Ash un Flamen

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"The music is always deeply moving but by no means predictable. For instance, a poem called 'Smoke of Jewish Children' is set to eerily understated rather than angry or dramatic music."
Dallas Morning News/January 1999

 

"Sad and ironic, still there plays the undercurrent of hope, as in 'Passover in Treblinka,' in which prisoners of the camp at Treblinka prepare for Seder. In 'Kaddish,' survivors remember those who are no longer with us. 'Roichen' (Smoke) spirals eerily as children, along with their toys, leave the earth as wisps of smoke...[an] emotionally difficult set..."
National Association of Teachers of Singing, Journal of Singing/June 1999
 

"strikingly beautiful...[its] ambiguity is heightened by the music ('Shifreles Portret'). 'Kaddish' is direct and bleak."
Dallas Morning News/April 2003

"Vigorous, leonine readings of cornerstones in the clarinet repertoire sit comfortably alongside Jonathan Cohler's world premiere recording of Simon Sargon's recent work 'Deep Ellum Nights.' This evocative three-movement suite...is skilfully crafted and convincingly performed. There's an enticing, street-wise colloquialism in Cohler's playing...The F minor Brahms Sonata is commandingly played...With excellent support for the pianist Judith Gordon, this is playing of real distinction. Weber's Grrand Duo Concertant, Op. 48, finds these artists in total command of every demonstrative and virtuosic gesture in this taxing three-movement work; scintillating playing..."
BBC Music Magazine/ 1993

 

"This fine collection marks the recording debut of an outstanding, Boston-born, American clarinetist. He has a splendid technique and a lovely tone, and he is already master of an extraordinarily wide range of repertoire. The opening Brahms 'F minor Sonata' is a supreme test, and he passes with distinction...The Baermann 'Adagio' shows how ravishingly Cohler can shape a melting legato line with a breath-catching pianissimo at its peak. He then throws his hat in the air in the three exuberant '[Deep Ellum Nights] Sketches' of Simon Sargon...Only an American musician could play this with such understanding spontaneity. "Highest Rating.""
The Penguin Guide to Compact Discs 1994 

"With a clear, ringing tone, combined with technique and taste, Cohler has produced a disc that features the finest in clarinet playing...Cohler delivers a full-blown, dramatic and forward-moving performance. Cohler then makes seemingly effortless work of Carl Maria von Weber's The Grand Duo Concertant (Op. 48), a virtuoso piece from beginning to end. This is music in the grand tradition, requiring absolute control of the instrument from high to low end, and Cohler achieves this brilliantly...'Deep Ellum Nights' by Simon A. Sargon...[is] a wonderful piece played to perfection which, fittingly, ends this recital on the highest note of the clarinet's range-- double-high C. A great disc!"
Windplayer Magazine/ February 1994

"'Deep Ellum Nights' by Simon Sargon are exactly what they claim to be: three sketches. They evoke the mood of a certain section of the city of Dallas in the first half of the 20th century- its local analog of the Bourbon street area in New Orleans. The names of the parts fairly describe the character of each. 'Dark and Smoky' starts as a relaxed, almost improvisatory, blues, which is interrupted by a sharp-edged, bumpy episode, and is gradually restored. The jazzy abilities of the clarinet are put to good use here- but are still better in the second sketch, 'Quiet and Easy.' This one has some Gershwin flair, in its steady piano pulse and sliding harmonies. It reaches an impressive climax and then calms away...The music is light and careless, and the two instruments are like two dance partners who know their steps so well that they dare to improvise."
MusicWeb International, September 2010  
 

"A star item [on Cohler on Clarinet] is 'Deep Ellum Nights: Three Sketches' by Simon Sargon. This is a major addition to the clarinet repertoire by an American composer, inspired by a section of downtown Dallas, Texas where consecutive waves of different ethnic groups have lived..it accordingly admits diverse musical influences. It is this major work...which distinguished this disc and lifts it to that of a special disc well worth seeking out."

New CD Guide/September 1993 

"The treat here [on Cohler on Clarinet] is 'Deep Ellum Nights'... It is worth the price of the disc. About 12 minutes of music with a jazz flavor, these three morsels are terrific- and technically demanding. I will play this record again and again. The last piece ends with a glissando up to a high C above high C, the highest note on the clarinet. Nice!"
American Record Guide/September 1993 

"This evocative three-movement suite, recalling migrant life in the ethnic melting pot of a decaying Dallas suburb earlier this century, is skilfully crafted... "
BBC Music Magazine/October 1993 

"The three movements are built around blues, jazz styles and ragtime. A wonderful piece..."
Windplayer Magazine/February 1994

 

"...exuberant...sultry melodic lines are interrupted by all kinds of jazzy glissandos and uninhibited syncopations, notably an explosive burst of energy intruding into the 'Quiet and easy' central section. The finale is like a flashy cakewalk. "
The Penguin Guide to Compact Discs 1994

"This makes an excellent companion piece, with some flavour of the 1920's, even though it was written many decades later-- especially in the witty and parodic moments in the first movement. The second and third movements are more profound: reflective and dramatic by turns."
British Association of Symphonic Bands and Wind Ensembles, Wind Magazine/2003   

