Berio, Luciano: the Complete [Box set]

LUCIANO BERIO (1925 - 2003)
The Complete Sequenzas, Alternate Sequenzas and Works for Solo Instruments

DISC 1:
Sequenza I for flute (1958) 7:56
Paula Robison, recorded 1996

Sequenza II for harp (1963) 10:14
Susan Jolles, recorded 1995

Sequenza III for woman's voice (1965) 8:46
Isabelle Ganz, recorded 1996

Sequenza IV for piano (1966) 12:05
Aki Takahashi, recorded 1999

Sequenza V for trombone (1965) 5:02
Stuart Dempster, recorded 1995

Sequenza VI for viola (1967) 13:16
Garth Knox, recorded 1995

Sequenza VII for oboe (1969/2000) 7:36
Jacqueline Leclair, Voices for Drone: Okkyung Lee, Mary Kay, Garvey, Stephanie Griffin, recorded 2004

DISC 2:
Sequenza VIII for violin (1976) 13:10
Irvine Arditti, recorded 1995

Sequenza IXa for clarinet (1980) 16:04
Carol Robinson, recorded 2003

Sequenza IXb for alto saxophone (1981) 13:50
Kelland Thomas, recorded 1977

Sequenza X for trumpet in C and piano resonance (1984) 15:16
William Forman, recorded 2000

Sequenza XI for guitar (1987-88) 18:42
Seth Josel, recorded 2003

DISC 3:
Sequenza XII for bassoon (1995) 17:07
Noriko Shimada, recorded 2000

Sequenza XIII for accordion "Chanson" (1995) 10:10
Stefan Hussong, recorded 2000

Sequenza XIVa for cello (2002) 11:38
Rohan de Saram, recorded 2004

Sequenza VIb for cello (1981) 15:34
Rohan de Saram, recorded 2001

Sequenza VIIb for soprano saxophone (1995) 7:39
Ulrich Krieger, recorded 2004

Sequenza IXc for bass clarinet (1980) 13:37
Alain Billard, recorded 2005

DISC 4:
Sequenza XIVb for contrabass (2004) 12:56
Stefano Scodanibbio, recorded 2005

Rounds for harpsichord (1964-65) 2:08
Jane Chapman, recorded 2005

Gesti for recorder (1966) 5:20
Lucia Mense, recorded 1995

Fa-Si for organ (1975) 9:47
Gary Verkade, recorded 2005

Les mots sont allés... for cello (1978) 4:03
Rohan de Saram, recorded 2004

Lied for clarinet (1983) 5:04
Comma for e-flat clarinet (1987) 1:34
Carol Robinson, recorded 2005

Psy for contrabass (1989) 1:57
Michael Cameron

Chanson pour Pierre Boulez for cello (2000) 2:46
Rohan de Saram, recorded 2006

Gute Nacht for trumpet (1986) 1:04
Brian McWhorter, recorded 2005

Executive Producer: Brian Brandt
2006 mode records

--

LUCIANO BERIO
Sequenzas I - XIII
Ensemble intercontemporain

CD 1
1. Sequenza I for flute (1958) Sophie Cherrier 6:01
2. Sequenza III for woman's voice (1965) Luisa Castellani 8:16
3. Sequenza IV for Piano (1966) Florent Boffard 11:04
4. Sequenza V for trombone (1965) Benny Sluchin 6:58
5. Sequenza VI for viola (1967) Christophe Desjardins 12:13
6. Sequenza VII for oboe (1969) László Hadady 6:54
7. Sequenza VIII for violin (1976) Jeanne-Marie Conquer 12:57
8. Sequenza IXa for clarinet (1980) Alain Damiens 13:33

CD 2
1. Sequenza II for harp (1963) Frédérique Cambreling 8:18
2. Sequenza X for trumpet in C and piano resonance (1984) Gabriele Cassone 14:03
3. Sequenza XI for guitar (1987-88) Eliot Fisk 15:19
4. Sequenza XII for bassoon (1995) Pascal Gallois 18:31
5. Sequenza XIII for accordion "Chanson" (1995) Teodoro Anzellotti 8:15
6. Sequenza IXb for alto saxophone (1981) Christian Wirth 14:19

Recording: Paris IRCAM Studio, 1994/1997
1998 Deutsche Grammophon

--

My favorite performances (2006 mode records)
IV for piano performed by Aki Takahashi, I think she ranks above Florent Boffard (DG) as an artist. She plays it with depth and beautiful texture.
IXa for clarinet performed by Carol Robinson, a romantic performance. I like Carol Robinson.
IXb for alto saxophone, Kelland Thomas
XII for bassoon performed by Noriko Shimada, who plays it more carefully. Pascal Gallois (DG) plays it more aggressive and closely. Sequenza XII was commissioned and premiered by Pascal Gallois.
XIVa for cello performed by Rohan de Saram, this work was written for Rohan de Saram and was a homage to de Saram's Sri Lankan descent. The percussive sounds imitate Kandyan drum.
VIb for cello, this is based on Sequenza VI for viola and arranged by Rohan de Saram.
VIIb for soprano saxophone performed by Ulrich Krieger
XIVb for contrabass performed by Stefano Scodanibbio. It was arranged by Stefano Scodanibbio. He plays more powerful than Rohan de Saram with a remarkable percussive effect.
Gesti for recorder performed by Lucia Mense, Gesti means gestures. In this work a recorder is played with performer's speaking voice.
Lied for clarinet performed by Carol Robinson
Comma for e-flat clarinet performed by Carol Robinson

My favorite performances (1998 Deutsche Grammophon)
II for harp performed by Frédérique Cambreling, this is a kind of peaceful and calm night music with virtuosity.
IV for Piano performed by Florent Boffard, I think this is a performance more intelligible than Aki Takahashi's performance (Mode).
XI for guitar performed by American guitar virtuoso Eliot Fisk, the dedicatee of this Sequenza.

This is an incredible collection of pieces from an important modern composer...played by an incredible collection of performers. Some of them are famous, others deserve to be. The variety of sounds, the skillful use of different instruments and voices, and the outstanding performances make this a great CD set. The range of instruments is fascinating, from voice (doing vocal gymnastics we can't imagine) to Paula Robison's flute, to Gary Verkade on the organ. Anyone with an interest in new music should listen to this!