Release Date: February 8, 2019
Catalog #: RR8006
Format: Digital & Physical
21st Century
Chamber
Guitar
Large Ensemble
Oboe

Imaginary Birds

MUSIC FOR OBOE & ENGLISH HORN

Phil Salathé composer

Ling-Fei Kang oboe
Charles Huang english horn, oboe
Andrew Knebel viola
Annabelle Taubl harp
Yu-Chen Shih piano/celesta
Katie Kennedy cello
Mohamed Shams piano
John Birt guitar

What can one expect from a musician who spent his youth getting into trouble by furtively composing in chemistry class? Apparently a lot, provided they are cut from the same cloth as multi-faceted composer Phil Salathé, the brains behind IMAGINARY BIRDS: MUSIC FOR OBOE AND ENGLISH HORN.

The commissioned duo Mandarin Ducks (鴛鴦) is as much a natural observation as it is a musical piece of work: With the precise gaze of an ornithologist, Salathé illustrates seven enchanting anatine scenes, from frolicking in the water, nesting, to bickering over which duck gets the slug for dinner, to name but a few. Fittingly, these short pieces roam about in free form – just as their natural subjects would. The title also nods to the recent marriage of the two performers, oboist Ling-Fei Kang and Charles Huang on English horn, as mandarin ducks are known for their lifelong fidelity.

The upbeat start of the album soon grinds to a halt, however, demonstrating Salathé’s dramatic capabilities in The Heart That Loves But Once. Inspired in title and style by the music of Robert Schumann and interspersed by the chilling whispers of a celesta, the rhapsodic work chronicles the disheartening state of a lover who finds his desires unattainable.

Imaginary Birds of the Frozen North harks back to an avian theme, musically depicting three very different birds with an accuracy that is equal parts surprising, hilarious, and astonishing: a proud, leery ostrich, a dodo anxious of its forthcoming extinction, and an enigmatic screech owl.

The Wood Between The Worlds takes the listener on a walk through a mystical landscape and conjures a cryptic, ethereal kind of beauty. The secret highlight of this mini-cycle is indubitably “IV. A World Shrouded in Forest,” in which the composer fuses his multifarious musical influences into an evocative portrait of not only the world he is painting, but also of a highly recognizable compositional style.

Expecting the Spring Breeze rounds off the album with Salathé’s arrangement of a lyrical melody composed by Teng Yu-hsien, completing the overarching natural theme of IMAGINARY BIRDS. Indeed, this record’s title was aptly chosen, given that, in its entirety, it can be considered one long flight of imagination. And what a high flight it is.

