Search - Arditti String Quartet, Kari Kriikku, Jukka Tiensuu :: From Scandinavia: Lindberg: Clarinet Quintet, Sorenson: Angels' Music, Saariaho: Nymphae, Tiensuu: Arsenic and Old Lace

James Dillon is possibly the chief oft-celebrated autodidact of contemporary Scottish composers. And this CD is decidedly unimpressive. Certainly the nadir is Ti.re-ti.ke-dha, a piece for solo drum set, in which Dillon presents us with his patronizing take on rock: chaotic percussion seizures occasionally give way to a catchy little backbeat that makes Chris Frantz look like Max Roach. There are nice things to be found on this release, like a lovely piano gesture at the opening of Spleen, or some equally expressive passages in the solo flute piece Sgothan, admirably performed by Cecile Daroux. But overall, the music leaves the impression of a dialectical confrontation between tedium and irritation. --Joshua Cody