Manto & Madrigals Rainer Kilius Ó min flaskan friða ECM New Series 2150 Recorded May 2009 This carefully composed anthology of contemporary pieces for violin and viola stakes a claim to serious attention for yet another unusual chamber music combination (q.v. violin duo and Clarinet/violin/piano trio). It occurred to me whilst listening that whereas our two-sided brain is adept at attending to two things at once (not because of its macro-physical structure) things get more complicated with more parts going on simultaneously and choices of attention ensue. Are you always clear about second violin & viola in a string quartet? Conductors try to balance orchestras to help listeners prioritise attention. We have a general preference for chamber music - one to a part - for home listening, and maybe the above thought explains why a good duo anthology can be especially satisfying; and this is indeed one such. A marvellous programme, perfectly organised, played and recorded. I've listened through several times on my iPod; ideal. The only difficulty I have is with ECM's sometimes dour cover images; instead of this one (? a landscape or a man with his tongue out?) I've preferred Keith Pattison's of the artists from an inside page, above. Peter Grahame Woolf
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