Disk of Ciurlionis arrangements...

[eschiss1]

Almost all the works are not new to recording (and I think have been recorded several times in their original piano form), the disc is not entirely Ciurlionis' music (and the works that aren't his are probably outside our boundaries), and I am of two minds about pointing it out though I do so anyway. Forthcoming at the end of this year. Sort of wonder who the audience for this is, since people new to the composer should probably get the originals, and at least most of us, I believe, may not be as interested in a disc devoted to cello arrangements of them unless it's wonderful?...

[Ilja]

The other pieces definitely don't fall within our remit, so let's stick to Ciurlionis. His music makes up a mere 24 or so minutes on this recording, so everyone will have to decide for themselves whether that's worth it.

From the excerpts, it's clear that this recording is very closely miked, which makes the performers' respiration quite audible. For me, that's a real distraction, but it's even possible this was intentional, considering that this "album is not merely a musical recording. It is a return to the source for the journey, during which the four bars of an unfinished work are transformed into a newly born world."

That's a shame, because I feel that not only are these really good arrangements (insofar as one can judge from the excerpts), Ciurlionis' music also works better in such a small ensemble than in orchestral form, which has always left me lukewarm at best (with the possible exception of his Dies Irae). A tremendously talented man, but a better (much better) painter than he was a composer, in my view.

[eschiss1]

Am I mistaken that most of his works on this album were originally piano pieces or maybe chamber works in any case? I should double-check that ok, going by the possibly inaccurate and definitely incomplete list at IMSLP and going by the description of this CD at Naxos (which unlike the one at Presto gives the original versions of the works, with opus numbers), yes, the (20-odd minutes) of Ciurlionis works were piano works pre-arrangements, not orchestral works... Apologies if I am off-point!