Listen

Hear the full album on YouTube

Track Listing & Credits

# Title Composer Performer
01 Mandarin Ducks: I. Playing in the Water Phil Salathé Ling-Fei Kang, oboe; Charles Huang, english horn 1:29
02 Mandarin Ducks: II. Squabbling over a Slug Phil Salathé Ling-Fei Kang, oboe; Charles Huang, english horn 1:24
03 Mandarin Ducks: III. Teasing a Young Boy Phil Salathé Ling-Fei Kang, oboe; Charles Huang, english horn 0:41
04 Mandarin Ducks: IV. Brooding over a Sick Mate Phil Salathé Ling-Fei Kang, oboe; Charles Huang, english horn 1:31
05 Mandarin Ducks: V. Nesting by the Lake Phil Salathé Ling-Fei Kang, oboe; Charles Huang, english horn 0:57
06 Mandarin Ducks: VI. Leading Ducklings Amongst the Stones Phil Salathé Ling-Fei Kang, oboe; Charles Huang, english horn 0:41
07 Mandarin Ducks: VII. Flying Away Phil Salathé Ling-Fei Kang, oboe; Charles Huang, english horn 1:37
08 The Heart That Loves But Once Phil Salathé Charles Huang, oboe; Andrew Knebel, viola; Annabelle Taubl, harp; Yu-Chen Shih, piano/celesta 9:29
09 Imaginary Birds of the Frozen North: I. Lesser Snow Ostrich Phil Salathé Charles Huang, english horn 1:29
10 Imaginary Birds of the Frozen North: II. Great Northern Wandering Dodo Phil Salathé Charles Huang, english horn 1:40
11 Imaginary Birds of the Frozen North: III. Sub-arctic Screech Owl Phil Salathé Charles Huang, english horn 1:48
12 The Wood Between the Worlds: I. The Wood Phil Salathé Ling-Fei Kang, oboe; Charles Huang, english horn; Katie Kennedy, cello; Mohamed Shams, piano 2:26
13 The Wood Between the Worlds: II. A Frozen World, at the Dawn of Time Phil Salathé Ling-Fei Kang, oboe; Charles Huang, english horn; Katie Kennedy, cello; Mohamed Shams, piano 2:07
14 The Wood Between the Worlds: III. A Dead World under a Dying Sun Phil Salathé Ling-Fei Kang, oboe; Charles Huang, english horn; Katie Kennedy, cello; Mohamed Shams, piano 2:21
15 The Wood Between the Worlds: IV. A World Shrouded in Forest Phil Salathé Ling-Fei Kang, oboe; Charles Huang, english horn; Katie Kennedy, cello; Mohamed Shams, piano 2:35
16 The Wood Between the Worlds: V. A World Ruled by Machines Phil Salathé Ling-Fei Kang, oboe; Charles Huang, english horn; Katie Kennedy, cello; Mohamed Shams, piano 0:52
17 The Wood Between the Worlds: VI. The Wood Phil Salathé Ling-Fei Kang, oboe; Charles Huang, english horn; Katie Kennedy, cello; Mohamed Shams, piano 1:53
18 The Wood Between the Worlds: VII. A World of Ocean Phil Salathé Ling-Fei Kang, oboe; Charles Huang, english horn; Katie Kennedy, cello; Mohamed Shams, piano 2:10
19 The Wood Between the Worlds: VIII. A World of Fools, Enamored of the Glory of War Phil Salathé Ling-Fei Kang, oboe; Charles Huang, english horn; Katie Kennedy, cello; Mohamed Shams, piano 1:02
20 The Wood Between the Worlds: IX. Suddenly, the Same World Many Years Later, Now Transfigured by Wisdom Phil Salathé Ling-Fei Kang, oboe; Charles Huang, english horn; Katie Kennedy, cello; Mohamed Shams, piano 1:43
21 The Wood Between the Worlds: X. The Wood Phil Salathé Ling-Fei Kang, oboe; Charles Huang, english horn; Katie Kennedy, cello; Mohamed Shams, piano 2:18
22 Expecting the Spring Breeze (Arr. P. Salathé for Oboe & Guitar) Phil Salathé Ling-Fei Kang, oboe; John Birt, guitar 3:02

Tracks 1-7, 9-22
Recorded June 12-13, 2018 at Immanuel Congregational Church in Hartford CT

Recording Session Engineer Jeff Oehler/BeeHive Productions

Track 8
Recorded February 20, 2007 at the University of Hartford in West Hartford CT

Recording Session Engineer Gabe Herman

Illustrations Edward A. Fleming

Executive Producer Bob Lord

Executive A&R Sam Renshaw
A&R Marina Altschiller

Vice President, Audio Production Jeff LeRoy
Production Engineer Lucas Paquette

Art Director Brett Picknell
Design Ryan Harrison, Edward A. Fleming
Publicity Patrick Niland

Artist Information

Phil Salathé

Composer

Dr. Phil Salathé spent his formative musical years playing jazz trumpet, making homemade musique concrète on an old tape deck, and getting in trouble for surreptitiously composing in chemistry class. His music has been performed in the United States, Canada, South America, Europe, and Asia. It ranges widely in scale and scope, from multi-movement orchestral works to hand-programmed "chiptunes" for independent video game publishers.

Notes

For over a decade I’ve had the pleasure of collaborating with Charles Huang and Ling-Fei Kang — both individually, and in their work together as members of Oboe Duo Agosto and the Sylvanus Ensemble. It is a privilege beyond words for a composer to have colleagues so supportive and so tireless in their advocacy for new music, and who play with such beauty, precision, and commitment. I see this release as a celebration of our work together, as well as a celebration of two of my very favorite instruments.

The first of these pieces, Mandarin Ducks (鴛鴦), was commissioned by Oboe Duo Agosto for their performance at the 2011 Asian Double Reed Association Conference in Bangkok, Thailand. The circumstances that gave rise to its creation are surreal enough to warrant recounting. Charles and I were talking on the telephone, discussing the parameters of the commission and what musical approach might best suit the planned performances. Noting that I didn’t have anything too avant-garde in mind, I trotted out a line I’ve used on several occasions: “After all,” I said, “I’m not usually the kind of composer who asks my performers to put ducks on their heads.”

