The opening bars of the Stravinsky Concertino jar so much on this disc with the end of Brubeck’s Chromatic Fantasy that, even after repeated listenings, the idea of bringing together Brubeck, Stravinsky and Weill seems a serious miscalculation. As a concept it seems to promise an album of jazz-inspired music, but in fact the gritty, speculative nature of both the Weill and Stravinsky pieces will come as a disappointment to any listener hoping for something more along the lines of “Mack the Knife”.
Dave Brubeck’s Chromatic Fantasy was written in 1996 and represents an attempt on the composer’s part to write a serious classical work. The title refers not only to the chromaticism of Brubeck’s characteristic jazz harmonies but also to a number of extended contrapuntal passages haunted by a 12-note theme and the B-A-C-H motive. Some of the latter inventions, such as the opening bars of the third movement “Fugue”, are not entirely convincing and you only feel the Brodsky warming to their task when they move on to music more reminiscent of Brubeck’s own piano playing.
The Weill Quartet, Op. 8 can also be heard in a recording by the Brandis Quartet on Nimbus, where it is more appropriately coupled with the Schulhoff First Quartet and the Hindemith Third. The Brandis’s more expansive tempos emphasize the chorale-like nature of much of the music, with the expressive weight placed firmly on the final “Choralphantasie”. Nevertheless, many will prefer the Brodsky’s more vivid characterization of the first two movements, backed up by a more forward and urgent sound.
The Brodsky’s accounts of the Brubeck and Weill pieces are separated only by a slightly breathless performance of the Stravinsky Concertino in its original version and you can’t help feeling that an opportunity was missed to right the musical balance by recording another piece. As it is now, with a total duration of only 55 minutes, this is a strange disc that never really has enough time to settle down.'