Currently in Music

Desert island music
WESLEY BERG

Calvin Dyck, Betty Suderman, Heather Dyck, Michael Strutt and Joel Stobbe.

Mennonite Central Committee Supportive Care Services, 1998.

This CD is a collection of arrangements of well-known tunes from a variety of sources--opera excerpts, chorale tune, folk songs--played by Calvin Dyck, a Vancouver-area violinist; his wife Heather and Betty Suderman, pianists; Michael Strutt, guitar; and Joel Stobbe, cello. Dyck calls this his desert island music, and the recording can serve very well when pleasant background music is required. Two ragtime compositions are by Larry Nickel, a composer associated with the series of CDs produced for BC MCC by the West Coast Mennonite Chamber Choir. These two pieces are fresh and delightful additions to the collection.

While fine for casual listening, the recording does not stand up very well to a close, careful listening. The violin playing is neat and clean, but has a limited expressive range. It was recorded in a church, and there seems to be an attempt to recreate the experience of an actual recital. The result, unfortunately, is a piano that sounds remote and muffled and a violin sound that lacks the presence and the bite that could have been there had the microphone been closer. The pieces with the guitar are more successful.

The cause is a worthy one. Proceeds from the sales of this CD support B.C. MCC SCS. This CD is not listed, but other CDs in the series are available at $18.95 from www.mccscs.com. Music lovers looking for a collection of familiar tunes to accompany their activities will enjoy this recording.