Edition HH (HH 205 FSP), £12.95
Nicholas Gilbert's Les Flammes sont des Éponges Ngànga et Frappez, huit études dada en paires disjointes is as far removeded from the Pentith as one could imagine. Gilbert, who lives and works in Montreal, wrote this work in 2005 for the New York based clarinettist,Thomas Piercy, while in residence at the Chapelle historique du Bon-Pasteur in Montreal with funds from the Arts Council of Canada. The title is from a Tristan Tzara poem. Le géant blanc lépreux du paysage (1918). Les Flammes is in a serious contemporary style although much of it is fairly conventional with nothing more complicated in the rhythmic structure than the occasional quintuplet and few very high notes (the highest being top A flat). However, there are six multiphonics and a sprinkling of glissandi and quarter tones. I have to say that in my opinion the work seems somewhat dated; indeed when taking my first glance at the work I mistook the (1979) next to Nicholas Gilbert's name as the year of composition rather than his year of birth! However, I am sure that the work would be very effective in performance and I look forward to having the opportunity to play it in concert in the near future.
David Campbell
We are grateful to the proprietor of Sheet Music for permission to reproduce this review.
