Search - Georges Lentz, Ensemble 24 :: Lentz: Caeli enarrant...III & IV; Birrung; Nguurraa

Truly great music!

music lover from Melbourne | 08/19/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've been lucky to meet this composer a couple of times when he was down in Melbourne - strange character - he can be very friendly, but at other times he's extremely shy, withdrawn and can be rather abrasive and uncommunicative. He seems to be increasingly reclusive - for ex. I attended the Adelaide Festival performance of his "Caeli enarrant..." IV and had looked forward to hearing the composer talk about the piece there (live on radio), but he declined and didn't turn up...Apparently he never publicly talks about his music these days...



Anyway I digress - it's the music that counts and this music is some of the most essential and moving new music I have encountered. 'Moving' not in a romantic sense (for some this should be a warning!). Rather this music is concerned with the deepest questions and doesn't offer easy answers. There's a searching, questioning quality in its silences and )in its sounds!) that makes it into some kind of 'musical existentialism'... None of this would be of any interest if it weren't for the intrinsic musical quality of the music, and it certainly has that! The string quartet "Caeli enarrant" IV is becoming a bit of a cult piece and has had quite few performances, and it's a fantastic piece. However, the really great works on this CD (for me) are Birrung and Nguurra from the 'cycle within a cycle' 'Mysterium' "Caeli enarrant " VII. This is art of the highest order, truly original and moving in its gripping quasi-tonal harmonies, micro-tonal frictions/dissonances and clean simple single lines. A great CD from a great composer! Also it should be said that it is one of the only CD's in Naxos's 21st Century series that is any good (the Manoury and Balada ones are quite interesting too). This one however easily towers over the lot. I hope the previous reviewer talking about the orchestral Cd bought that! It's just as great, but unfortunately harder to get. When can we hope for an orchestral CD of Georges Lentz on Naxos? Any how, grab this Naxos one!"

Freakish cosmic movements

music lover from Melbourne | 07/25/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A harrowing selection of compositions by the hitherto unknown Georges Lentz. The pieces are structured around ideas fusing Christian mysticism and astronomy. He utilises a vast range of musical models, including serialism and he is adept with glissando as well, similar to Coates. As Lentz says of Caeli enarrant III "one of the central features of the work is silence, a precondition to any form of contemplation and an analogy to the absence of (visible) matter in huge portions of the universe"."

Amazing and moving!

harald jahn | California | 02/26/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I listen to a lot of contemporary music, but this one really moved me. Lentz's music is at times tough, other times as pure as I've rarely if ever heard in today's music. The strong thing however is that this serenity doesn't make it sugary or new age mash. This music has a monothithic quality - awesome. Don't be put off by the modernist hard-edge envelope of some of the sounds. A great and highly original composer. Highly recommended! (I believe there's also a new recording of Lentz's orchestral music on the ABC Classics label. I'll certainly check it out.)"