Concerto Grosso is Excellent
EMusic's new "Album only" pricing really works against this one. What I've heard of Holmgreen's music all seems to be very "high concept" stuff, and if the concept works on a broad level, as it does on the Concerto Grosso, then it's great. It's a very visceral battle between the string quartet and the orchestra, more of a fascinating, ebbing, flowing tug of war than the usual musical argument or conversation. The other two pieces may be good if you're "in" on the gimmickry, the narrated prophesies of Hans Christian Andersen and oceanic sound effects, respectively, but it gets tiring fast for the rest of us. For me, the rewards are greater for exploring the music of Per Norgard first, who is into a similar vein but is more consistently successful.
