There are times when
something truly strange and wonderful
comes across my desk amongst the myriad
CDs that I am asked to review. The present
collection of settings of the poetic
works of Georg Thürer certainly
falls into that category. This work
was originally conceived as a combination
chamber music and radio play. It employs
a diverse group of musicians and influences,
with the commissioned goal to be an
exploration of nature and music. From
the opening movement, a musical depiction
of the desolation of winter in Switzerland,
to the last note, an eerie return to
the opening theme, this music takes
the listener all the way through the
year with text and music that is at
once intelligent, beautiful and spectacularly
original.
The project begins
with the work of Thürer, written
in the Garner dialect, about the four
seasons and the natural landscape in
his native Alpine setting. The sections
are then set with a remarkably diverse
range of sounds, including human voice,
prepared piano, alphorn and the electronically
amplified contrabass flute. This is
complemented by an amalgam of incredibly
diverse musicians, with backgrounds
in jazz, opera and popular music. The
result is a synthesis of sensibilities
that change fluidly from the representation
of one season to the next.
Each season is given
its own instrumentation and thematic
material, which does a marvelous job
of aurally painting pictures on the
listener’s mental canvas. The interplay
of the varied instruments and themes
as the seasons wheel and change is remarkable.
The vocals are innovative and evocative,
and complement the other sounds. Even
though I could not understand the words
sung, and the booklet was lacking a
translation, there was never any question
as to where in the year we "were",
or about the landscape depicted.
There are a plethora
of virtuosic displays contained on this
disc as well. The contrabass flute is
explored both with its natural timbre
and with some perfectly executed multiphonic
techniques. The same is done with the
Büchel (a smaller cousin to the
Alphorn) to great effect. The instrumentalists
all find themselves deftly switching
from one instrument to another and each
time the player makes it sound as if
his current instrument is his native
one. Generally the musicians work well
together, and the result is remarkable.
While there are those
who will certainly find the sounds alien
and uninviting, this disc was to me
a wonderful discovery. The deftness
with which the music is able to so beautifully
describe its subject matter is impressive.
The aural vacation through a year in
the Alps is certainly worth the price
of the CD. The music is interesting
and inviting. Any fan of modern musical
composition will certainly love this
album, and I recommend it very highly.
Patrick Gary
Recorded at Radiostudio Zurich on 10-12
December, 2001 DDD