Rihm: Lichtes Spiel; Currier: Time Machines

Anne-Sophie Mutter has some pull. How much pull? What other star, in this economy, could get a major label to put out a CD made up entirely of all-new classical pieces? Probably nobody; or at least no one who also relishes performing such challenging, gnarly repertoire, which Mutter obviously does.

So this release of four world premieres, all written by contemporary European heavies, is an event for anyone who likes new sounds. The album also comes on the back of Mutter’s 2010 residency with the New York Philharmonic, whose new-ish conductor, Alan Gilbert, has been sharpening the ensemble’s chops on late 20th and 21st century material. (The two longest pieces on this disc are live recordings made at Lincoln Center during the season that just ended this spring.)

The benefits of Gilbert’s work with the ensemble are immediately apparent in the way they support Mutter on the first track here, a Wolfgang Rihm composition entitled “Lichtes Spiel.” Just because it’s orchestrated for reduced, Mozartean-style forces doesn’t mean it’s an airy thing; the piece carves out its theme with an aggression that’s all the more striking for its uncluttered orchestration (relative to Rihm’s last violin concerto written for… read more »