The world of the avant-garde
can be a scary, surreal place filled
with alien sounds implying virtual landscapes
ranging from the bizarre to the nightmarish.
Since their inception in 1968, the Ensemble
Neu Horizonte Bern (New Horizons Ensemble)
has been exploring that world, seeking
out music that was ahead of its time,
experimental, radical, misunderstood,
or otherwise strange and bringing that
form of music to the audience that seeks
it out. For more than 30 years they
have served as musical guides into the
wilderness of the avant-garde, and on
this recording they capture and put
on display some of the more interesting
and captivating of these strange musical
creatures.
There is a broad range
of avant-garde music contained here,
from tape and electronic pieces to acoustic
works performed on both traditional
and prepared instruments. There are
works of serendipity and chance contrasted
with works of extreme constructionism.
The overriding theme of this music is
that it all contains that desire to
explore musical realms and tread on
as much virgin territory as possible.
The group itself is
excellent, able to find ways of performing
the most difficult of works with a sense
of polish. The instrument choices made
by the composers being what they are
(On one track, Frey occasionally favors
a bird whistle accompanied by violin
for instance) could make for difficult
listening were the performances not
so well done. The extreme dissonances
would be nothing but noise were the
performers not so careful to underscore
the musicality of the pieces. They serve
as noble vanguards as we trek through
the world of the surreal.
In short, this album
is not for all tastes, but is an excellent
example of the very best of the exploratory
music of the late 20th century.
Cage, Rzewski, Wolff, and their companions
are all too often misunderstood, not
only by the general populace, but also
by those attempting to perform their
works. By design, Ensemble Neue Horizonte
Bern sets out to both understand the
works and perform them as the composer
intended. This noble attempt at bringing
to life this music, which would all
too often be ignored, can be viewed
both with admiration and appreciation
by modern composers and fans alike.
If you have an interest
in musical experimentation, avant-garde
works, or post-modernism in any form,
this would be a collection that would
interest you. Indeed, it would be difficult
to find a better collection of this
kind of performances, especially by
a single group.
Patrick Gary
Recorded at Schweizer Radio DRS2, RSR-Espace
2 and RSI Rete Due