By Donald Rosenberg
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Eighth blackbird soars with energy

New and recent music needs advocates who devote body, soul and just about everything else to the creative ideas at hands and embouchures. The sextet known as eighth blackbird is one such group, as can be heard on its newest release.

Here are musicians of enormous skill and personality whose performances draw the listener deeply into works by Daniel Kellogg and George Crumb. The recording's title, "Beginnings," suggests the themes of these scores, which paint tonal portraits of spiritual and natural milestones.

Kellogg composed "Divine Mysterium" for eighth blackbird, whose instrumentation of flute, clarinet, violin, cello, percussion and piano provided the composer with vast and unusual timbral possibilities. The result is a work that juxtaposes irresistible energy with pensive beauty.

The score comprises five movements preceded by a prelude for vocal ensemble (Chanticleer, no less, singing a unison hymn) and instruments in suspenseful, syncopated conversation. Each movement takes up a different aspect of the Creation.

Crumb's 1971 "Vox Balaenae" ("Voice of the Whale") has become something of a classic, its exploration of colors and moods for electronic flute, electronic cello and electronic piano providing inspiration for future composers. These soundscapes of sea pictures are alluring and jolting, full of vivid combinations.

The eighth blackbird players treat both scores with a keen blend of subtlety and vigor. The performances sound inhabited, as if the musicians immersed their individual and ensemble abilities into these compelling achievements. Highly recommended, especially for listeners who think contemporary music is anything but listenable. A

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