Nathan Hudson is a composer and Ben Loory a writer, particularly of children’s stories. The two Americans have been working together for several years now. The whimsical, eccentric character of Loory’s stories finds an effective, attentive partner in Hudson’s playful, sometimes mischievous music. With the exception of the first piece on the programme, Brace Yourselves! (An Impact for Clarinet and Piano), which is entirely instrumental, all the others incorporate the voice, lyrically or simply as narrator, or both, like little stage productions.
Loory’s stories are as improbable as they are surprisingly rich in psychological depth. The zany situations described invite us, through well-constructed refined lyrics, to touch on more holistic subjects such as hope, surpassing oneself, spirituality, different identities, etc.
Hudson, in a tonal and playful language that does not shy away from expressive dissonance, is very good at picking out the emotional underpinnings of scenarios. Sometimes one wishes he would linger longer on a mood, an atmosphere, rather than constantly, or even abruptly, changing sonic character. Hudson’s musical discourse sometimes seems disjointed, too ‘fidgety’. But the quality of his chamber writing is undeniable, and the composer’s colouristic and expressive abilities impressive.
We end up following with attention the colourful adventures recounted here: an octopus desperate to touch the sun, a duck in love with a rock, a child who falls into a well and realises he can fly his way out, and a man who is tired of breathing!
