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Common Ground

Chamber Music of the Americas

Paul Cohen soprano & alto saxophone
Allison Brewster Franzetti piano

Brennen Sweet violin
Mira Kang cello
Maureen Hurd clarinet
Kaoru Hinata flute

Robert Aldridge composer
Allan Shawn composer
David Noon composer
Ben McPeek composer

Release Date: October 25, 2024
Catalog #: RR8110
Format: Digital
20th Century
21st Century
Chamber
Piano
Saxophone

On saxophonist Paul Cohen’s COMMON GROUND, one can embrace the unbroken musical traditions that have defined our musical selves, and in doing so, find a contemporary relevance that is both compelling and insightful. These are magnificent compositions, yet they are rarely heard. The range of expression and emotional direction is astonishing and almost visceral.

Each of the works follows a unique path; from the kaleidoscopic Ivesian treatment of American folk tunes in Hymn Variations, to the vibrant, ecstatic joy of Quartet to an Outdoor Festival, to the lush, deceptive and nostalgic Trillium Suite, and finally the introspective interlude of Terpsichord framed by outer movements of pungent rhythmic vitality.

COMMON GROUND celebrates not only the expressive inclusiveness of these diverse works, but also the common ground achieved with such varied sets of instruments. All compositions on COMMON GROUND are scored for winds, strings, and piano, and all include the saxophone. The soprano saxophone is scored in Quartet to an Outdoor Festival, Hymn Variations, and Trillium Suite, while the alto saxophone is scored in Terpsichord. In these settings, the saxophone uniquely enhances the color, texture, and dynamic resources of the ensemble, while still retaining the necessary subtlety of ensemble equality. It is common ground for composers, performers, and listeners alike.

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Track Listing & Credits

# Title Composer Performer
01 Quartet For An Outdoor Festival (1989) Robert Aldridge Paul Cohen, soprano saxophone; Brennen Sweet, violin; Mira Kang, cello; Allison Brewster Franzetti, piano 14:42
02 Terpsichord (1992): Allegro grazioso Allan Shawn Maureen Hurd, clarinet; Paul Cohen, alto saxophone; Brennen Sweet, violin; Mira Kang, cello; Allison Brewster Franzetti, piano 5:29
03 Terpsichord (1992): Largo tranquillo Allan Shawn Maureen Hurd, clarinet; Paul Cohen, alto saxophone; Brennen Sweet, violin; Mira Kang, cello; Allison Brewster Franzetti, piano 6:05
04 Terpsichord (1992): Vivo Allan Shawn Maureen Hurd, clarinet; Paul Cohen, alto saxophone; Brennen Sweet, violin; Mira Kang, cello; Allison Brewster Franzetti, piano 3:58
05 Hymn Variations (1991) David Noon Paul Cohen, soprano saxophone; Brennen Sweet, violin; Mira Kang, cello; Allison Brewster Franzetti, piano 11:12
06 Trillium Suite (1979): The First Crocus Ben McPeek Kaoru Hinata, flute; Maureen Hurd, clarinet; Paul Cohen, soprano saxophone; Brennen Sweet, violin; Mira Kang, cello; Allison Brewster Franzetti, piano 4:26
07 Trillium Suite (1979): Forsythia - Harbinger of Spring Ben McPeek Kaoru Hinata, flute; Maureen Hurd, clarinet; Paul Cohen, soprano saxophone; Brennen Sweet, violin; Mira Kang, cello; Allison Brewster Franzetti, piano 6:29
08 Trillium Suite (1979): The Enigmatic Pussy-Willows Ben McPeek Kaoru Hinata, flute; Maureen Hurd, clarinet; Paul Cohen, soprano saxophone; Brennen Sweet, violin; Mira Kang, cello; Allison Brewster Franzetti, piano 5:26
09 Trillium Suite (1979): The Proudest Hibiscus - The Rose of Sharon Ben McPeek Kaoru Hinata, flute; Maureen Hurd, clarinet; Paul Cohen, soprano saxophone; Brennen Sweet, violin; Mira Kang, cello; Allison Brewster Franzetti, piano 5:42

Recorded June 2016 at the Mason Gross recording studio, Rutgers University in New Brunswick NJ
Session Producer Paul Cohen
Session Engineer Greg Mueller
Mastering David Merrill

Executive Producer Bob Lord

A&R Director Brandon MacNeil
A&R Jeff LeRoy

VP of Production Jan Košulič
Audio Director Lucas Paquette

VP, Design & Marketing Brett Picknell
Art Director Ryan Harrison
Design Edward A. Fleming
Publicity Aidan Curran
Digital Marketing Manager Brett Iannucci

