Castiglioni Cactus Planus

Niccolò Castiglioni (1932-1996) was something of an anomaly for a modernist European composer of his generation; he was in no way a traditionalist, but he did not believe that the sun rose and set on the works and theoretical framework of Webern. He was familiar with the newest developments in classical composition, but remained free from allegiance to any particular theoretical school of thought. This puts him somewhat in the same philosophical arena ….

Stephen Eddins @ AllMusic

This EMI Classics release from 2003 features the Sabine Meyer Wind Quintet in works by five contemporary composers: Edison Denisov, Niccoló Castiglioni, Toshio Hosokawa, Michael Obst and Alexander Raskatov. It's a wide array of styles, and since I came across this disc while exploring the music of Raskatov and Hosokawa, I'll limit my review to their pieces…….

Christopher Culver @ Amazon.com

Among the most important contemporary composers Niccolò Castiglioni is one who, through his spontaneous experiencing of the musical material, personifies the romantic concept of genius at its best: he is the one, who through his simplicity, sincerity and merriment, sings praises of the wonders of an enchanted and fairytale like nature, which the lay person with deeply-felt humanity and mystical devotion can participate in.

Renzo Cresti: "Il linguaggio musicale di Niccolò Castiglioni". Milano/Guido Miano Publishers, 1991

… these recordings enable us to establish contact with one of the most unusual musical poetics of the late 20th century. … but what matters most is that anyone stepping into this world returns a child and look ahead at the objects of life with the eyes of a child

Alfonso Alberti, from booklet notes