A long pause followed, and then I heard Charles’s fateful reply: “Well, now that you mention it…”

Ornithologists can probably guess what happened next, as Charles described to me the mandarin duck (Aix galericulata), a species known for its diversity of appearance: the drakes have an unusual, brilliantly-colored plumage, while the hens are far less extravagant. They also have a reputation for lifelong fidelity, and in Chinese, the expression “Two mandarin ducks playing in water” is a proverb connoting a happy couple. Since Charles and Ling-Fei had recently gotten married, this seemed an apt image, and I gladly ran with it!

Mandarin Ducks is in seven short movements, each depicting a different anatine scene. While overall the piece is light in tone, it also makes some use of adventurous techniques, including multiphonics, circular breathing, and Lutosławskian indeterminacy.

The Heart That Loves But Once was written at the request of the University of Hartford’s 20/20 Ensemble, who premiered the piece in March 2007. Its title comes from a passage in a letter written to Robert Schumann by his future wife, Clara Wieck, at a time when their romance seemed without hope of fulfillment:

“You will hear so many things of me, many a doubt will arise in your mind when you learn of this or that, but then think to yourself – She does all that for me: Could you ever waver? Well – then you would have broken a heart that loves but once.”

The works of Robert Schumann were a major inspiration in writing this piece. I also owe much to Prof. Ira Braus, to whom The Heart That Loves But Once is dedicated. His wit and wisdom have profoundly illuminated Schumann’s music for me, and for many others.

Written in 2018 for Charles Huang, Imaginary Birds of the Frozen North is a trio of miniatures for solo English horn. These gnomic pieces aim to conjure the spirits of, respectively, the territorial Lesser Snow Ostrich, ever warning intruders to steer clear of its well-defended home; the hapless Great Northern Wandering Dodo, doomed to foresee its own tragicomic end; and the enigmatic Sub-Arctic Screech Owl, whose lovely call belies its harsh-sounding name.

The longest piece on this album, The Wood Between the Worlds, was commissioned for the Sylvanus Ensemble in 2009 by the Bishops Corner Neighborhood Group. Sylvanus means “of the woods” in Latin, so it’s appropriate that my piece takes its name from the mysterious forest in The Magician’s Nephew, the first book in the Chronicles of Narnia series by C. S. Lewis. Though appearing as a tranquil forest, in reality the Wood is a kind of nexus that exists outside normal space and time. The pools of water with which it is filled are each a gateway to a different place, with one for every world in the universe where living creatures still reside.

Compositional and stylistic unity are frequently idealized in Western art music, yet my own musical life has often been characterized by eclecticism and juxtaposition. During my years at Bennington, I might play trumpet in a Fela Kuti cover band, tour with an indie-rock trio, and sing in a colleague’s choral piece, all within a week. These strands have all contributed to who I am as a musician and composer; all are worlds unto themselves, with distinctive conceptions of time, harmony, and timbre. I’ve long been intrigued by the idea of creating a musical universe in which they can openly coexist, and perhaps this piece is an attempt to do exactly that.

The Wood Between the Worlds is also inspired by the work of the extraordinary oboist (and multi-instrumentalist) Paul McCandless. I’ve spent endless hours listening to his playing – as heard on albums by Oregon, the Winter Consort, Carla Bley, and Eberhard Weber, among others – and his approach to the instrument has fundamentally shaped my conception of what the oboe is and can be.

Finally, Expecting the Spring Breeze (望春風) is a famous and much-loved melody, composed by Taiwanese musician Teng Yu-hsien (鄧雨賢), which I arranged for oboe and guitar in 2006 at Ling-Fei’s request. Think of it as a kind of encore, both by placement and by intent.

My heartfelt thanks are due to Immanuel Congregational Church in Hartford CT, Stephen Scarlato, and Joe Joiner; to Jeff Oehler and BeeHive Productions; to my colleagues at SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music, with thanks for their support; to my wife Kate; and, last but certainly not least, to Charles, Ling-Fei, Katie, Mohamed, John, Andrew, Annabelle, and Yu-Chen, all of whom gave so generously of their time and musicianship to make this project possible.

— Phil Salathé