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Mira Benjamin
Marco Baldini: Maniera
by Marat Ingeldeev
It was February 2023 when the world got to know the Florence-based composer Marco Baldini a little better, thanks to Another Timbre and their first feature of Baldini's music, an inaugural album, Vesperi. His second offering, Maniera, captivatingly performed by Apartment House, comprises a collection of seven pieces for various combinations of string instruments. Interestingly, the name alludes to both Italian Mannerism of the 16th century--one of Baldini's favourite styles in fine arts, critiqued for its perceived lack of originality--and ...
read moreJürg Frey: String Trio
by John Eyles
2023 was always going to be a landmark year for the esteemed Swiss clarinetist and composer Jürg Frey. His 70th birthday was in May and, to celebrate it, the renowned Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival allocated three slots to Frey's music on the festival's second Saturday. In addition, String Trio became the third Frei album released in 2023, following in the footsteps of Continuité, fragilité, resonance (Elsewhere), recorded in August 2022 by a string quartet plus four saxophones, and Circular Music ...
read moreMorton Feldman: Violin and String Quartet
by John Eyles
With a running time of just over two hours, Morton Feldman's 1985 composition Violin and String Quartet" is one of his longer ones, even though it falls far short of such pieces as 1984's For Philip Guston" at four hours or 1983's String Quartet (II)" at over six hours without a break. Their durations have made it difficult to neatly fit such compositions onto CDs; the Ives Ensemble's 4-CD recording of String Quartet (II) (hat[now] ART, 2003) bore the message, ...
read moreApartment House: Morton Feldman Violin and String Quartet
by Marat Ingeldeev
In the late 1970s, American composer Morton Feldman began writing exceptionally lengthy compositions. Not only did these works push the boundaries of traditional concert duration, but more importantly, they explored how the composer could tackle the subject of sheer scale itself. Speaking about this challenge, Feldman said: Up to one hour you think about form, but after an hour and a half it's scale. Form is easy: just the division of things into parts. But scale is another matter." At ...
read moreJürg Frey: Borderland Melodies
by John Eyles
Borderland Melodies is welcome for several reasons. Firstly, it is numbered at200," indicating it is the landmark two-hundredth album issued by Another Timbre since its debut in the autumn 2007. As the label's hundredth album was released in 2016, it seems its rate of releasing albums is increasing (maybe a side effect of Covid?) Secondly, like five of the label's previous six albums, Borderland Melodies was performed by Apartment House, who were first credited on an Another Timbre album in ...
read moreMorton Feldman: Piano and String Quartet
by John Eyles
It seems almost inevitable that the five-star, five-disc box set Morton Feldman Piano (Another Timbre, 2019), by Apartment House pianist Philip Thomas, should overshadow Feldman releases on Another Timbre and other labels, not least because of its six-hour duration and Thomas' exquisite performances. However, as the Another Timbre catalogue reveals, there is far more to Feldman than his compositions for solo piano. Two Pianos and other pieces, 1953-1969(Another Timbre, 2014) featured Thomas and John Tilbury playing pieces for two pianos, ...
read moreApartment House: John Cage Number Pieces
by John Eyles
Even though it is only based on two of the label's previous releasesWandelweiser und so weiter (2012) and Morton Feldman Piano (2019) the reputation of Another Timbre box sets is enviably high. The music they contain, their sound quality, information, artwork and packaging all contribute to the fact that these albums are highly rated and sell like hot cakes. Like its predecessors, John Cage Number Pieces does not cast its net too wide or spread itself too thin. As its ...
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