Dutilleux: Sur le même accord, Citations, Mystère de l'instant ...

Chronique

Ludovic Morlot's recordings with the Seattle Symphony have reflected his abiding interest in modern repertoire, with special attention paid to the orchestral music of Henri Dutilleux, who has been represented in four releases. Dutilleux's famed perfectionism resulted in works that were few in number but highly polished and original, and the four selections on this CD demonstrate his exceptional abilities in combining rarefied tone colors and unusual instrumental groupings to create otherworldly effects. Guest artist Augustin Hadelich opens the program with Sur le même accord, a nocturne for violin and orchestra, and his intensely lyrical and virtuosic part gives this piece the feeling of a single-movement concerto, compressed into the span of ten minutes. Les citations, a rare chamber work performed by Mary Lynch on oboe, Mahan Esfahani on harpsichord, Jordan Anderson on bass, and Michael A. Werner on percussion, is a diptych composed to mark Dutilleux's stint as composer-in-residence at the 1985 Aldeburgh Festival, and to honor the memory of fellow composer Jehan Alain. Mystère de l'instant, which features Chester Englander on cimbalom, is a series of ten short pieces that explore the spontaneity and subjectivity of the process of composition. Closing with Timbres, espace, mouvement (ou "La nuit etoilée"), Morlot and the orchestra offer one of Dutilleux's most atmospheric works, a musical tribute to Vincent Van Gogh's painting The Starry Night, and a continuation of the French orchestral tradition started by Debussy and Ravel. Taken altogether, this album is a fine introduction to Dutilleux's fascinating music, and it's another success for Morlot and Seattle, with terrific sound quality to boot.
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