Virgin Classics reviews
Erkki-Sven Tüür: Magma
Not yet 50, Estonian Erkki-Sven Tüür’s claims to be considered one of the most vibrant contemporary talents can only be enhanced by this stimulating programme. Magma, nominally his Fourth Symphony, is really a percussion concerto that throws Evelyn Glennie (for whom it was written) exuberantly upon a large kitchen department, with ear-stupefying results.
Mozart Heroines (Dessay)
Sopranos in Mozart’s day were expected to move easily between roles we would now label soubrette, lyric or coloratura. Today specialisation rules; and it is hard to think of any present-day soprano who could embrace the contrasting demands of these Mozart heroines as completely as Natalie Dessay. The evenness, agility and diamantine precision of her coloratura are phenomenal. But she never relies merely on technical virtuosity.