Search - Brian Ferneyhough, Kolbeinn Bjarnason, Valgerdur Andresdottir :: Music for Flute

Essential listening

Samuel Andreyev | Paris, France | 12/11/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is highly rewarding music, to be returned to again and again. Unity Capsule, by now a legendary score, is given a truly astounding performance which brilliantly illuminates the primary concern of the piece--the imposition of a dense polyphony on an essentially monophonic instrument. A single gesture might have five or six strata all operating independantly; the extent to which Bjarnasson makes this transparent and audible must be heard to be believed. The other pieces on the disc are given similarly superlative performances, with Superscriptio, one of Ferneyhough's clearest and most approachable scores, coming off particularly well. Essential listening for all concerned with the aesthetics of modern music, and certainly also for flutists, who will no doubt find much of interest in the incredibly rich use of this instrument. Thirteen thumbs up!"