Review Cosmic Consciousness Clarke

JERRY GERBER Five Pieces for Virtual Instruments. Symphony No. 8 Jerry Gerber OTTAVA 13-012 (56:24)

The more one listen to this music, and the more one investigates the ideas behind it (see interview above), the more compelling and persuasive it becomes. Gerber’s own statements from the music, even when he moves into technical elements, always clearly comes from the heart; his comments on the deep metaphysics of Urantia reflect this. Coupled with this is a clear need to express via music, but in his own highly unique way. The disc as a whole is entitled Cosmic Consciousness, a concept also discussed in some detail above.

The Five Pieces for Virtual Instruments begins with “Shadow Play,” its music somewhat modal, even Arabic, crossed occasionally with hints (or is it just me?) of James Bond music. Moving to “Baroquette” takes us to a remarkable synthesis of Baroque gesture and a scoring that links the music to the movements around it. Hearing the strings’ rallentandos and rubato is remarkable, but Gerber also enables a sense of give and take through textural means in his scoring. Interestingly, one (= me, in this context) catches oneself wondering at the exactitude of playing at speed and then comes the realization that it is, of course, a computer that did this. The more lyrical aspects of “Baroquette” are extended in “Luminous Night Nebulous night”, dark and mysterious, and deliberately densely scored in places. The way the “cells” phrase a particularly significant two gestures is remarkably human in its expressivity, even in its contained anguish. Underneath all of this there seems to be a light that shines even in the darkest moments (the “Luminous Night” part of the title, one assumes). The title of “Seraphim on a Subway” was discussed above. No doubting the electronic basis of the motoric pulsings here against which the long lines stretch. “Voices” arrive in this movement, too, otherworldly yet strangely speaking to long-forgotten parts of us. The final movement is “Shadow Work,” buzzing strings creating a forest of sound. Juxtapositions of musical materials appear like sudden cuts between scenes in a film. It is all very arresting, and the fine movements complement each other well to create a musically satisfying whole.

The Symphony No. 8 is in four “Parts”. This is powerful music now, clearly on a larger canvas yet continuing the idea of lyricism and of an underlying place of consonance that may be overt or covert but is, it strikes me, in some way omnipresent. Gerber’s orchestration (this absolutely sounds as if a modern symphony orchestra) is deft and expert, his inner ear (realized in sound) clear and true. Gerber’s primary achievement in the first movement (“Part 2”) is to convey a sense of spontaneous invention within a structured ten-minute movement. There is also how he works with melody: generally conjunct and easy to follow, it appears even his disjunct melodies are memorable, too, perhaps even hummable.

The second movement “Part 2” plays with our expectations of rhythm beautifully before the slow movement (“Part 3”) offers a space for contemplation. Dissonances speak of disquiet, as do destabilizing bass lines. This movement is only six and a half minutes long (not even that) but it manages to speak of both vast spaced and vast emotions. The brisk nature of the opening finale brings us nicely down to earth (pardon the pun in terms of all this cosmic consciousness). One aspect of the listening process I noticed is that there is an ever-increasing delight in the exactitude of execution, and the take-away from that is surely to stick with it.. The introduction of voice in a more advanced harmonic context in this finale is noteworthy, as is the effect that has on the succeeding music, which seems even more determined to progress at speed and with high energy. Choral elements add a sense of climax (and gravitas) in a somewhat post-Orff way.

This is music that is well worth devoting time to, as its profundities seem to reveal themselves in almost layer-like fashion; certainly, that is my experience over the course of around a month with this disc.

Colin Clarke

Five stars: This is music that is well worth devoting time to, as its profundities seem to reveal themselves in almost layer-like fashion.