Milton Babbitt was a controversial figure on today’s musical scene, with his ideas more frequently discussed than his music is actually listened to. This recording contains the premiere recordings of five Babbitt works that span a quarter of a century. The CD opens with a performance of Babbitt’s exquisite "Quatrains", sung by the brilliant young American soprano, Tony Arnold. Set to a text by a Babbitt favorite–John Hollander–"Quatrains" is a work of great delicacy and subtlety. "Manifold Music" shows Babbitt adapting his language to the organ in a most original manner. Exploiting the instrument’s potential for colorful registration, Babbitt’s demanding score is a spectacular workout for the hands and feet of organ virtuoso, Gregory D’Agostino. "My Ends Are My Beginnings" has, since its composition in 1978, been regarded by many as one of most difficult-to-play works for a solo woodwind instrument. The work’s dedicatee, Allen Blustine (long-time clarinetist for Speculum Musicae), gives a heroic reading of this 17 minute solo. "Soli e Duettini" is one of three works with this title. This work, for two guitars, is played by dedicatees William Anderson and Oren Fader. (This premiere recording was previously issued on BRIDGE 9042). The final work is Babbitt’s just completed "Swan Song No. 1". It is a remarkable composition for the unusual combination of flute, oboe, mandolin, guitar, violin and cello. CD Annotator Matthias Kriesberg writes, "The experience of hearing Milton Babbitt, who for so long played off the boundaries of musical dimensions against one another, now reign in the extremes so dramatically as to focus the ear on the centered drama of calm voices interacting, is certainly extraordinary. But should we really be surprised? After all, there is a long, rich history of composers who, having definitively proven their ability to wrest music in an entirely new direction, turned their attention inward, ever inward, to contemplate that place, in the words of W.B. Yeats, ‘where all the ladders start.'"
Reviews:
“The five works on this collection span 25 years and while clearly meant to be relatively easy on the ears, still give even newcomers to the Babbitt world a sense of what the fuss has been all about.” - Gramophone
“The performances are all first-rate. We get simply extraordinary music-making from all parties.” - Classical CD Review
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Quatrains (1993)
Tony Arnold, soprano
Charles Neidich and Ayako Oshima, clarinet
Manifold Music (1995)
Gregory D’Agostino, organ
My Ends Are My Beginnings (1978)
Allen Blustine, clarinet and bass clarinet
Soli e Duettini (1989)
William Anderson and Oren Fader, guitar
Swan Song No. 1 (2003)
Cygnus Ensemble
Jeffrey Milarsky, conductor
BRIDGE 9135