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Reviews
| RECORDINGS: | |
| Looking for Answers – CD from Albany Records | |
| "Flaherty's music possesses an irresistible kinetic energy coupled with a tremendous expressivity; the result is music that grips the listener from beginning to end." |
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-Carson Cooman, Fanfare Magazine |
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| "Tom Flaherty speaks with a profound and innovative compositional voice, and his music should gain a wide audience. I do hope that this CD will serve that end, as the performances and recordings all present these works in a wonderful light. I'm happy to give this disc an unqualified recommendation." |
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-David DeBoor Canfield, Fanfare Magazine |
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| ". . . the playing is extremely fine. There is a simple joy to these pieces, with Flaherty's love of melodic patterns and playful ways of using an instrument shining through. I found plenty to admire. A fine disc to try out." |
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-Barnaby Rayfield, Fanfare Magazine |
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| INDIVIDUAL PIECES: | |
| Looking for Answers for piano trio and electronics | |
| Looking for Answers . . . is a truly blockbuster piece, and one of the best works I've ever heard that combines electronics with a traditional chamber music scoring and language.[performed by the Mojave Trio on Albany Records] | |
-Carson Cooman, Fanfare Magazine |
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| Barstow Bagatelle for microtonal keyboard | |
| “Tom Flaherty's Barstow Etude is the longest and one of the most diverse and substantial works on the program, covering a great range of expressive states and using a subset of Partch's 43-tone scale. [performed by Aron Kallay, "Beyond 12" on Microfest Records] | |
– Robert Carl, Fanfare Magazine |
| When Time Was Young for soprano, flute, clarinet, violin, and cello | |
| “An additional, unannounced treat was the premiere, by Shelton and Cigan, of a piece titled "When Time Was Young," with music by Thomas Flaherty and words by longtime 20th Century Consort supporter Edward Weismiller -- a limpid, lyrical and effortlessly touching duet for soprano and clarinet.” [performed by Lucy Shelton, 20th Century Consort] | |
– Tim Page, Washington Post |
| “California composer Flaherty wrote When Time Was Young for Shelton when she received an honorary degree from Pomona College. He cast the six poems by Edward Weismiller for her flexible, compelling voice as it resounds with violin (Hirono Oka), cello (Ohad Bar-David), clarinet (Arne Running), and flute (Edward Schulz). The title song, with clarinet alone, explored dissonances, let the clarinet seem to finish the soprano's sentences, sometimes, in poetry that exulted: "Let us sing our lives away."” [performed by Lucy Shelton, Network for New Music]“ | |
– Daniel Webster The Philadelphia Inquirer |
| Cellorimbian Flights for cello and marimba | |
| "Easygoing was the premiere of Tom Flaherty's "Cellorimbian Flights," for cello (Roger Lebow) and marimba (David Johnson). Cello and marimba are not easily matched, and instead of joining in friendly interplay, they joined in friendly spotlight-sharing. When the cello sang, the marimba faded into the background. When the marimba clattered, the cello became faint. But the score — with its pleasant melodies, hints of tango and mariachi, and rhythmic liveliness — did much to please.“ [performed by Xtet] | |
– Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times |
| " — an exceptionally appealing duo for cello and marimba “ [performed by Xtet] |
– Alan Rich, L. A. Weekly |
| Semi-Suite for solo cello | |
| “Flaherty's Semi-Suite let the cello be its haunting self; the composer-cellist played it splendidly, first the touching movement called “Lament”, then the technically challenging “Trilling.” | |
– Peter Jacobi, Herald-Times Reviewer (Bloomington, IN) |
