I attended a concert of the chamber ensemble "Frisson" last night. They closed their first half with this stunning work. I was stunned that I did not know such a ravishing chamber piece previously. It is extremely effective in concert, the demands placed upon the players distributed with tasteful equity. Very lush counterpoint and effective orchestration, making a mere 8 people sound deceptively like a symphony orchestra. Interesting the lack of flute, however.
This is a real joy, a real pleasure. Further proof that a composer's degree (or lack) of familiarity bears absolutely no relationship to the quality of the music he wrote. Hundreds, maybe even thousands, of composer wrote stuff that's better than....warhorses that get played all the time. Here's hoping that musicians everywhere buck the conventional wisdom, summon their courage, and perform more music like this, and less Dvorak, Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, Gershwin, Handel.....