Artist Information

Paul Cohen

Saxophonist

Paul Cohen is a sought-after saxophonist for orchestral and chamber concerts and solo recitals. He has appeared as soloist with the San Francisco Symphony, Richmond Symphony, New Jersey Symphony, Charleston Symphony, and the Philharmonia Virtuosi. His many solo orchestra performances include works by Debussy, Creston, Ibert, Glazunov, Martin, Loeffler, Husa, Dahl, Still, Villa-Lobos, Tomasi, and Cowell. He has also performed with a broad range of orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, Metropolitan Opera (NYC), American Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Santa Fe Opera, New Jersey Symphony, Oregon Symphony, San Diego Symphony, Long Island Philharmonic, Group for Contemporary Music, Greenwich Symphony, and New York Solisti.

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Allison Brewster Franzetti

Pianist

The 2014 and 2018 Latin Grammy® Nominee for Best Classical Album and 2008 Grammy® Nominee for Best Instrumental Soloist without Orchestra, pianist Allison Brewster Franzetti has received international acclaim from critics and audiences alike for her stunning virtuosity and musicality, both as a soloist and chamber musician. Her performances include the live Latin Grammy® Awards television broadcast, the Grammy® Awards Classical Music Tribute to Earl Wild and Lang Lang at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, the American Classical Music Hall of Fame, the Robert Schumann Festival at the Marcella Sembrich Museum in Lake George NY, the Campeche Festival in Mexico, and at the opening of the VI International Festival of Music at the Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

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Brennen Sweet

violin

Brennan Sweet joined the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra in 1994 as Associate Concertmaster and subsequently led the orchestra for three seasons as acting concertmaster under the baton of Zdeněk Mácal. He also led the orchestra in the widely televised concert with Andrea Bocelli at New Jersey’s Liberty State Park as well as the 9/11 memorial concert featuring Verdi’s Requiem. Sweet served for four years as concertmaster of the Brooklyn Philharmonic and appeared on the David Letterman show during his term. He has also been invited to lead other orchestras as guest concertmaster including the New York Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Gerard Swartz, Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic, with whom he performed Ein Heldenleben to critical acclaim, and the Westfield Symphony among others. He has also played with the American Symphony, Bard Music Festival and the Merce Cunningham Ballet. Sweet has also performed in the Broadway productions of Crazy For You, High Society, and Candide.

As a soloist, Sweet has appeared with the Evansville Philharmonic, Owensboro Symphony, New Jersey Symphony, Bloomfield Symphony, and recently performed the Sibelius Concerto with the Society of the Musical Arts in Maplewood under Stephen Culbertson.

For the documentary film The Resurrection of Gustav Mahler, Sweet was chosen to perform Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony under the direction of Neemi Jarvi for a benefit concert of the 75th anniversary of Riverside Church in New York City.

Sweet is a founding member of the Mostly Mozart at Montreux Festival in Hancock ME, and has served as coach and performer at the Raphael Trio Chamber Music Workshop in New Hampshire. In 2007 he joined the faculty of Kean University as a Concert Artist, teaching students and performing chamber music concerts regularly throughout the year. As a reacher, Sweet has helped students win positions in leading orchestras including Hudson Valley Philharmonic, Hartford Symphony, and New York Philharmonic. Sweet also performs recitals with acclaimed pianist Jenny Lin in the New York metropolitan area.

Mira Kang

cello

Soloist, chamber musician as well as strong educator, Mira Kang has been featured on many different stages. Her musical contribution includes solo featuring, chamber music, duty of principal cellist of orchestras, master classes, and workshops. She made her debut at the age of 16 as a soloist to Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, one of the most prominent orchestras in her native country, Korea. She was also invited to perform in Seoul International Music Festival and has been featured on live radio and MBC television broadcasts in performances with Seoul Philharmonic orchestra. She has performed throughout South Korea, the Northeastern US, and Germany as a recitalist and chamber musician.

An avid chamber musician, Mira has been chamber music presenter for ASTA Chamber Music Institute (CMI) since summer 2015. Her strong reaching method brings high demands of her teaching including masterclasses and cello workshops. Since 2014 Mira has given cello workshops in CMI every summer. Her passion of chamber music and music education led her to form and direct Veritas group, Veritas String Chamber Ensemble and Veritas Youth Orchestra. Dr. Mira Kang is the recipient of degrees from Seoul National University, Manhattan School of Music and Rutgers University. She currently teaches at Young Artist Program of Mason Gross school of Arts at Rutgers. She also serves as adjudicator for numerous competitions and auditions.

