4.0 out of 5 stars
Blooming Branches of Contemporary Music, August 2, 2009
This review is from: Searching for roots (Audio CD)
In this recording, young Estonian conductor Paavo Järvi conducts works by three composers who represent for him the past (Eduard Tubin, 1905-1982), present (Arvo Pärt, b. 1935), and future (Erkki-Sven Tüür, b. 1951) of Estonian music. In the past I have auditioned several of Tubin's earlier symphonies as conducted by Neeme Järvi, and was not particularly moved by what I heard; the same is true with this disk. Tubin's music is pleasant, but I can't say much more than that.
Things get more interesting as we move on to Pärt, represented here by two pieces that were written prior to his conversion to the more tonal, simple style for which he is now famous. Nekrolog, his first orchestral work, is dramatic and declamatory, while his First Symphony, in only two movements, is dramatic and always musically interesting.
We come finally to three pieces by Erkki-Sven Tüür, whose ECM CD Crystallisatio came out of nowhere to be one of my favorite releases of 1996. Tüür is represented on this CD by three works: Searching for Roots (Hommage à Sibelius), Insula Deserta, and Zeitraum, all three of which are fascinating and rewarding. Tüür's music is like no other music I have ever heard, but it is extremely engrossing, and it rewards repeated listening.
The excellent sonics (engineering is by Mike Hatch) serve the music well, helping to illuminate the sometimes complex sonorities favored by all three composers. This in not an easy-listening CD that I would recommend to just anyone, but to anyone with an interest in contemporary orchestral music and its many blooming branches, I recommend Searching for Roots with utmost enthusiasm.
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