The Happy End Problem

They Say...

Review by François Couture, All Music Guide

This single CD culls two side-long works for choreographer Amanda Miller of the Pretty Ugly Dance Company. The fact that they are presented together is not simply a matter of convenience; they were premiered within 11 months, they are both scored for small ensemble, and four musicians (Carla Kihlstedt, William Winant, Patrice Scanlon and Frith) are featured in both of them. However, on a musical level, they are very different pieces. First up is "Imitation," a suite in nine parts. Slow-paced, careful, almost ceremonial, this work draws heavily on the character and peacefulness of Kikutsubo Day's shakuhachi. Building around an oriental-sounding melody, the suite proceeds through various variations. Some sections have a contemporary new age quality to them strongly reminiscent of the composers associated with the Cold Blue label (Jim Fox and Rick Cox, mostly), especially in the violin and cello parts. Three sections are co-credited to Frith and electronicist Patrice Scanlon, whose manipulations of Frith's cyclical piano motives have a strong Klaus Schulze flavor (especially in "Tan"). If these references are rather unusual in Frith's oeuvre, as a whole, the piece retains a definite Frithian quality and makes for a gentle and pleasurable listen. "The Happy End Problem," the second work of this set, is more typical of Frith. Orientalism is still at the heart of this piece, embodied this time by Wu Fei's gu-zheng (a zither-like Chinese instrument). Overall less gentle, "The Happy End Problem" features sudden changes in textures and moods, grittier passages, and a stronger unspoken narrative. Fans of Henry Cow might even detect in it that special epic something that graced the legendary group's longer pieces. Whether you prefer the calm of "Imitation" or the more disquieting overtones of "The Happy End Problem," both pieces fare very well without their choreographed component.