Covert Ensemble: Bedrich Smetana: Three Dances from The Bartered Bride
Teal Creek Music
Matching its earlier The Sky Between Us release for visceral energy, Covert Ensemble returns with an eleven-minute recording that despite its brevity leaves a strong and lasting impression. The synergy demonstrated by American saxophonist Dave Camwell (soprano), Czech saxophonist Katerina Pavlíková (alto), and pianist Martin Hybler is undeniable as they power through three effervescent treatments of dances from Bedrich Smetana's The Bartered Bride. The trio's instrumentation makes for an arresting group sound and identity, and the group, founded by Camwell and Pavlíková in 2021, has achieved an exciting rapport in a short time. (Note that Tingting Yao occupied the piano chair on the earlier recording, with Hybler accompanying the saxophonists on this latest one.)
While the group has fashioned arrangements of popular classical pieces by J. S. Bach and Max Richter, its latest release focuses on the nineteenth-century Czech composer Smetana and specifically excerpts from his second opera The Bartered Bride (1863-66). Recorded, suitably, in Prague in May 2024, the release opens with the infectious “Furiant,” which finds Camwell's mellifluous soprano sweetly singing alongside his partners' swinging base until the three engage in a dizzying dance that's almost gyroscopic. Breezily segueing between rapidly changing metres, the radiant piece registers as the perfect two-minute overture. The dynamic “Polka” that follows begins with a stately, scene-setting intro by Hybler before the saxophonists enter in unison to intone their cheekily mischievous song—it hardly surprises that a piece so suave and endearing is often performed as a concert stand-alone. The closing “Skocná,” which is also known as the “Dance of the Clowns” or “Dance of the Tumblers,” is a dynamic roller-coaster ride of melodic invention and allure. Listening to the saxophonists trade phrases with authority and then unite for unison statements, one could be convinced they've been playing together for decades.
Outside of Covert Ensemble, Camwell is the Director of Jazz Studies and Professor of Music at Troy University in Alabama and a solo artist too. He's issued material on labels such as Parma, Innova, and Centaur and issued Second Wind on Navona in 2019. Pavlíkováalso also has other irons in the fire, including membership in the Bohemia Saxophone Quartet, performances as a soloist with orchestras and chamber ensembles, teaching gigs (at the Conservatory in Ceské Budejovice and at the Elementary Music and Art School in Volary), and a solo album featuring music for baritone saxophone and electronics called Dive. In concert with Hybler, the two have performed a valuable service to their colleagues in adding excellent new material to the classical saxophone repertoire. They've been honoured for their efforts, too: the group was named second prize winners of the American Prize in Chamber Music Performance in October 2024 and has received similar recognition elsewhere. After the issuing of two EP-length releases, perhaps the time is ripe for a full-album set by the trio.December 2024