Hyde Park Herald: Another evening of bracing music performed by the Grossman Ensemble
The concert closed with “Ominous” by Vivian Fung. This is an idea which clicks with her, as she told us she had previously composed “Ominous Machine 1” and “Ominous Machine 2.” One of the inspirations for the music is the debilitating health issues currently experienced by her mother. The work is indeed infused with a threatening sense of inauspiciousness.
The work opens quietly with an agitated harp melody to set the mood. Fung is expert in establishing an anxious setting. A more roiling section follows with the dangerous energy of a runaway train. The piece is bursting with ideas, a breezy section, a jazzy one and a rapid section that captures the idea of mental confusion. There’s a drum set solo by percussionist Greg Beyer that was pert and stylish.
I found Fung’s conclusion beautiful. It is feathery soft music with rising passages full of mystery and portent, ending on a quiet upbeat that is not remotely ominous.