Gregg WramagePHOTO: Murat Eyüboğlu

Reviews

“La tristesse durera”
...the mystery and shimmer in Gregg Wramage’s “La tristesse durera”, a rumination on Van Gogh.
Minneapolis Star Tribune, December, 2006
Piano preludes
The three short selections of Gregg Wramage, a young thirtyish composer with already many citations and signs of serious recognition to his credit, reveals a composer comfortable with the range and subtlety of the piano. The first piece was one of seven written expressly for pianist Bruce Levingston, after a recital in which the composer was very much moved by the entire recital process, particularly the idea of being alone with many eyes upon you. Some further research led to the title Seven Solitudes, drawn from Nietzsche. Whether Ms. Gutlerner was aware of all of that or not, she certainly seemed to capture the nature of the solitude expressed here, and one can attribute that to common understanding among all artists everywhere. “La tristesse durera”, the piano version of an orchestral work, is drawn from Van Gogh, an artist from the soloist’s own environs. It, too, requires much thoughtfulness, and so those fleeting moments cry out for further listening. This composer has and will continue to have much to say.
New Music Connoisseur, summer/fall, 2006
in shadows, in silence
Mr. Wramage’s command of textures, instrumental sounds and harmony was impeccable. And eighth blackbird’s incredibly precise playing made the rhythmic aspects of the piece function brilliantly. His change of texture and character were never awkward, and his occasional Shostakovich-like harmonies were also effective. I especially liked his chordal duet between violin and cello, and the very last three phrases.
Lakeville Journal (Connecticut), July, 2002
Deep Midnight
“Deep Midnight” was brash, angular and rhythmically propulsive. Inspired by an essay by Nietzsche, it was more muscular than esoteric.
New Jersey Star-Ledger, July, 2002
Brilliant Mirrors
“a tightly woven piece, the composition is structured so that movements 1 and 5, as well as 2 and 4, mirror each other, if not in precisely pallindromic fashion, certainly in terms of general character. The middle movement represents the “dynamic peak”—chorale-like writing marked at mid-point by a climactic unison trill and a sudden burst of activity, followed by a return to earlier material. Overall, this is perky, bright-eyed and sanguine music.”
New Music Connoisseur, summer/fall, 2000