Thomas Larcher: The Living Mountain

Description

Present on ECM New Series since the album Naunz in 2001, the work of Thomas Larcher takes on another dimension with The Living Mountain. On the new album by the Austrian composer, large orchestral pages sit alongside an intimate song cycle for baritone and piano, structured around the writings of W.G. Sebald on one hand, and the eponymous work by Nan Shepherd, The Living Mountain, on the other. The Times declared that "his communicative music is one of the wonders of this century," speaking of works "with haunting landscapes and dreams, stylistically disparate but fused by the composer's astonishing ear and his skeptical attitude toward traditional forms." Stylistic variation and a curious perspective on traditional classical idioms remain the hallmark of Larcher's compositional approach and form the fabric of this impressive program. The recording features powerful performances by leading classical soloists of today, including soprano Sarah Aristidou, baritone Andrè Schuen, and cellist Alisa Weilerstein.