Search - Mercury Ensemble, Blomster, Kilar :: Brighton Serenade

Brilliant playing by an outstanding ensemble

R. Doyle Gillespie | Arvada, CO United States | 07/04/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD is the best intro to Mercury Ensemble I can imagine. A professional strings group based in Denver, 20th and 21st century music is what they do best. Disclosure: one of the bassists on this CD (Robin Olschner) is a friend of mine. The best piece is Philip Glass' Arioso; Naomi Sue Smith's violin solo is beyond wonderful. Her breathtakingly precise rendering together with the understatedly lush low strings are fabulous. Howard Treibitz's Agnostic does not have a strong start, but stay with it until the Andante, where the tenor hits his stride and merges with the choir and strings for a thoughtful and beautiful work. I prefer some of Treibitz's other works, but this is not a bad introduction. The other pieces on this CD are worth listening to (particularly the Orawa), but the Glass and Treibitz pieces alone are worth the price. The clear, crisp sound of Mercury is ideal for this type of music, and their pioneering musical spirit shines through."