Search - Peter Eötvös, Ludwig van Beethoven, Ensemble Modern :: Eotvos: zeroPoints / Beethoven: Symphony No.5

An entertaining program where Eotvos' recent "zeroPoints" is

Christopher Culver | 04/03/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Peter Eotvos conducts here here in a remarkable program divided between old and new. First up is a a recent piece, Eotvos' own "zeroPoints" for orchestra (1999), performed by the Goteborg Symfoniker. Eotvos tends to fall into a generic sort of modernism like umpteen other composers working at the moment, and I have a hard time hearing any sort of original voice here. Nonetheless, it is a lovely piece, nine orchestral miniatures numbered from 0.1 forward but never reaching 1. On one hand, it's full of myriad flashes of colour, containing pretty much every percussion timbre imaginable. On the other hand, it's securely rooted by a strong bass part. If you like Boulez's "Notations" for orchestra, these are recommended. The second half of the disc is Beethoven's Symphony No. 5, but this is not just another recording of an old warhorse. The piece may have originally demanded a large string section to fill a concert hall, but for this CD recording the Ensemble Modern have subtly used electronics for amplification so that their smaller string forces would have the same impact. I would call this experiment successful, as I get the same pleasure from this performance as from any canonical recording of Beethoven's 5th.



While there's nothing here that's especially must-have, this is an entertaining disc. Certainly for someone who has not yet heard Eotvos' music, "Atlantis" (on another BMC disc) is a good introduction."