ABRAHAMSEN: Stratifications / Nacht und Trompeten / Piano Concerto

Chronique

Although Hans Abrahamsen began his career as a follower of the "New Simplicity" movement in Denmark -- a conservative effort in the 1960s to counter the influence of the avant-garde -- he subsequently developed his own methods and moved on to fashion a more idiosyncratic and intuitive practice. Drawing on many compositional techniques, from Stravinsky's neo-Classicism to Ligeti's spectral explorations, and beyond, Abrahamsen veers between extremes of style, yet avoids sounding eclectic by never lingering too long on any one mannerism or reference. The chaotic stylistic menagerie of Stratifications (1973-1975) hardly prepares the listener for the quiet, poetic musings of Nacht und Trompeten (1981), and the variegated Concerto for piano and orchestra (1999-2000) only remotely resembles a conventional concerto -- perhaps one that has been taken apart and reassembled as a vehicle for musical stream-of-consciousness. The arrangements of pieces by Bach, Nielsen, Nørgård, and Schoenberg are interesting sidelines, but if they were Abrahamsen's major preoccupation in the 1990s, then they suggest that the composer took time out to reassess his directions. The Danish National Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Thomas Dausgaard, plays the first two works with vivid timbres and admirable precision, and the BIT 20 Ensemble, directed by Ilan Volkov, presents the Concerto and the arrangements with intimate expression and strikingly separated colors.
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