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Reviews "The Owl" from Cats and Bats and Things with Wings Conrad Aiken's 1965 collection, Cats and Bats and Things with Wings, is the source of this charming excerpt--an onomatopoeic secular poem set with care and verve by Roger Vogel as part of the new series from the Roger Wagner Center for Choral Studies in Los Angeles. The piece not only gives life to the poem, but it does so without clichè and with much energy. Richard Coffey, Choral Journal,December 1993. Roger Vogel's compositions scored for trumpet and soprano demand a high degree of agility from both participants, a challenge that is able met by Sandor and Ellen Ritchey. The Frog, He Fly. . . Almost and Eine Kleine Snailmusik carry some of the flavor of Anthony Plog's Animal Ditties and fall into the category of "good clean musical fun." Gary Barrow, International Trumpet Guild Journal,June 2001."Cute" titles often fill me with dread; but Roger Vogel's The Frog, He Fly . . . Almost and Eine Kleine Snailmusik banished my fears of abject cuteness immediately. The Frog, He Fly . . .Almost is for trumpet and soprano alone, starting with a difficult trumpet passage which sets the tone for the work. This is an angular work requiring a great deal of agility from Sandor and Ellen Ritchey. Additional color is provided by some highly acrobatic mute changes. Eine Kleine Snailmusik also belies its "cute" title by being a nine-minute tour-de-force for trumpet, soprano, cello and piano. Sandor and Ritchey are joined by cellist David Starkweather and the composer, pianist Roger Vogel. Vogel's writing provides challenging but idiomatic writing for all, and the group more than accepts the challenge. Lee J. Weimer, NACWPI JOURNAL, Winter, 2001-2002 The piece, while not tonal in the traditional sense through functional harmonic motion, certainly gives the impression of fairly clear tonal centers and is rather accessible for the listener. The most compelling aspect of the work, however, is the rhythmic drive which is achieved through changing meters and shifting accents employed throughtout all of the faster passages. . . This is a solid addition to the saxophone repertoire and is recommended highly. Clifford Leaman, The Saxophone Symposium,Volume 22, 1997. There are multiphonics, large and dissonant intervals, tapping the instrument with the fingers, valve clicks, and muted passages. While all this may seem like a demonstration piece, it is written in such a way that these items are just simply natural parts of the music, which is something that is extremely difficult to do. The work is one movement and not too long. I recommend this work to all. Barton Cummings, T.U.B.A. Journal, Summer, 1980. The difficulties in the piece result from wide, dissonant leaps, accurate ensemble, and making music from the printed notes. I recommend this work highly as an example of solid, well-created contemporary writing for both tuba and piano. David Randolph, T.U.B.A. Journal, Winter, 1981. From harsh double stops to extreme high harmonics and lush themes that ran throughout the work, Ross guided the audience through a journery of violinistic fantasy. Roland Stycos, Kalamazoo Gazette, November, 12, 1993. Il tutto condito con una coinvolgente simpatia del cantante che con il bis "Of celebration" di Vogel ("Drink, dance, lie and laugh" ossia bere, ballare, nentire e ridere. . .) ha concluso piacevolmente la serata. Paolo Rolandi, Musica & Spettacoli, April 3, 1997. Everything was enriched by the engaging charm of the singer, who pleasantly concluded the evening with the encore of "Of Celebration" by Vogel ("Drink, dance, lie and laugh" ossia bere, ballare, nentire e ridere. . .). Kilpatrik, American Record Guide, July/August, 1998. |
