This disc was nominated for the 1999 Grammy Award for &Best Chamber Music Performance.&
This seventh disc in Sony's edition of the complete works of György Ligeti is devoted to chamber works that span virtually the entire career of the composer.
The 'Trio for Violin, Horn and Piano' emerged in 1982 after a six-year period of compositional frustration, a time in which the composer worked only on sketches. As Ligeti has noted, the Trio &cannot be pigeonholed into any neat stylistic category.& For example, the listener is tempted to think of Minimalism when listening to the propulsive second movement but such a view short-changes the work's complex use of asymmetrical meters. The slow fourth movement is particularly beautiful as it closes with a high-register violin line juxtaposed against the fading horn and piano.
The playful 'Six Bagatelles for Wind Quintet' were composed in 1953, a time when the composer's primary concerns were, in his words, &pseudo-folkloristic.& The Ten Pieces for Wind Quintet come from 1968, a time when a fascination with polyphonic textures was paramount. The final composition on this CD, the 'Sonata for Solo Viola' (1991-94), is a remarkably accessible work which utilizes the world of Romanian folk songs.
REVIEWS:
Fanfare (5-6/98, p.155) - &...Every performance on this disc is superb. Each can compete successfully with the currently available releases. Yet Sony's Ligeti cycle, in its very comprehensiveness, makes it a must for any collector or interested listener...&
BBC Music (6/98, p.55) - Performance: 5 (out of 5), Sound: 5 (out of 5) - &...Performances throughout this disc - one of the most rewarding so far in Sony's Ligeti series - are splended. Not to be missed.&