Maureen Hurd

clarinet

Clarinetist Maureen Hurd Hause has appeared in concerts and masterclasses throughout Europe, Asia, and North America, performing at New York City’s Carnegie Hall, David Geffen Hall, Alice Tully Hall, and (le) poisson rouge, with the American Symphony Orchestra, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, the New York City Opera Orchestra, the Broadway production of The King and Iat Lincoln Center, as well as in South Korea, France, England, and Mexico. She performed at International Clarinet Association ClarinetFests® in Belgium, Italy, Japan, Canada, and the US and at the Norfolk, Skaneateles, Lancaster, and Zodiac Festivals. She has recorded for Naxos, MSR Classics and Marquis Classics. She has been recognized for her study and performances of classical works connected to Benny Goodman. She is Head of the Woodwind Program and Associate Professor of Clarinet at the Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University. She is a Selmer Paris Artist and a D’Addario Artist, playing Selmer Paris Signature and Recital clarinets and D’Addario Reserve reeds.

Kaoru Hinata

flute

Kaoru Hinata has performed with the New York City Opera Orchestra, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Stamford Symphony, Glimmerglass Opera Orchestra, among many others, is a member of the New York Chamber Orchestra, and was in the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. She was the first prize winner of the Lawrence Beauregard Competition in Canada and the second prize winner in the Myrna Brown Competition in Texas and has been featured as concerto soloist with the Norfolk Festival Chamber Orchestra, the Symphony of Westchester, and the New York Choral Society Symphony. A dedicated chamber musician who has premiered works by Christopher Theofanidis, Dan Cooper, and Dan Sonenberg, she has also played for Broadway shows such as Sunset Boulevard, The King and I, and Phantom of the Opera. She holds a Master of Music degree and Artist Diploma from Yale University and a Bachelor of Music from Northwestern University. Her teachers include Ransom Wilson, Walfrid Kujala, and Keith Underwood. She is on the faculty of the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University.

Robert Aldridge

composer

Robert Livingston Aldridge (b. 1954) is a GRAMMY-winning composer who has written over sixty works for orchestra, opera, music-theater, voice, dance, string quartet, solo and chamber ensembles. His music has been performed throughout the United States, Europe and Japan and Australia. He has received fellowships and awards for his music including the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, Guggenheim Foundation, American Academy of Arts and Letters, National Endowment for the Arts, New York Foundation for the Arts, American Symphony Orchestra League and the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation.

His opera, SISTER CARRIE, based on the novel by Theodore Dreiser, with a libretto by Herschel Garfein, was given its world premiere in 2016 and was recorded on the Naxos label. His opera, ELMER GANTRY, based on the novel by Sinclair Lewis, with a libretto by Herschel Garfein, was given its world premiere by Nashville Opera in 2007. An Orchestral Suite from ELMER GANTRY was commissioned by the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and premiered in September, 2011, an event which received international coverage. The Naxos CD recording of the complete ELMER GANTRY opera was released in 2012 and received two Grammy awards in the 2013, including one for ‘Best Contemporary Composition.’

Aldridge has been Composer-in-Residence at the Brevard Music Festival since 2006. He was an American Orchestral League/Music Alive Composer in Residence and has been a fellow at the MacDowell Colony on five occasions since 1987. He is currently a Professor of Music Composition and Head of the Composition Program at Rutgers.

His compositions are exclusively published by Edition Peters (CF Peters Corporation).

Allan Shawn

composer

Composer and pianist Allan Shawn (b. 1948), grew up in New York City and moved to Vermont in 1985 to be on the music faculty of Bennington College. His musical works include much piano music; a Symphony; Two Concertos for Piano, and two for Cello; additional concertos for Violin, and for Oboe, and a Double Concerto for Clarinet and Cello; Music for string orchestra and other large ensembles; three Chamber Operas; Choral, Vocal and Chamber Music. Recordings of his work include four devoted to his piano music, including the CD Allen Shawn-Piano Music performed by pianist, Julia Bartha, and a double CD devoted to his five piano sonatas; several devoted to his chamber music; his Piano Concerto, performed by Ursula Oppens with the Albany Symphony, conducted by David Alan Miller; works performed by Palisades Virtuosi, the Chamber Music Conference and Composers Forum of the East, and the piano duo ZOFO; and his Chamber Opera The Music Teacher, composed to a libretto by his brother, playwright and actor, Wallace Shawn. Much of Shawn’s music is published by E.C.Schirmer.

