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Birtwistle at his most radical and abrasive

Discophage | France | 09/02/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Beware: this is Birtwistle at his most radical. Piercing woodwinds, braying brass, pounding percussion: In Verses (1969) for woodwind quintet, brass quintet and three percussions, the music is angular, brutal, abrasive. No criticism whatsoever implied: I'm just trying to be descriptive. The music is also very dramatic. "Refrains and Choruses" for Woodwind Quintet from 1957 was Birtwistle's first composition. It is slightly less uncompromising than Verses, but not much. Its timbral combinations and aggressive moods bring Varèse to mind.



"For O, for O, the Hobby-Horse is Forgot" (title borrowed from line in Hamlet), subtitled "A Ceremony" and, again, a distant heir of Varèse's Ionisation, is more about timbre and color than rhythm and pulse. It is a little long I find for its basic resources.



The performances were recorded live on December 10, 1991 in Amsterdam and "For O..." is a recording premiere. No trace of audience noise that I could detect. At 52:17, shortish TT. Notes are fine.

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