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Tüür: Magma
Erkki-Sven Tuur, Paavo Järvi, Estonian National Symphony Orchestra
Tüür: Magma
Genre: Classical
 
  •  Track Listings (4) - Disc #1

JARVI/ESTONIAN NSO

     
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CD Details

All Artists: Erkki-Sven Tuur, Paavo Järvi, Estonian National Symphony Orchestra
Title: Tüür: Magma
Members Wishing: 2
Total Copies: 0
Label: Virgin Classics
Original Release Date: 1/1/2007
Re-Release Date: 8/14/2007
Genre: Classical
Styles: Chamber Music, Historical Periods, Modern, 20th, & 21st Century, Symphonies
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 094638578529

Synopsis

Product Description
JARVI/ESTONIAN NSO
 

CD Reviews

Not as compelling as I thought it would be
Frank Paris | Beaverton, OR USA | 11/24/2007
(3 out of 5 stars)

"My evaluation is probably just a matter of taste. There's no question on the quality of the performance or recording. Both are outstanding. But I just couldn't get into the music! I tried, listening to it several times, but I just wasn't drawn back to it. The percussion in the first work is kind of interesting to listen to with my premium headphone setup, but it just didn't draw me back. Also, I don't appreciate the jazz or rock roots of the music, whatever it is. It sounds too "pop" to me."
Tuur is a master, this music is not
Ryan Morris | Chicago, IL | 03/21/2008
(3 out of 5 stars)

"I love Tuur and found this album to be his most recommended which is shcking considering it is the worst and I would favour any released on ECM over this. I did enjoy the three works accompanying the symphony 4 for percussion, but that work itself is pretty lame.

If you would like to hear why I consider Tuur one of the finest living composers-check out all of his ECM discs(proably Oxymoron last). The other three works on Magma will give you a better idea of what to expect and, at least I hope, the symphony 4 is not a tu(ur)n for the worst in this intersting and unique composers ouvre."
Underwhelming percussion concerto
R. Hutchinson | a world ruled by fossil fuels and fossil minds | 12/04/2008
(3 out of 5 stars)

"Tuur decided to call the percussion concerto he wrote for Evelyn Glennie his Symphony No. 4 -- "Magma." Here it is, performed by Glennie and the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, led by Tuur's friend and compatriot Paavo Jarvi. It's not bad, but it's not great either. Repeated listening hasn't budged me from this lukewarm assessment. (It seems to be a rare case of a unanimous critical response, at least on Amazon!) For a much better Tuur disc, see EXODUS on ECM, also with Jarvi conducting, but featuring his City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra -- see my review.



The other three compositions on this disc are somewhat better, but all are minor works, and the disc does not cohere well overall. Two are choral pieces, "Inquietude du Fini" for chamber choir and orchestra, and "Igavik (Eternity)" for male choir and orchestra, which is less than 5 minutes long. "The Path and the Traces" is an impressive piece for string orchestra inspired by the island of Crete and Greek Orthodox plainchant.



"Magma" features a percussion solo, of course, a sort of rock concert interlude for drum-kit as second movement, but Glennie plays vibraphone and glockenspiel in the first movement, marimba and woodblocks in the third movement, and congas in the dance-inspired finale. I am struck by the Debussean orchestration and feel of this concerto/symphony hybrid. A colleague recently maintained that Debussy is the reigning composer of our time, and I was initially skeptical, but it certainly seems as though many younger composers are retrenching from various avant-garde pursuits to a Debussean soundworld, including the Nordic/Baltic composers Saariaho, Lindberg and Tuur. I do not see this as a good thing, but I am no doubt outvoted by the classical concert-going public.



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