Shawn is also the author of four books: Arnold Schoenberg’s Journey; Wish I Could Be There; Twin; and Leonard Bernstein-An American Musician.

David Noon

composer

David Noon was born of Pennsylvania Dutch, Welsh, and American Indian heritage in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, on July 23, 1946. His formal musical education began at the age of eight when he learned to play clarinet. Subsequently, he took bassoon, flute, piccolo, and piano lessons. Throughout his childhood, he frequently performed in choirs, bands, orchestras, and chamber music ensembles. During his collegiate years at Pomona College, he continued to sing and play bassoon and piano. He also began the systematic study of composition. His composition teachers have included Karl Kohn, Darius Milhaud, Charles Jones, Yehudi Wyner, Mario Davidovsky, and Wlodzimierz Kotonski. Following his undergraduate education, he attended New York University to study Medieval music with Gustave Reese. After receiving an MA in musicology at NYU, he attended Yale University, where he received an MMA and a DMA in composition.

In 1972-1973, he was a Fulbright Fellow in composition at the Music Conservatory in Warsaw, Poland. From 1973-1976, Noon taught music theory and composition and supervised the advanced ear-training program at the School of Music at Northwestern University. In 1976, he was composer-in-residence at the Wurlitzer Foundation in Taos, New Mexico. From 1996-1998, Noon was Composer Artist-in-Residence at the Episcopal Cathedral of St.John the Divine, the largest Gothic cathedral in the world. A prolific composer, Noon has written 265 works including chamber music, orchestral works, and choral compositions. He has written 12 string quartets, three piano concertos, the opera R.S.V.P., and many works featuring percussion. He has also written two books of poetry: Postcards from Rethymno and Bitter Rain; seven historical novels: The Tin Box, Googie’s, My Name Was Saul, Monkey Boy, The Last Lotus, Hounds & Jackals, and La Fenice; two faux memoirs: Half Truths and Final Assignment, and six Nadia Boulanger mysteries: Murder at the Ballets Russes, The Tsar’s Daughter, Death in the Tomb, The Organ Symphony, Tarnished Gold at the Olympics, and Curtain Call. He was on the faculty of Manhattan School of Music in New York City from 1981-2011, where he was Chairman of the Music History Department (1981-2007), Chairman of the Composition Department (1989-1998) and Dean of Academics (1998-2006). He was named Dean emeritus in 2011. In 2007-2008, Dr. Noon was a visiting professor of musicology and composition at the Central Conservatory in Beijing, China. Noon resides in New York City, Venice, Italy, and on the Greek island of Crete.

Ben McPeek

composer

Benjamin Dewey McPeek (August 28, 1934-January 14, 1981) was a Canadian composer, arranger, conductor, and pianist. He was born in Trail, British Columbia. In 1964 he established his own company, Ben McPeek Ltd., in which he produced and wrote music for radio and television. He quickly became the top jingle composer in Canada, and composed music of a more serious nature, including works for brass and woodwind quintet, the Paul Bunyan Suite (1977, recorded by the Canadian Brass), six piano sonatas, a piano concerto, several works for solo piano, and the orchestral works Northern 484, Fantasia, and Concert Suite among others.

McPeek earned an associate degree from The Royal Conservatory of Music in 1954 and a Bachelor of Music from the University of Toronto in 1956. He was a pupil of several notable teachers, including John Beckwith, Gordon Delamont, Talivaldis Kenins, Oskar Morawetz, Godfrey Ridout, and John Weinzweig. In 1960, McPeek made his first foray into musical theatre when he became music director of the revue Up Tempo 60 at the King Edward Hotel. He went on to compose music for several other theatrical productions between 1963-1968, including That Hamilton Woman, Suddenly This Summer, Actually This Autumn, and Spring Thaw. In 1963 he wrote his first opera, The Bargain, which was based on the legend of Faust. The opera was filmed for CBC Television in 1966 and was later staged for the first time in 1978 by the COMUS Music Theatre of Canada. He died in Toronto, aged 46.