| “Tom Flaherty's Semi-Suite for solo cello, a piece as amusing as its title and even more arresting, got a fervent, terrifically deep-toned performance by Robin Bonnell.” | |
– Joshua Kosman, The San Francisco Chronicle |
| “...soloistic tour de force" | |
– Ken Smith, The Gramophone |
| Serenade for string orchestra | |
| “Thomas Flaherty's three-movement Serenade for String Orchestra (Contention; Lament; Dances) wore its considerable ingenuity both lightly and engagingly. The composer's strategy -- to give "the impression of two or more simultaneous tempos, either through syncopation or polyrhythm" -- results (1) in a kind of busy textural brightness reminiscent of the post-war American Stravinsky School and (2) in something like the hypnotic but "up" quality you can hear in the best of the Minimalists. Flaherty gives you a lot of teasing ambiguities to listen to, if you're so inclined, along with plenty of evidence that he knows what makes string ensembles tick -- his experience as a free-lance cellist in Los Angeles manifestly pays off here. In other words, altogether delightful, and a cinch to go onto the list of 1994's best new pieces. And may its circulation be wide.” [performed by Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Boston] | |
– Richard Buell, The Boston Globe |
| Moments of Inertia for flute, viola, and cello | |
| “Through much of Tom Flaherty's Moments of Inertia (2003) one felt a sort of love/hate relationship with the blandishments of minimalism. "With Quiet Turbulence," its first part, could have gone on for eons with its doo-dah oscillations but weaved a beautiful lyric line instead. The metrical shifts of "Uneasy Lullaby" would have kept any normal child up past midnight, but he wouldn't have been bored. "With Headlong Agitation," as it turned out, was an excellent title for the self-possessed, purposeful finale. As serious-minded divertimentos go (not a bursting genre), this was a winner, and satisfying to hear.” [performed by Dinosaur Annex] | |
– Richard Buell, The Boston Globe |
| “Moments of Inertia (2003) by Tom Flaherty contains three movement’s worth of neo-process patterned accompaniments out of which various fetching melodies emerge. As in Steve Reich’s best music, these planes of textured backing interact well with each other, deftly delineating larger structural units. And the sound world is irresistible, making scintillating use of its flute-viola-cello trio. In brief, it’s an absolute must-hear.” [performed by Dinosaur Annex] | |
– David Cleary, New Music Connoisseur |
| A Timbered Choir for SATB | |
| The concert's emotional high point was Flaherty's "A Timbered Choir," with words by Wendell Berry. Four excerpts took us from harmonious minimalism, through an intense vision of our destruction of the landscape, to a feeling of anguished triumph. [performed by Colorado Vocal Arts Ensemble; Deborah Jenkins Teske, cond. ] | |
–– Mark Arnest, The Gazette (Colorado Springs, CO) |
| Spoon River Anthology songs and incidental music | |
| Flaherty's music is hauntingly beautiful in its simplicity and understatement and van Zyl plays it to affecting perfection - a perfect fit for the wide and varied characters from Illinois' past that parade before us. [performed by Pomona College Theater, Pieter van Zyl, musical director] | |
– Don Maslowski, Long Beach Press-Telegram |
| Fevered Pitches for string orchestra | |
| “To preface the events, there was a "Musical Birthday Card" by composer Tom Flaherty for Pro Arte's 20th anniversary. Fanfarelike in duration, the piece for strings had a kind of spinning, fluttering surface, a counterpoint of melodies between upper and lower instrument groups, and a certain amount of minimalist additive and diminutive treatment of repeated motifs.” [performed by Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Boston] | |
– Ellen Pfeifer, The Boston Herald |
| Quartet for Viola, Cello and Digital Processor | |
| “Digital processing turns a viola and a cello into a quartet in Tom Flaherty's Quartet for Viola, Cello and Digital Processor. Through time delay and pitch transposition the viola is fractured into a trio with itself. The viola is the star, preening in front of a three-way mirror, while the cello lays down the velveteen cushion. The piece is both pretty and fun.” [performed by Dinosaur Annex] | |
