From Amazon.com
To see the future of classical music, just look to the projects of Pierre Boulez. Whether conducting
Bruckner,
Mahler, or
one of his own compositions, he continues to surprise, embellish, and reinvent the shape of music today.
Sur Incises gathers three Boulez works that each focus, at least in part, on a singular instrument. The world-premiere title track uses three pianos, three harps, and three percussionists to create a dense, atonal, but very pianistic universe of sound. On repeated listenings, the abstract piece becomes more rewarding; you eventually pick up on Boulez's keen eye for tonal colors and shadings. On
Anthemes 2, the piercing sounds of Hai-Sun Kang's violin are sampled, manipulated, and relayed back to her via electronics. Here, you won't find the lush Impressionism that Boulez hints at with
Sur Incises, but you will find a fascinating interplay between organic and synthetic sounds.
Messagesquisse for six cellos achieves similar results; the solo cello of Jean-Guihen Queyras is echoed and hinted at by five other cellists. As on their acclaimed recording of the composer's
Répons, the Ensemble InterContemporain sets a high standard for these works, and DG does an excellent job with the recorded sound. These pieces may lack some of the musical magic of
Repons, but they're no less fascinating.
--Jason Verlinde
Chronique amazon.fr
Sur incises (avec trois pianos solistes),
Anthèmes 2 (un violon) et
Messagesquisse (un violoncelle) : les deux dernières oeuvres de Pierre Boulez, et l'une se ses pièces les plus sûres ; trois oeuvres et autant de rélexion sur la musique de soliste, de "labyrinthes organiques", de "développement intérieur dont le parcours n'est pas prévisible". A vous de vous faire une idée, en écoutant, tout simplement.
--Pierre-Jean Alain
