Review
This is a rather Messiaen-ic study in contrasts: the opening five minutes is almost supernaturally calm and quiet, suddenly shattered by a shrill burst of violins and chimes that disappears as enigmatically as it appeared, shifting between extremes of amplitude; in the second movement, a brash tumult of horns gives way to solitary clarinet, underpinned by doomy piano monochord, while the finale is almost completely stationary and barely audible, a still string pad with wanly tolling chimes. "Lerchenmusik" features a similarly startling blend of calm and stridency, before the final movement offers a gloss on the theme of Beethoven's 4th Piano Concerto. **** --Independent,29/04/11
In these two works Gorecki juxtaposes extreme contrasts veering between moments of eerie calm and strident aggression. Performance *** Recording **** --BBC Music Magazine,July'11
Product Description
CD Schonberg Ensemble/Reinbert De Leeuw
