Death And Nonexistence

The 12 Ensemble present 'Death and the Maiden', a powerful and personal journey through an evolving musical landscape that highlights the unique voice and vision of London's pioneering un-conducted string orchestra. With their own arrangement of Schubert's iconic string quartet at its heart, the record features a brand new commission from newly-appointed ROH composer in residence Oliver Leith, alongside a poignant work by Tavener and a tribute to the ensemble's time in Iceland with a heart-felt arrangement of a song by Sigur Rós.

When Coldplay sampled Kraftwerk on their third album, X&Y, it was a signifier for the British band, telegraphing their classicist good taste while signaling how they prefer the eternally hip to the truly adventurous; it was stylish window dressing for soft arena rock. Hiring Brian Eno to produce the bulk of their fourth album, Viva la Vida, is another matter entirely. Eno pushes them, not necessarily to experiment but rather to focus and refine, to not leave their comfort zone but to find some tremulous discomfort within it. In his hands, this most staid of bands looks to shake things up, albeit politely, but such good manners are so inherent to Coldplay's DNA that they remain courteous even when they experiment…

Dans l'histoire de l'enregistrement, le pianiste Richter est bien celui dont les éditions témoignent de la plus hallucinante autant que pléthorique foutraquerie, mâtinée de beaucoup de redondances sur fond d'éditions pirates et officieuses. C'est la vraie tour de Babel de l'édition musicale, et Brueghel l'Ancien n'a plus qu'à aller se rhabiller de son manteau de probité. Je renonce donc ici (ce réveillon de fin d'année m'a tué) à recenser ma discothèque personnelle (quelque 15 000 disques…) pour discerner si, dans l'ordre ou dans le désordre, ce qu'on trouve sur ce CD nous est donné pour la première fois, ou si c'est là doublon partiel ou intégral, voire la trois virgule quatorze cent seizième version du même par les mêmes.

This "collaborative exploration" of Schubert's String Quartet in D minor, D. 810 ("Death and the Maiden"), is experimental even by the standards of violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. It offers the Schubert quartet itself, in an arrangement for string orchestra by Kopatchinskaja herself, that preserves the original quartet forces in some passages; between its movements come other works by Augustus Nörmiger, John Dowland, Carlo Gesualdo, and György Kurtág, along with a piece of Byzantine chant, all of them on the theme of death and often making specific musical reference to the content of the Schubert.

Hyperion’s Record of the Month for October marks the debut on the label by the Takács Quartet. After seventeen years recording for Decca, including multi-awarding-winning cycles of quartets by Beethoven and Bartók, this thrilling ensemble is now embarking on a new relationship with Hyperion; future projects will include works by Brahms, Janácek and Schumann. Schubert’s famous String Quartet, D810, subtitled ‘Death and the Maiden’, is one of the pillars of the repertoire. This new performance is electrifying, and was recorded following a global concert series, enthusiastically welcomed in the press: ‘The Takács’ reading of the second movement was characterized by unremitting pain and mystery.

Sonically inducing a depraved and morbid condition of the mind, INSIDIOUS DISEASE have returned to present their second full length album: »After Death«. Freshly signed to Nuclear Blast Records, the band convenes (with members currently and previously of DIMMU BORGIR, MORGOTH, NILE. NAPALM DEATH, and SUSPERIA) to create a modern venture into classic death metal. The title »After Death« carries with it philosophical concepts that can be found weaved throughout the lyrical content of the entire album; conspiracy theories, perception of reality and existence, the dread of disease, and the inescapable nature of death are just some of the ideas touched upon. These intriguing bits of subject matter are intelligent fuel for the band and their writing. Although topics of morbidity are fairly common in the realm of death metal, the members of INSIDIOUS DISEASE take a deeper step into their interpretations of these concepts through their violent, electrically-charged melodies.