Magnus Lindberg remains one of the most exciting and worthwhile living composers, and this new disc is magnificent. Sculpture is an incredibly grand work, richly textured and full of evocative colors. Scored for large orchestra without violins and emphasizing “low” instruments (bass clarinets, Wagner tubas), it shows how much more rewarding contemporary music can be through a clever and well-contrasted mixture of tonal and atonal elements. Lindberg also is one of the few composers around who can energize a 20-odd-minute span of music, sustaining such a length effortlessly, and the Finnish players under Sakari Oramo really do the music proud.
Campana in aria (“bell up”) is a single-movement tone poem for solo horn and orchestra. Once again the writing is ceaselessly brilliant, exploiting the instrument’s upper register to hair-raising effect. Esa Tapani offers a splendid, muscular account of the challenging solo part. Concerto for Orchestra effortlessly joins the list of famous works (Bartók, Lutoslawski) in the medium. Lindberg always has been a marvelous concerto-writer, demonstrating a keen knowledge of instrumental possibilities both alone and in groups. This work, in five linked movements, is both a showpiece and a nicely contrasted expressive journey; its arresting gestures and often attractive ideas should win the composer many new friends. This is a brilliant disc in all respects: performances, engineering, and above all, the music itself. Highly recommended! [11/26/2008]
