In 1994 Tilson Thomas said he thought Feldman’s music was still greatly underestimated given it was so beautiful and important. Now here is the conductor in that repertoire with the orchestra he created – and on a British label too. This orchestral release complements the admirable three-CD set of piano and chamber works on Etcetera from the Barton Workshop for the tenth anniversary of Feldman’s death. It can also be compared with recordings from the 1970s with the original performers – plus Flute and Orchestra and Oboe and Orchestra – on a recent two-for-the-price-of-one CPO package – a bargain for the four works.
Piano and Orchestra (1975) is a single contemplative span, a kind of anti-concerto, with just one brief aggressive outburst at 19'56'', somewhat anticipated by menacing crescendos at 7'08'', 7'21'' and 8'28'' to which the piano remains impervious. Apparently there is a second pianist but it is hard to disentangle his contributions from those of the main player. It is all poetically done – with luscious orchestral sound too – and again recalls J. G. Whittier: “Drop thy still dews of quietness till all our strivings cease”. The older Woodward performance suffers from some background noises which detract from one’s absorption.
Cello and Orchestra (1972) uncannily anticipates Tavener’s hit The Protecting Veil with its high sustained writing for the cello. A not dissimilar spiritual atmosphere pervades the work and we are reminded that Feldman at this time said he regarded his music as elegiac, symbolizing a state of mourning – for the Holocaust, civilization or Western culture. The continuity is beautifully imagined with cello melisma periodically obliterated by gentle clusters, as at 4'06'', 6'00'' and 9'30''. There is a loud brass chord at 9'38'' and the ending settles down to oscillations between two chords and finally single notes. Palm’s performance comes out at exactly Feldman’s specified length – Cohen takes almost three minutes longer.
Coptic Light (1986), a New York Philharmonic commission written in Feldman’s last year, owes its title to his fascination with the patterning of oriental carpets. Listening, you can imagine this multicoloured source and so this late piece is more static: the patterns barely vary for long stretches. With these scrupulous, well-recorded performances Tilson Thomas helps to ensure that Feldman is no longer underestimated.'