Luxembourg-born Georges Lentz
studied violin and theory at the Luxembourg
Conservatoire, the Conservatoire National
Supérieur de Musique in Paris and at
the Hannover Musikhochschule. He also studied
composition with Alexander Müllenbach
in Luxembourg, Peter Sculthorpe in Sydney
and Donald Erb in Cleveland. In 1990 he settled
in Australia and has been (and may still be)
a violinist with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.
The bulk of his present output
consists of his ambitious on-going series
of works sharing the collective title of "Caeli
enarrant..." composed for varying
instrumental or orchestral forces. (The title
comes from Psalm XIX, and reflects Lentz’s
fascination for the cosmos and religious beliefs.)
So, "Caeli enarrant..." I
(1989/1994) is a large-scale orchestral work
displaying a remarkable orchestral flair and
a quite impressive achievement. (A recording
of this is available in LGNM’s Anthologie
de Musique Luxembourgeoise – Volume 5.)
"Caeli enarrant..." III
(1990/1996) for strings, percussion and treble
voice is still unrecorded though it was first
performed in Australia in 1996 whereas "Caeli
enarrant..." II and "Caeli
enarrant..."VI do not still feature
in the composer’s work list available from
UNIVERSAL EDITION AG and must thus be considered
as works-in-progress. However "Caeli
enarrant..." IV (1991/3) for
string quartet and four cymbals, and "Caeli
enarrant..." V (1989/1992) for
prepared piano are available on TALL POPPIES
TP 035.
In 1994, Lentz planned a
seventh part to the cycle entitled Mysterium
"Caeli enarrant..." VII
first as a "private, largely conceptual
work" though some time later Lentz started
composing parts of Mysterium
: Birrung for 11 strings (1997),
Nguurra for clarinet, violin,
cello, piano and Thai gongs (2000/2001) and
the orchestral pieces recorded here.
Both works, obviously meant
as companion pieces, are very similar in mood
and global outline though each has its own
character. "Ngangkar" and "Guyuhmgan"
are Aboriginal words for "Stars".
According to Richard Toop’s excellent notes,
one primary difference between the two works
is that Ngangkar is a view of
the night sky from Earth whereas Guyuhmgan
is rather space viewed from space. A further
difference lies in the orchestral textures
of the pieces: those of Guyuhmgan
are more varied, richer and more complex,
adding computer-generated sounds into the
orchestral fabric. However, Messiaen-like
chorales feature prominently in both works.
Ngangkar is on the whole a dreamy,
mysterious evocation of a starry sky whereas
the greater timbral and dynamic variety of
Guyuhmgan suggests the extraordinary
images caught by telescopes such as the Hubble
telescope. Moreover both are beautifully atmospheric,
superbly scored pieces in which Lentz’s orchestral
mastery is evident throughout.
Edo de Waart conducts carefully
prepared readings and get the wholehearted
support of his orchestra; and the live recordings
are very fine indeed with few extraneous noises.
A superb release which will hopefully prompt
the composer to complete "Caeli
enarrant..." VII in a not too
distant future.
Hubert Culot
