Michael Jarrell

...some leaves II...

It is From the Leaves of Shadow (1991) that gave birth to ...some leaves II... for solo viola. The presence of a 'mother-note' (D) confers on the piece some auditory landmarks, especially as this sort of 'tonic' or base note mostly comes back in the same register (c), framed at times by an extremely low note (C) and another very high one (C sharp). The composer plays on the presence and absence of this D, which can also be seen as a transposition of the landmarks (f sharp' as mother-note and low E as a 'sub-tonic' a few minutes after the opening of the piece. The work illustrates Michael Jarrell's great mastery of the general form, for the interest is maintained and the music has a sense of direction without a sense of 'procedure' that one often feels with other composers. ...some leaves II... displays great flexibility and its highly inventive style is kept in check by the taut writing, plus an astonishing range of colours. The virtuose viola takes the time to listen to the music, to breathe, to repeat passages so as to penetrate the memory of the listener, until it is finally overwhelmed by the return of the 'mother-note' and its accompanying low C.

Pierre Michel,Translation: Mary Criswickextract from the booklet Solos (CD aeon)