This unique collection features compositions written to celebrate the
70th birthday, in 1976, of Paul Sacher, Swiss conductor and arts patron.
Presented together on disc for the first time, the
12 pieces on this double album are effectively a landscape of modern cello music.
Each of the composers were asked to write a piece using, as a starting
point, a motif of the 6 letters of Sacher’s name. New Series soloist
Thomas Demenga - acclaimed for his sequence of albums juxtaposing Bach
and contemporary composers - and his brother Patrick Demenga are the
performers.
Nearly two decades ago, Mstislav Rostropovich asked a dozen
composer-friends to write short works for him to play as part of the
celebration of the 75th birthday of Paul Sacher, arguably the century's
greatest patron of music. The theme, based on six notes translated from
letters of the name of the honoree, was to be developed by Benjamin
Britten for variations by Luciano Berio, Pierre Boulez, Henri Dutilleux,
Alberto Ginastera, Cristobal Halffter, Witold Lutoslawski and others.
The
composers, however, responded differently in terms of the form, length
and, in one instance, number of musicians for their pieces, and
Rostropovich never played all of them. Some were recorded by other
artists; the present release is the first to offer them in a musical
"bouquet," as intended.
Few listeners will want to hear the entire
program in a single 83-minute sitting. But the music is for anyone who
loves the Bach Cello Suites or the Kodaly solo Sonata. Despite touches
of academic severity, there's tremendous variety of sound and
expression, with playing of the highest order. It's a challenging
collection to come to terms with before the observances of Sacher's 95th
birthday next March. (August 06, 1995 / Alan G. Artner)