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Franz Koglmann: Lo-lee-ta: Music on Nabokov
ByNabokov was an intriguing character. An exiled son of a Russian aristocrat at the end of the 19th century, this professor of literature, chess connoisseur and butterfly expert wrote the scandalous and erotic novel Lolita (1955), recounting the story of the middle-aged narrator/protagonist, Humbert Humbert, and his obsession and sexual involvement with the twelve-year-old Dolores Haze. Koglmann found Nabokov's prose suggesting something similar to his compositionsa distinct and personal style, a sense of elegant coolness, a flair for provocative drama and a deep need not to be bound to any norms or respected patterns.
Koglmann uses the motif in Bob Harris' title theme from director Stanley Kubrick's 1962 screen adaptation of the novel as a recurring motif throughout this elaborate musical tribute. He moves between pieces written for his Monoblue Quartetfeaturing longstanding musical partners Tony Coe (reeds), Peter Herbert (bass) and Ed Renshaw (guitar) that follow the novel's characters and scenes, as well as a series of short "Hereafter" duo pieces with keyboardist Wolfgang Mitterer that are used as sonic analogies to the characters. The interplay between the quartet members is rich and nuanced and, as expected, reflects Koglmann's rich musical vocabulary, referencing everything from early jazz to Third Stream and the avant-garde. The duos with Mitterer charge these pieces with additional abstract subtlety.
That said, Koglmann does not bind himself to Nabokov, dedicating "A Day's Work" to psychoanalyst Michael Turnheim even tough Nabokov was a well-known hater of psychoanalysis. Koglmann dedicates the final tracks to Nabokov's other novels.
This fantastic musical tribute is more than an entertaining and intellectual character quiz for connoisseurs. Using detached irony but still in his passionate manner, Koglmann offers a beautiful, accessible musical portrayal of a great writer.
Track Listing
Love Theme from Lolita; Hereafter #1; Montreux Palace; Hereafter #2; A Day's Work (dedicated to Michael Turnheim); Hereafter #3; Ada and Van; Vadim Vadimowitsch N.; Hereafter #4; Laura; Hereafter #5; Just Half a Shade; Hereafter #6 ; Martha Dreyer.
Personnel
Franz Koglmann
flugelhornMonoblue Quartet: Tony Coe: clarinet, alto saxophone; Franz Koglmann: trumpet, flugelhorn; Ed Renshaw: guitar; Peter Herbert: bass (1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12, 14). Duo Franz Koglmann & Wolfgang Mitterer: Franz Koglmann: trumpet, flugelhorn; Wolfgang Mitterer: piano, electronics (2, 4, 6, 9, 11, 13)
Album information
Title: Lo-lee-ta: Music on Nabokov | Year Released: 2009 | Record Label: Col Legno
Comments
About Franz Koglmann
Instrument: Flugelhorn
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