"What a marvelous, tuneful, appealing piece this is! ...Sargon's is a name to be reckoned with among those in the know, and he has even been the subject of one of Karl Haas's radio programs. I can see why. This work is tinged with jazz elements-- though with discretion and taste-- yet sounds like American music should: vigorous, wide open, and optimistic, even in the face of tragedy. The piano writing is linear rather than chordal, and the orchestra contributes some lovely solo playing. Certainly this is a composer worth paying attention to. Three discs are devoted to him on the Gasparo label alone, and I intend to delve more deeply into his music."
American Record Guide/Sept.-Oct. 2003 

"A three-movement work of diverting generosity. The opening movement is indeed bright and cocksure, with ebullience and a freshness that is immediately appealing. Sargon knows all about rhythmic insouciance and gives the first trumpeter a forceful and effective part to play. Sargon gives the wind some effective lines as well-- it all ends well and excitingly and I enjoyed the work."
Classical CD Reviews MusicWeb (UK)/2003 

"... a moving and solidly built piece that deserves a place in the repertory. The texts, in English, Aramaic and Hebrew, are drawn from the penitential services held during the month preceding Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. The cumulative effect, though somber is never merely gloomy, and there is not a touch of self-indulgence in words or music. Sargon is especially skiillful in using the forces at his disposal...the dialogue between choir and soloist is expertly handled, giving shape and direction to the individual movements."
Fort Worth Star-Telegram/July 1984 

"As for 'Elul,' it proved to be a remarkable work by a remarkable composer. Based on traditional and modern texts concerning the Jewish penitential season, it transcends sectarian limits and takes on a universal significance; it may be regarded (to borrow a phrase from Ernest Bloch) as part of the 'gift of Judaism to the whole of mankind.' "
Dallas Observer/August 1984

"The cantata is a work of great intensity and real beauty, and it seemed to me that it would have an appeal to audiences outside the Jewish tradition. I was struck by Sargon's dramatic sense and by his originality as a composer. While his musical idiom is modern, it is not acerbic or forbidding, and one quickly becomes engrossed in the cantata. The overall effect is strong, but several sections in particular stick in the memory. Part four ('The Lord, the Lord God') is a simply gorgeous piece for chorus...In the mysterious and and tortured 'Our God and God of Our Fathers,' short baritone phrases in Hebrew are juxtaposed with choral singing in English; it is very effective. Also quite striking is the 'Angels of Prayer,' in which the baritone sings amid a kind of chant in the chorus...The tenth and final section is another haunting and melodically appealing section for soprano and chorus... Sargon is no ordinary composer."
Dallas Times Herald/ September 1981 

"'Homage to Hafiz' is full of exotic and Eastern sounds with lyrical and haunting melodies. The music and Hannigan's playing is fluid and very attractive. 'Haas Trio' contains jaunty, carefree themes, intense lyric emotion in the second movement, and impudent humor in the final movement. The playing of Hannigan and Walzel is engaging and flexible, especially with the interchange of jazz rhythms and slow eulogy music when the second movement's theme is restated... Hannigan and Sargon perform 'Duologue' with tasteful precision and elegance. Their performance is very engaging and delightful to listen to... I recommend this disc for a number of reasons: Erin Hannigan's fine playing; the variety of works performed; new and interesting works that are recorded for the first time."
The Double Reed/September 2008  
 

"Hannigan presents a user-friendly recital designed to showcase her talents, and like DeAlmeida, her playing is accomplished, beguiling, and both demonstrates and celebrates the high level of musicianship found in our current American orchestras... Sargon's 'Homage to Hafiz' ...is well served by Hannigan's flexible phrasing and warmly plangent tone."
Fanfare Magazine/September 2008

   

"[Hannigan's] tone is supple and sweet..and she seems to easily navigate the difficulties of the instrument through a variety of styles while projecting an unerring confidence no matter what she is playing...I can heartily recommend the two works by Simon Sargon (also the pianist here) as being completely involving and lovely works..."
Audiophile Audition/Aug.-Sept. 2008  
   

"Another well annotated anthology from Crystal. I held onto this disc for review because of the Dunhill but discovered Sargon. I hope to hear much more of Sargon."
MusicWeb International/June 2008 

" ...oboist Erin Hannigan...has a warm, liquescent tone and expressive eloquence...Simon Sargon...is a warmly expressive pianist, as well as a deft composer..."
Dallas Morning News/July 2008

     

"The title honors the late classical-music broadcaster Karl Haas, but only the central 'Andante espressivo,' tender and lyrical, is specifically memorial...  Sargon is a fine and fluent craftsman and contrapuntist. "
Dallas Morning News/May 2006 

"The trio is vividly alive, playfully touching and with a gallic edginess. The 'Vivo' even has a faintly absurdist tone. This is music brimming with genuine life- melodic, tonal and pleasing."
MusicWeb International/June 2008 

"[Sargon's] largely American, quirky 'Haas Trio for Oboe, bassoon, and Piano' shows another side of his talent...the moving elegy to Haas's memory is now the central movement of an otherwise unabashedly lighthearted expression."
Fanfare Magazine/September 2008