– Richard Dyer, The Boston Globe |
| Trio for Cello and Digital Processor | |
| “Bridge's new CD of music by Tom Flaherty was my introduction to this L.A.-based cellist/composer. While the disc offers a variety of chamber music combinations including two duets for two pianos, the piece I find myself coming back to most is his 1991 Trio for Cello and Digital Processor (which should be a duet right?). The Trio, according to the booklet notes, makes references to repertoire as disparate as J.S. Bach's Es ist Genug and Edgard Varèse's Poème electronique, but (in a rare non-analytical moment) I was too busy being saturated by the textures to notice or care.” | |
– FJO, NewMusicBox |
| “Flaherty's Trio for Cello and Digital Processor had his instrument communicating with itself. The effect actually suggested the presence of three players rather than just the one who appeared on stage. An impressive tour de force.” | |
– Peter Jacobi, Herald-Times (Bloomington, IN) |
| “In the Trio for Cello and Digital Processor the rhythmic layers of his solo suite are electronically magnified beyond a single performer's conception.” | |
– Ken Smith, The Gramphone |
| Bowling Bells for18 kitchen bowls and 4-track recording | |
| “The program drew a large if not full house; the sounds were handsome. (I would extend that accolade even to Tom Flaherty's antic Bowling Bells, which used a surrogate "gamelan" of kitchen bowls of various sizes and states of emptiness, played with a variety of implements including combs, toothbrushes and you-name-it.)” | |
– Alan Rich, L. A. Weekly |
| Intrada for orchestra | |
| "The recent Capstone release, Black Sea Idyll, is anything but idle, getting right down to business in the opening Intrada by Tom Flaherty, a brilliant three-part curtain-raiser featuring frenetic brass.” performed by [Black Sea Phlharmonic] | |
– Mark Alburger, 20th Century Music |
| Upon the Cello | |
| “Of the tape pieces, Upon the Cello stood out for an invetive, poetic use of the Synclavier and extended cello effects.” | |
–Gregg Wager, Los Angeles Times |
| Quintet “Good Times” for clarinet, violin, viola, cello, and piano | |
| “The most ambitious undertaking was be the ensemble’s cellist, Tom Flaherty, His Quintet “Good Times” makes use of neo-classic devices, but also elements of Gershwin-style jazz and Ives-style dissonance.” [performed by Almont Enseble] | |
–Gregg Wager, Los Angeles Times |
| Three Pieces for Clarinet | |
| “Tom Flaherty’s Three Pieces for Clarinetwas as much fun to listen to as Rice appeared to have playing it. Using multiphonics to splendid effect, Rice skillfully accompanied himself in the chorale of the first piece.” [performed by Albert Rice, clarinet] | |
– James Manishen, Winnipeg Free Press |
| Flute Concerto for flute and orchestra | |
| “Suellen Hershman was the soloist in the premiere of the Flute Concerto of Thomas Flaherty, an intimate, logically crafted piece that also moves through some fetching night music, through a a gangling insect dance, to a convincingly splashy conclusion. The honesty and self-possession, in both the work and its performance, were highly attractive.” [performed by Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Boston] | |
– Richard Buell, The Boston Globe |
| Diversion for clarinet and piano | |
| “Mr. Flaherty's ''Diversion'' for clarinet and piano is imaginatively derived from a succinct motif.” [performed by Tim Smith, clarinet, Elizabeth Rodgers, piano] | |
– Tim Page, The New York Times |
| Conversation for flute and oboe | |
| Tom Flaherty’s Conversation, a first performance, made brief but sweet interlude, inertwining and juxtaposingthe instruments to plaintive effect. [performed by Mark Hill, oboe; Robin Peller, flute] | |
– Donal Henahan, The New York Times |
| This piece, sensitively played by Madeline Berkely (flute) and Helmut Seeber (oboe is, as the title suggests, a dialogue between the two instruments in a lyrical, atonal style. And thanks for repeating this item. [performed by Concorde] | |
– Barra Boydell, The Irish Times |