SAARIAHO / DONATONI / CARTER / BO Terrestre (CD)

Description: Further DetailsTitle: TerrestreCondition: NewDescription: EDITORIAL REVIEWS Chase, 33, founder and chief of the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) is best known for championing genre-defying work of emerging composers. However, for this new CD, she turns her attention to more established repertoire, presenting a collection of 20th century works that "celebrate and invigorate" the flute canon. "The flute had it's heyday as a solo instrument in the baroque era, but it became an orchestral instrument in the 19th century," says Chase, "and we've spent the last 100 years trying to rediscover a solo identity for the flute-trying to put it's repertoire on comparable footing with that of the violin, piano, and human voice." The title track, Saariaho's Terrestre, is a world premiere recording supervised by the composer. REVIEW Contemporary composers like Fujikura, says Chase, 'have started to think of breath as an ornament and as an expressive device in its own right, whether it's a subtle, moody breath or the dramatic gesture of an inhalation. Some breaths are even notated in the music: it increases the drama.' Breath also became a character in Kaija Saariaho's 'Terrestre' (2003), a spirited, fanciful work for flute, strings, harp and percussion in which Chase was joined by her colleagues from the International Contemporary Ensemble. 'Terrestre' is inspired by an Aboriginal tale of a bird teaching an entire village to dance. In it, the composer calls on the flutist to sing, too, sometimes while simultaneously playing another note, other times alternating, so that a conversation ensues between voice and instrument. It's a magical effect, but startling, too, because we have come to think of classical performers as transparent conduits for pure music. Bringing their breath and voice back into the performance is a way of asserting their physicality and individual sound. To do it well and remain within the confines of art takes the kind of combination of grace and guts that make Chase one of the more formidable forces on the classical scene but the result is a full-throated affirmation of chamber music as human drama. --Wall Street Journal, Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim, February 2012 A dazzling flutist and the entrepreneurial leader of the International Contemporary Ensemble, the tireless Claire Chase showcases music from 'Terrestre,' a superb new CD . . . Included are significant, lovely works by Kaija Saariaho, Dai Fujikura, Pierre Boulez, Elliott Carter and Franco Donatoni, performed by Ms. Chase with her colleagues from ICE. --New York Times, Steve Smith, February 2012 The title piece 'Terreste' was composed by Kaija Saariaho and it opens this disc dynamically as it did at closing the concert. This piece pushes Ms. Chase to the limits, as Claire must sing parts of words and play the flute simultaneously. The instrumentation includes violin, cello, harp & percussion and I found myself at the edge of my seat throughout marveling at the music ands the way it evolves. There is an uplifting, spirited vibe at the center of this music and Ms. Chase's solo midway is just astonishing. I had to play this piece a few times in a row since I didn't want it to end. The overall effect is that of creating a dream-world which shimmers between different spirits. Franco Donatoni's 'Fili' is for flute and piano, which is played by Jacob Greenberg who also produced this disc. There are layers of complex lines and interaction between the flute and piano which weave from sparse to busy sections. Elliott Carter's 'Esprit Rude/Esprit Doux' is for flute & clarinet and the vibe has that Mothers' 'Uncle Meat'-like quirkiness that we know and love so well. Pierre Boulez's 'Sonatine' is an early (1947) work by the maestro and it is indeed a demanding piece. The last piece listed on this disc is by Dai Fujikura who was a student of Pierre Boulez. This work is for solo bass flute and it opened the concert I attended. It is a most haunting work with each deep note suspended carefully in space. This piece sounds like a most fitting conclusion to the an already auspicious work. Although it is not listed on the cover, this disc ends with a short spoken word piece which is printed on the inside cover. This piece also seems to fit nicely within the entirety of this extraordinary work. --Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music GalleryFormat: CDGenre: ClassicalArtist: SAARIAHO / DONATONI / CARTER / BONo Of Discs: 1Country/Region of Manufacture: USARecord Label: New Focus RecordingsEAN: 0884501665124 Missing Information?Please contact us if any details are missing and where possible we will add the information to our listing.

Price: 26.75 USD

Location: 60543

End Time: 2025-01-31T09:14:05.000Z

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