Search - Magnus [Composer] Lindberg, Peter Eötvös, Ensemble InterContemporain :: Magnus Lindberg: UR; Corrente; Duo Concertante; Joy

Four fine works in excellent sound and accompanied by a grea

Christopher Culver | 10/21/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"For fans of Magnus Lindberg, this French release is very much worth checking out. It contains four pieces performed by the Ensemble Intercontemporain conducted by Peter Eotvos. Even if other recordings exist in performance by Finnish musicians close to the composer, this one is unique for its superb sound quality. Recorded in IRCAM's projection space, this disc presents Lindberg's orchestral writing clear as crystal, with the spatial separation of the instruments readily audible.



"UR" for five instruments and electronics (1986) was the last piece in Lindberg's early period, written just before an extensive hiatus. Scored for an ensemble of clarinet/bass clarinet, piano/synthesizer, violin, cello, double bass, it compresses into chamber form Lindberg's first great work KRAFT premiered the previous year. Rhythm was Lindberg's chief concern in these days, giving bluntness something like Elliott Carter, and harmonically we find total chromaticism. It's a work that, from descriptions, should sound ugly, but it's not like that at all. The clarinet part, especially in the hands of the Ensemble Intercontemporain's Alain Damiens, keeps things whimsical, the electronics provides a lovely shimmery backdrop, and the virtuoso writing highlighted by solos lets the listener marvel at the performers' talent.



After a hiatus of over two years, Lindberg returned with the trilogy "Kinetics"-"Marea"-"Joy", where his new compositional technique focuses on harmony, namely chaconne technique. This is the style that has sustained him to the present moment, and in it he has created some true masterpieces of modern-classical music, such as "Feria", "Cantigas", and the "Concerto for Orchestra".



"Joy" for chamber orchestra and electronics (1989-1990) marks a notable break from the first piece on the disc. Sure, it use live electronics, in this case a sampler (whose source material comes from the demolition of an old grand piano with a sledgehammer!) and a synthesizer. The sound, however, reaches toward tonality, and the soundworld is quite meditative and calm. Such a tame surface hides the clever theoretical basis of the work, where Lindberg employed a computer program developed at IRCAM that could determine the fundamental or root for any vertical writing. It's not one of my favourite Lindberg pieces, but by no means disappointing.



"Duo concertante" for clarinet, cello, and ensemble (1990/1992) is an expansion of "Steamboat Bill Jr." for clarinet and cello. It bears something of the same relationship to the original that Berio's Chemins pieces bear to his Sequenzas, or Boulez's "sur Incises" to "Incises". It's very stylistically heterogenous, starting with a serial opening, containing standard new Lindberg in the middle, and ending in almost a minimalist fashion. Yet for all its fleeting jumps from one sound to another, it sounds quite pleasant due to Lindberg's harmonic cares.



"Corrente" (1992) breaks new ground in introducing a form that was to be widely used in the Clarinet Quintet, "Related Rocks", and the Concerto for Orchestra. A smooth, even orchestral sea (the title does mean "flowing") dominates in the first portion, while towards the end there's a dance-like ostinato. It also inaugurates an occasional use of quotation; here we hear a bit of Purcell's "Funeral Music for Queen Mary" buried in the waves. Later that year, Lindberg reworked the piece as "Corrente II" for large orchestra, but I think the original version for chamber orchestra works better. And IRCAM's recording works splendidly here, just compare it to that on Ondine with Sakari Oramo leading Avanti!.



The liner notes are superb. It contains an overview of Lindberg's career and the works here written by Julian Anderson (a noted composer in his own right) and an interview with Magnus Lindberg. The text is taken from IRCAM's "Compositeurs d'aujourd'hui" volume, which is worth tracking down for Lindberg fans but considerably more rare than this disc. All in all, if you're a fan of Lindberg, you need this disc."