Notes

Music of the late 20th century opened a new era of eclectic musical expression made possible by the rediscovery and reacceptance of tonality. New musical paths were explored that expressed contemporary and visionary ideas while embracing traditions of the past. The acceptance of a contemporary tonality — music that embraces the traditions of harmony and melody and the expansive interweaving of the two into an intelligible narrative — came into its own. Composers, seemingly liberated from academic constraints, responded by breathing new life into music reflective of their times; music no less complex than the more esoteric and intellectualized works that had begun to define the arc of modern music, but music that is far more inclusive and communicative to a wider audience. The result is a bountiful diversity of music that speaks to the soul as much as it does to the mind.

— Paul Cohen

Quartet for an Outdoor Festival was commissioned by and written for the Lincoln Center Out of Doors Festival, where Robert Aldridge presented a concert of his music in July 1989. This work is an exhilarating romp through a range of styles and magical places. The wildly energetic opening that drops to a deeply reflective series of cantilena passages sets up a juxtaposition that provides the modus operandi for the rest of the work which bounces back and forth between joyous outbursts and slow, passionate reminiscences.

The composer states about his work: “I wanted to compose a generally exuberant piece that would be loud and energetic enough to withstand the sounds of New York City on a summer eve. That said, it does have some slower and more introspective sections, but the general character of the one movement work is extroverted and ecstatic.”

Terpsichord, composed in 1992, was one of several pieces I have written over the years for the Vermont Contemporary Music Ensemble, a group founded by clarinetist Steven Klimowski. Having recently met and worked with saxophonist Steven Stusek — who was teaching at Middlebury College at the time the VCME commissioned me — I added alto saxophone to the VCME’s core instrumentation of clarinet, violin, cello, and piano. The sound of the resulting quintet is delightfully balanced, with the two winds and two strings, and the piano capable of acting as their liaison, accompanist, antagonist, stimulus, or commentator. Terpsichord is in three movements, which follow each other without pause in a fast-slow-fast sequence that is reminiscent of a Baroque Concerto, or to works of Stravinsky, Martinů, and Hindemith modeled on Baroque music. As in a Baroque work, the essential rhythmic impulse of each movement is maintained. The first movement is muscular and contrapuntal in its outer sections and has a lyrical middle section in the same tempo. Some of the opening music returns in retrograde at the end of the movement. By contrast, the second movement radiates a kind of Buddhist calm, with each wind and string emerging for solo turns against the sustained widely-spaced backdrop provided by the other four instruments. The joyful finale is almost entirely in 7/8 time, with allusions to both of the previous movements, as well as, more distantly, to Bach and Stravinsky, and to the kinetic energy of dance (hence the work’s title).

The character and personality of a piece of music cannot be willed. A work intended to be sad can convey unexpected positive energy, and a piece meant to be uplifting can prove just the opposite. Written during a sad period of my life from a personal point of view, Terpsichord took on a life of its own — it seems to me now in retrospect — as a mostly buoyant and optimistic work that conveys the joy of music-making, and a sense of well-being.

— Allan Shaw

For several years, the saxophonist Paul Cohen talked to me about composing a one-movement piece of chamber music that would include soprano saxophone. At first, I considered writing for saxophone and string quartet; however, Cohen preferred a mixed ensemble. I decided on the unique ensemble of violin, cello, piano, and soprano saxophone. As I considered the musical material of the piece, I naturally turned to the wealth of hymn runes that I had heard in church since I was a little child in western Pennsylvania. The rich repertoire of hymn tunes found in almost any hymnal has often been a source of inspiration and actual musical material for American composers. I have been part of the ethos of Charles Ives ever since I studied at Yale with pianist and musicologist John Kirkpatrick, who worked intimately with Ives and, in fact, gave the premiere performance of the great Concord Sonata. Even before my study at Yale, I felt especially close to the choral music of the Sunday service. In some ways, that sacred repertoire seemed to encapsulate the history of my own family in America. My first ancestors in the New World were religious separatists: Amish, Mennonite, Church of the Brethren, who came to America for religious freedom. One of my first musical memories is that of hearing my Grandmother Noon singing hymns both in church and on the radio. For my Hymn Variations, I have used four of my favorite hymn runes: “Resignation” (found in Walker’s Southern Harmony, 1835), “Land of Rest” (an American folk melody), “Wondrous Love” (an American folk hymn, c.1811, that is found in Walker’s Southern Harmony), and “Kingsfold” (found in English Country Songs, 1893, and subsequently arranged and harmonized by Ralph Vaughan Williams for the Anglican hymnal of 1906).

— David Noon

Trillium Suite was composed in 1979 for the Canadian saxophonist Paul Brodie. It is named for the white, three-petaled flower that is the floral emblem of the Province of Ontario. Each movement is devoted to one of Ontario’s local flowers.