Birtwistle Refrains and Choruses
A brisk‚ bracing‚ bravura Birtwistle recital from a young ensemble of considerable merit
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Composer or Director: Harrison Birtwistle
Genre:
Chamber
Label: Deux-Elles
Magazine Review Date: 11/2001
Media Format: CD or Download
Media Runtime: 73
Mastering:
Stereo
DDD
Catalogue Number: DXL1019

Tracks:
Composition | Artist Credit |
---|---|
Hoquetus Petrus |
Harrison Birtwistle, Composer
Harrison Birtwistle, Composer Kathryn Thomas, Flute Mark Law, Trumpet Robert Manasse, Flute |
Refrains and Choruses |
Harrison Birtwistle, Composer
Galliard Ensemble Harrison Birtwistle, Composer |
Hector's Dawn |
Harrison Birtwistle, Composer
Harrison Birtwistle, Composer Richard Shaw, Piano |
Duets for Storab |
Harrison Birtwistle, Composer
Harrison Birtwistle, Composer Kathryn Thomas, Flute Robert Manasse, Flute |
Linoi |
Harrison Birtwistle, Composer
Harrison Birtwistle, Composer Katherine Spencer, Clarinet Richard Shaw, Piano |
Berceuse de Jeanne |
Harrison Birtwistle, Composer
Harrison Birtwistle, Composer Richard Shaw, Piano |
Verses |
Harrison Birtwistle, Composer
Harrison Birtwistle, Composer Katherine Spencer, Clarinet Richard Shaw, Piano |
Chorale from a Toy-Shop |
Harrison Birtwistle, Composer
Galliard Ensemble Harrison Birtwistle, Composer |
Sad Song |
Harrison Birtwistle, Composer
Harrison Birtwistle, Composer Richard Shaw, Piano |
(An) Interrupted Endless Melody |
Harrison Birtwistle, Composer
Harrison Birtwistle, Composer Owen Dennis, Oboe Richard Shaw, Piano |
Oockooing Bird |
Harrison Birtwistle, Composer
Harrison Birtwistle, Composer Richard Shaw, Piano |
Author:
This satisfying compilation spans more than 40 years of Birtwistle‚ from a piano piece written in his midteens (Oockooing Bird) to Five Distances for wind quintet (1992)‚ which foreshadows the capriciousness and dramatic urgency of the opera which followed close on its heels‚ The Second Mrs Kong.
Anyone who believes that Birtwistle’s music has always been the same should play Linoi (1968) immediately after the rather impersonal Refrains and Choruses for wind quintet (1957). Written for clarinet and a very sparingly used piano‚ Linoi has all Birtwistle’s archetypal lyric melancholy‚ and the attempts to escape from that melancholy‚ although futile‚ have great dramatic force. Not all the later works are on this level: for example‚ An Interrupted Endless Melody (1991) sustains a tone of plaintive lyricism and‚ despite sharply pointed piano punctuations of the oboe melody‚ it seems almost aimless as a result‚ especially when all three versions are played. But it is the most extended work‚ Five Distances‚ whose strongly characterised material and resourcefully evolving form reveal Birtwistle at his finest. This performance does it justice.
Five Distances was first recorded by the Ensemble InterContemporain‚ an account now available on EMI’s useful mediumprice twodisc album of Birtwistle reissues (8/01). Oockooing Bird‚ Verses and Linoi have also been obtainable‚ relatively recently‚ in excellent performances by Stephen Pruslin and Roger Heaton on Clarinet Classics. But most of the miniatures on this new release are not currently available elsewhere‚ and the Galliard Ensemble versions‚ recorded with pinpoint clarity‚ can be warmly recommended. It’s particularly good to find the smaller labels turning their attention to Birtwistle’s earlier chamber pieces‚ which are alltoorarely heard today. Next to look forward to – a Black Box/Nash Ensemble CD‚ due for release shortly.
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