Hailed as both "thoughtful musician and breathtaking figure-skater of a technician" (FinancialTimes), Leif Ove Andsnes has long championed what has been called "contemporary music without tears." Here he presents the concerto written for him by the French composer Marc-André Dalbavie, alongside what he regards as the "great piano concerto from the second half of the 20th century," written by Lutoslawski. Framing these works are two solo pieces by fellow Scandinavian Bent Sørensen: the exquisite Lullabies, and the shimmering sounds and dreamlike landscape of the album's title piece, also commissioned by the pianist. In between are eight beguiling miniatures from Games by György Kurtág.
Of the Dalbavie concerto, Andsnes comments: "I like very much that Dalbavie has written a real concerto: a virtuoso piece for piano and orchestra and not, like so many newer pieces, a work where the piano part is simply written into the orchestra. The piece contains great virtuoso writing that is done with a deep understanding of the instrument. The ideas transform from one thing to the next: an idea starts as an accompanying figure and might transform itself to a melodic element or motif. This is a fascinating aspect of his music -- it's all about the transformation of ideas."
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