Berio: Voci

The Cd is dominated by two pieces, Voci for viola and orchestra and Naturale for viola and percussion and tape. In between the two Berio pieces are field recordings of Sicilian folk songs upon which the works are based. The folk music is arresting, sounding more mideastern than Italian and thus showing Sicily's roots in the Moorish empire. (Sardinian and Corsican music have much the same impact.) The music is highly melismatic, and dominated by microtones and unusual textures.

Just these recordings by themselves are haunting, but what Berio does with them is magnificent! Voci has it's antecedents in the Folk Song "arrangements" that Berio did for Cathy Berberian in the 60's (another of my favorite Berio pieces). But here, Berio completely subsumes the folk elements into his own style. While you can initially hear some of the motives from the folk songs, particularly in the viola part, the orchestra begins a running commentary that eventually transforms the material into something rich and strange. Comparisons are made in the liner notes to Bartok and they are apt comparisons, though the music sounds nothing like the Hungarian master. Rather, like Bartok, Berio completely internalizes his material...so much so that we can't speak of folk song quotations or influence in the music. It is all of a piece.

The same is true for Naturale, which inhabits the same basic world as Voci, albeit with more transparency. The ties to folk music are even stronger in this work, with the taped section consisting of fragments of field recordings. The field recorded material announces the "theme" of each section and is immediately commented on by the viola and percussion and eventually transformed. There are moments of such exquisite beauty in this work, that I nearly cried....something I rarely do with avant-garde music. But Berio transcends his avant-garde roots in this work, making such stylistic distinctions obsolete.

My only wish with this music is that Berio would continue more in this path. Other works of his from the 80s and 90s have left me with that cold feeling again...particuarly Continuum, which was commissioned by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra a few years ago, and could have been written by half a dozen contemporary composers. The path of Voci and Naturale is much more interesting and the creative possibilities are endless. Please Mr. Berio, I'd like some more!

PS A great big thanks to austintrain, whose review below interested me enough in the piece that I overcame my Beriophobia and bought it. Boy am I glad I did!


Incredible! -- "a late 20th century Bartok for Italy"   July 28, 2002
R. Hutchinson (a world ruled by fossil fuels and fossil minds)
9 out of 10 found this review helpful

This album is incredible on all levels, a startling accomplishment! This is the first Berio I've heard, and I could not be more impressed. "Voci" and "Naturale" are both 1980s compositions featuring traditional Sicilian folk melodies. "Voci" features viola and orchestra, while "Naturale" features viola, percussion, and a tape recording of a Sicilian folk singer. One of the brilliant aspects of this ECM disc is that in between the two Berio pieces are five field recordings of the Sicilian folk songs that are used in those pieces! An irony of "Voci" is that there are no vocals -- the melodies taken from the vocals of the folk songs are woven into the complex composition. The sound quality is superb, and the mesh of Berio's modernism with the folk music is beyond words. It reminds me of the way in which the free jazz of Ornette Coleman linked back to elements of pre-swing jazz, with its polytonal collective improvisation. In a similar way, the rough, bent notes of the folk songs loop and connect with Berio's post-tonality.

Kim Kashkashian is tremendous! Her viola is front and center through both compositions, a stunning showcase for her playing. I hope Berio's modernism will not be a deterrent for anyone who appreciates virtuosic performance -- in fact I hope if you do, you might have your ears opened to something beyond the standard repertoire! The ECM package goes beyond any high standard you might expect -- a booklet with gorgeous black and white photos of Sicily and a long essay by Jurg Stenzl is included with the jewel case in a box.

As of this writing, this is clearly one of the best 20th/21st century "classic" releases of 2002! Don't miss it...


Fine Playing by Kaskashian!!   March 29, 2002
8 out of 8 found this review helpful

Kim does it again with this great recording. The album contains a piece with viola and orchestra, recordings of old folk songs, and a piece with viola and percussion. It reminds me of Bartok because Berio uses some old folk tunes that are pretty apparent in the first track Voci. At the same time, I also hear a lot of purity to the music despite some dissonance in the composition. I really enjoy listening to Berio, and Kim's playing is at her best I think at this recording. I've often heard her playing criticized as too manufactured and not taking enough liberties, but regardless of what you think of her playing on perhaps Bartok or Brahms, her recording of Berio evokes excitement and beauty. I reccomend this recording!