Toru Takemitsu: Spectral Canticle

by Viviane Hagner, Jacob Kellermann, Christian Karlsen

Overview

Three of the four late works of Toru Takemitsu recorded on this release are based on artworks (or, in the case of Twill for Twilight, a fabric). The works in question are Western, yet there is something quite Japanese about Takemitsu's textures here, with their wealth of detail in calm settings that owe much to Debussy and Messiaen. A key element is the guitar, which the composer handles in a unique way in orchestral textures. It is not a concertante instrument but rather a coloristic element that can be percussive or melodic, often interacting in a variety of ways with the Stradivarius violin of Viviane Hagner or the oboe d'amore of Juliana Koch. The most concerto-like piece is the wonderfully evocative To the Edge of Dream (1983), inspired by a surrealist painting of Paul Delvaux, but even here, it is the hypnotically shifting textures that fascinate as much as any virtuoso element. Guitarist Jacob Kellermann is sensitive to Takemitsu's overall mood, and he is fabulously recorded here by BIS at a MediaCity studio in the U.K. Conductor Christian Karlsen has a fine feeling for Takemitsu, capturing the small details of sound that are at the heart of the Takemitsu experience. A wonderful collection of works by a composer whose contributions are sometimes forgotten these days. ~ James Manheim

Product Details

Release Date:	05/05/2023
Label:	Bis
UPC:	7318599926551
Rank:	13111

Tracks

1. Spectral Canticle for violin, guitar and orchestra
2. To the Edge of Dream for guitar and orchestra
3. Vers, l'arc-en-ciel, Palma for oboe d'amore, guitar and orchestra
4. Twill by Twilight for orchestra

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Viviane Hagner   Primary Artist,Violin
Jacob Kellermann   Primary Artist,Guitar
Christian Karlsen   Primary Artist,Conductor
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra   Orchestra
Juliana Koch   Oboe d'amore

Technical Credits

Toru Takemitsu   Composer
Benjamin Ealovega   Photography
John Cole   Assistant Engineer
Robert Suff   Mixing,Producer,Post Production,Executive Producer
Arnold Whittall   Liner Notes
Jean-Pascal Vachon   Liner Note Translation
Karl Gabor   Photography
Andrew Barnett   Typesetting
Stephen Rinker   Engineer
Horst A. Scholz   Liner Note Translation
Matthias Spitzbarth   Mixing,Editing,Post Production
Matthias Dammann   Instrument Design
Zoe Beyers   Leader
Arne Mayntz   Photography
Hasegawa Tohaku   Cover Art