Richard Wernick, born in 1934, belongs to the generation and culture of American composers who primarily functioned in university music departments in the second half of the 20th century. Many of those composers embraced serialism early in their careers, only to loosen their grip on it as it became less fashionable in the last decades of the century.
Wernick was never a strong devotee of serialism, and while he clearly works in a modernist, post-tonal language, his vision has remained consistent, and he didn't give in to the trend to move toward neo-Romanticism. The scores recorded here, written between 1996 and 2002, are uncompromisingly astringent, but obviously the work of a composer with intelligence and a lively imagination. The most recent work, the 2002 Quintet for French horn and string quartet is the most distinctive and attractive, perhaps because the uniqueness of the ensemble called forth a new way about thinking about the relationship between the instruments. Each of its movements has a clear and individual identity, and
Wernick understands how to make the instruments in this combination sound especially interesting together. The zest with which hornist
William Purvis and the
Juilliard String Quartet play the piece is evidence of the fun they are having, which is always a strong endorsement of a piece of new music. The Name of the Game, for solo guitar and 11 players, is a more conventional piece, but it's appealing in the clarity of its construction and the ingenuity of its timbral variety. Guitarist
David Starobin and the
International Contemporary Ensemble, led by
Cliff Colnot, also bring commitment and panache to their performances. Bridge's sound is clean and clean.