Audio Review – 4 Dreams: The Quartets of Yuji Ono by fLOW Quartet
4 Dreams: The Quartets of Yuji Ono (2018)
Self-Produced
fLOW Quartet
Boonyarit Kittaweepitak, Euphonium
Takahiro Iwamitsu, Euphonium
Keith Packman, Tuba
David Mercedes, Tuba
The fLOW Quartet released this self-recorded debut album, 4 Dreams: The Quartets of Yuji Ono, in 2018. Comprising of four former studio-mates from the University of North Texas (Dr. Boonyarit Kittaweepitak and Takahiro Iwamitsu, euphoniums, and Keith Packman and David Mercedes, tubas), the fLOW Quartet’s singular dedication to Yuji Ono’s works is a favor to the genre, providing an excellent resource in the form of a musical catalog of Ono’s tuba quartets. The title of the album is indicative of the listening experience, with an air of fantasy encompassing these pieces.
The album begins with Ono’s Quartet No. 1, “Veritas.” A cantus firmus of sorts is recited by solo euphonium. From this melody, the piece is born into existence, defined by the exciting rhythmic interplay and dense harmonic language. With the namesake of this quartet being the Roman Goddess of truth, the music displayed in “Veritas” invokes the feeling of a search for the absolute, musically closing doors while others open. It is a thrilling ride with an interesting ebb and flow. Quartets No. 2 and 3 follow along in a similar vein to No. 1, containing many of the same techniques but in smaller packages. A break in the design comes with this album’s namesake, Quartet No. 4, “4 Dreams,” which was the winner of The US Army Band Tuba/Euphonium Workshop’s composition contest. This piece utilizes much more vivid imagery and showcases a sensitivity to orchestration underneath melodic lines while maintaining Ono’s proclivity to syncopated rhythms. The second movement, “Grievous Cry,” is a lamenting showcase of solo voices within the ensemble. These cries, in the beginning, are then channeled into focused energy that drives the rest of the movement. On display throughout this piece is Yuji Ono’s ability to stagger the voices of a tuba-euphonium quartet in a way that gives a perennial motion to his music. In addition to the skills displayed by the composer, the members of fLOW Quartet must be given their due credit- they add playfulness and bravado to this very demanding repertoire.
In a medium starving for new repertoire, the quartets of Yuji Ono are a three-course meal, with fLOW Quartet in the kitchen, cooking an excellent representation of these works. Self-recorded albums are becoming more and more common, and a project as ambitious as this one should be lauded as an example. With a broad selection of music to choose from, tuba-euphonium quartets all over should be reaching for these pieces and the CD that displays them with a story to tell. Many thanks to Yuji Ono and the fLOW Quartet for these contributions in music and recording.
Track List:
1. Quartet No. 1 “Veritas”: I. Moderato – Allegro
2. Quartet No. 1 “Veritas”: II. Moderato
3. Quartet No. 1 “Veritas”: III. Presto
4. Quartet No. 2 “Sol Levante”
5. Quartet No. 3 “Journey”
6. Quartet No. 4 “4 Dreams”: I. Urban Night
7. Quartet No. 4 “4 Dreams”: II. Grievous Cry
8. Quartet No. 4 “4 Dreams”: III. Affection
9. Quartet No. 4 “4 Dreams”: IV. Metempsychosis
10. Quartet No. 8 “Seascapes”: I. Prelude
11. Quartet No. 8 “Seascapes”: II. Intermezzo
12. Quartet No. 8 “Seascapes”: III. Impromptus
13. Quartet No. 8 “Flow”: Introduction
14. Quartet No. 8 “Flow”: From the “East”
15. Quartet No. 8 “Flow”: Dream I
16. Quartet No. 8 “Flow”: From the “West”
17. Quartet No. 8 “Flow”: Dream II
18. Quartet No. 8 “Flow”: To the “North”
Click here to purchase the album.
Click here to learn more about the fLOW Quartet.
