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| Cantata No. 1 on Vimeo |
Music inspired by a specific place, music that brings together unlikely stylistic influences, contemporary music that incorporates the meticulous detail of Renaissance and Baroque counterpoint - these are things that speak to me. Saxophonist and composer Jon Crompton’s Cantata No. 1: An Island Seen And Felt ticks all these boxes. Hearing this piece in its premiere performace was a satisfyingly exquisite experience that twiddled all the right knobs in my brain.
In An Island Seen And Felt, Crompton paid homage to where he grew up: the Surf Coast Shire of southeast Australia. In three movements, he created immersive soundscapes with an instrumentation full of melody: two soprano voices, string quartet, alto sax, and electric guitar. As perhaps suggested by this lineup, the piece combined elements of jazz, modern and contemporary classical, Baroque and Renaissance music; however, the representation of scenes took priority over any specifics of style. I was impressed by how focused Crompton’s work was; though suitably varied enough to sustain interest, it really was a depiction of a location rather than a linear narrative. There was no major story line here other than the arc of day, or at least of a trip to a beach. I could easily picture the Surf Coast from this music, with its wide-open, maritime modality; it bumped a visit to Australia higher up my bucket list. Calm and meditative throughout even at its most active, the piece had little of the turbulence I associate with what I’ve read about the Southern Ocean - further piquing my curiosity.
This was a piece infused with a strong sense of wonder, a reverence for the beauty of both music and nature. The subtle wildness of Crompton’s and guitarist James Wengrow’s improvising toward the beginning and end, the Latin psalm text of the vocal episodes, and the eclectic diversity of approaches to counterpoint were all evocative of detailed sea and shore ecosystems in all their complexity. The second movement was more stylized than the others, concentrated on exploring string counterpoint in a Baroque-to-Neoclassical vein, but the voice and sax lines, swirling in waves and eddies, indicated that the beach was never far away.
Besides the composition itself, I really enjoyed the quality of this performance. This was an extremely tight ensemble, with nothing rough anywhere around the edges. Wengrow in particular stood out in the way he provided the atmospheric, textural aspect of the first and third movements: a solid background layer with a highly personal touch. But all members of this group were committed to making An Island Seen And Felt truly come to life. This was a performance that brought me toward an island, and allowed me to come very close to seeing and feeling it.
