The Music of Poul Ruders, Vol. 6

Chronique

Bridge Records continues its series devoted to the music of Danish composer Poul Ruders with this sixth volume, which includes a concerto and chamber music from the first decade of the 21st century. The showcase work is Ruders' Piano Concerto No. 2, written for Vassily Primakov who records it here, and which received a 2010 Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Classical Composition. Its first movement, while essentially lyrical, builds to a frenetic climax, and the third has a Bartókian propulsiveness. The daring simplicity and emotional directness of the second movement, which for the most part consists of a single piano line very sparingly accompanied, is especially striking. Serenade on the Shores of the Cosmic Ocean, for accordion and string quartet, is based on the writings of Carl Sagan and various movements cite quotations from T.H. Huxley, Darwin, Shakespeare, and Conrad. The literary and scientific references suggest a programmatic character, and Ruders' music effectively evokes the character of the references. The sonorities of the accordion and strings blend well, and Ruders exploits the possibilities of the unusual combination. The quiet movements, particularly "One Voice in the Cosmic Fugue" and "Dream Catcher," are especially lovely, conveying a Messiaen-like delicacy. The performances by Primakov, Thomas Søndergård leading the Norwegian Radio Orchestra, violinist Rune Tonsgaard Sørensen, accordionist Mikko Luoma, and the iO String Quartet, are focused, refined, and spirited. Bridge's sound in the chamber works is good, but in the Piano Concerto the piano sound lacks liveliness and detracts from the overall effectiveness of the piece.

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