Takemitsu: Spectral Canticle

Albumbeschreibung

Three of the four late works of Toru Takemitsu recorded on this release are based on artworks (or, in the case of Twill for Twilight, a fabric). The works in question are Western, yet there is something quite Japanese about Takemitsu's textures here, with their wealth of detail in calm settings that owe much to Debussy and Messiaen. A key element is the guitar, which the composer handles in a unique way in orchestral textures. It is not a concertante instrument but rather a coloristic element that can be percussive or melodic, often interacting in a variety of ways with the Stradivarius violin of Viviane Hagner or the oboe d'amore of Juliana Koch. The most concerto-like piece is the wonderfully evocative To the Edge of Dream (1983), inspired by a surrealist painting of Paul Delvaux, but even here, it is the hypnotically shifting textures that fascinate as much as any virtuoso element. Guitarist Jacob Kellermann is sensitive to Takemitsu's overall mood, and he is fabulously recorded here by BIS at a MediaCity studio in the U.K. Conductor Christian Karlsen has a fine feeling for Takemitsu, capturing the small details of sound that are at the heart of the Takemitsu experience. A wonderful collection of works by a composer whose contributions are sometimes forgotten these days.

© James Manheim /TiVo